The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-01-31

n
WHILE LIVING IN GLASS HoUsE-HR.
o'CoNNoR's COMPLIMENTS To OUR OLIVER
Following is Sir. O'Connor's special con-
Corning Morton's Mississippi magazine OF
Misrepresentation about Mis- sissippi matters,
as it appeared in the New York World q
Monday: Senator MCrton's speech or The
Mississippi question is Ike Geek tracey
in one respect az least. T. is divided into
three parts and VIII consume three daily
sessions of the Senate in tho presentation OF
the mournfnl story. Il Is expec "a that he
will close his argument tomorrow, and the
general opinion is 3aat 70 5ulier production
was ever delivered. Ire address has
been carefully prepared add is evidently
/ intended less for the Immediate aU-
dience than tor effect throughout the coun-
/ try. 1t is not a speech ~ much as msgs-
zine of aulaaign material. Il is not
\ worthy Of extended notice, either on &C
count IF is intrinsic merits or on account Of
/ the attention which il excites here, for it is
/ weary fiat stale end improbable, and the
Senate is TOO much bored byit even to affect
10 listen. But the mere bulk of the thing,
and the time consumed by its delivery, and
the tact that it's author is a presidential can
didate make it a matter TO talk about. The
cnief thing that struck me about the speech
was the lack of magnetic force in the
/
ECHOES OF THE CELEBRATED ADDRESS
which Mr.. Morton delivered in the cam
psign of 1874, when the news came of the
instruction against Kellogg in New Or
leans. Some of the phrases used on that
occasion were still lingering in my memory,
and / was astonished to think how faint
and vague they seemed in the repetition.
The canvass in Indiana had languished and
the hopes of the administration party were
cloudsd when the Southern trouble broke
out so violently, and Morton, who had be-
| fore taken but little part in the contest, ap-
pesred at Masonic Hall, in Indianapolis
| TO rekindle the old war flame with the fuel
furnished by the White League rebellion
| He was not at that time able to stand up
aud speak, but as he sat in his arm chair
and appealed to the passions of the great
| audience before him he exhibited a con-
scious strength and elastic vigor of which
| there now remains no trace. He then spoke
| like king from throne, and the listeners
| heard the vibrating tones of his voice with
enthusiastic faith. Now, instead of the i'm
preston of strength affecting weakness, he
conveys the idta of feebleness affect
ing power. His effort to stand up to
address the Senate is unwise because
it gains tor him no oratorical ad-
vantage and taxes his energies to the ut
I w =
swaying from side to side in a movable
chair than standing in a constrained atti-
tude and stiffiy reading prepared Grafton.
But people say: ''Oh, he is much stronger
than he was, for now he rises when he
speaks" He is making a great sacrifice TO
cre6te this impression, and his broken voice
and the exhaustion which compelled him to
sit down from time to time and ask Ingalls,,
of Kansas to read some of the extracts with
which his speech was garnished prove that
he is doing
TOO MUCH FOR APPEARANCE SAKE.
II seemed that the gentleman from Kansas
performed the task assigned to him with
very little enthusiasm. 1t may be added,
however, en- PEASANT, that in the leaariess OF
his body and the rotundity of his voice be
surpasses even Kelley, OF Pennsylvania.
If the speaker showed none OF the fire be-
fore the Senate with which he glowed in adj
dressing a popular assembly, his speech was
certainly one calculated rather for the
crowd about the hustipgs than for tn ecool,
critical judgment of legislators. No
analysis of it is necessary, as it
has probably been spread throughout the
country in advance of its delivery here. 1t
is enough to say in a general way that the
atmosphere of Washington during the pres
ent week has been peculiarly unfavorsble to
III.
public sentiment, which was wrought up to
the highest pitch of excitement during the
amnesty debate, and the people now look
upon the war and outrage business with
sense OF WEAKNESS and disgust; therefore,
Mr.. Mortons effort is thrown away, unless
the old issues which were defeated in 1874
are revived. In that event the discredt of re-
kindling of the strife will be due to Blaine,
but Morton's armory will furnish many
weapons. There is one point
on which / wish to be little
more specific. The senator from Indiana.
in his eagerness TO attack the state govern
ment OF Mississippi in the era preceding the
war, committed one or the strongest pieces
of absurdity that politician was ever guilty
of. He arraigned the administration of
generation ago for its reputation of the
publicdebt incurred through the failure of
the Planters and Union banks, and he de-
nounced such a violation of public honesty
in terms OF fierce invective. His lofty scorn
of the act of Mississippi and his lamentation
over the blot which her sin lett upon the
fair fame of the nation may have looked
fine to the average spectator, but to a
listener familiar with the history of the COM
monwealth which Mr.. Morton represents
HIS HIGH TRAGEDY DEMEANoR
appeared simply ridiculous. Indiana rather
than Mississippi enjoys in the money mar
kets of the world the reputation of being the
champion repudiator of the American
union, and her senator should not be the
firstfo cast stone at any of the sisterhood
guilty of the sin of dishonesty. The state of
Indiana over thirty years ago entered upon
grand scheme of internal improvements,
beginning with the construction of the Wa
bash canal. TO carry on these works inter-
nal-improvement bonds were issued and
heavy state debt was created. In one OF the
periodic panics of the country the whole
scheme of improvements broke down
and the commonwealth failed to pay the in
terest on its Indebtedness. When the prin-
cipal and accrued interest amounted to