The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1876-05-23


So02, ,065. leaving q balance in my hand
Of e12l, ,253. 0ftLis balance oe,768 be
lsngs to the funds received on accoun
Of the civil expenses, and Sll5, 487 OF
account OF the funds received for mill
tary expenses.
"In conclusion OF this subject, re
spectfully request that Joint commit
tee OF the two Houses be speedily ap
pointed TO investigate the civil ant
military expenditures have made
since the adjournment OF the last Leg
islature, and to examine the voucher,
Tor the same on file in the Treasury
Department, and that the Legislature
will make prompt provision for the re
payment OF money have borrowed fol
public purposes. Ii was advanced
from patriotic motives, with full re-
lance upon the good faith OF the State
for its reimbursement, and without il
the machinery OF the State government
could not have been kept in motion"
A joint committee OF the two Hous.
es, embracing some OF the ablest Dem.
ocratic members, was appointed as re.
quested In the message, who patiently
Investigated all my accounts, includ'
ing the expenditure Of Sl33. .302 which
had been obtained from the President,
and unanimously reported them cor.
rect, taking no exception even to the
amount OF one cent OF the expended
portion of s250,000 which l had re.
ceived from the President, and which
described in my message as q military
fund, but which was enormously stat
ed in the message as sll5,0 900, instead
of Sl16,000. l did not pay into the
State treasury as suggested in the mes.
sage, but refunded directly TO ths Gen.
eral Government as before shown, and
the Sl33, ,302 which / had expended for
the State were settled with the Govern.
ment by giving credit to the Govern
ment for that amount on the indebted
ness OF the Government TO the State rs
before shown. After full examina.
tion Of my accounts the Legislature
made an appropriation to pay my bor-
rowed money and the debts i had con-
tractej, also the sum OF about 5000,
600, the exRc. amount, however, i
am not able to state from memory,
which i had procured from Winslow
Lanier 4 Co, OF New York, 10
advance in the payment OF interest
upon the bonds OF the State
during the years 1863 and 1864; the
payment OF which interest had been
withheld by the auditor aud treasurer
of the State. During these two years
all payments for the civil and military
expenses of the State. including the
benevolent institutions and peniten-
tiaries, and excepting only the salaries
OF public officers, were paid, upon my
own check, through q financial bureau
established in my Office, the State aud
itor and State treasurer declining all
cooperation. My course was approx
ell by the people Of Indiana by my re-
election as Governor in October, 1864,
by majority Of more than 20, 900, and
by the election of Republican Legis-
lature and Republican State officers.
The intermediate history between the
event have described in the spring OF
1869 aud the meeting OF the Legisla-
ture in January, 1865, will refer TO
but briefly, although it was extraordin-
ary in its character and unlike that OF
any other Safe. The State was hon
eycombed with secret societies, form
erly known as Knights OF the Golden
Circle, but n. that time as Sons OF Lib
erty. They claimed in 1864 to have
40, 900 members in the State, were law
less, defiant, plotting treason against
the United States aud the overthrow Of
the State government. In some couu-
ties their operations were SO formidable
as TO require the militia to be kept on
a war footing, aud throughout 1863 and
until the final explosion OF the organi-
zation in August, 1874, they kept the
whole State In an uproar and alarm. -
So bold were these demonstrations
through the summer OF 1863. that Gen.
John Morgan, OF Kentucky, was induc-
ed 10 invade the State with his forces,
in the belief that there would he O
general uprising in his support. In
| 1864. so numerous were these organizA.
tions, aud so confident were they OF
their strength. that they matuIel . plan
for general uprising in the city OF In.
dianapolis, on the 10th OF August, to
be under cover OF mass meeting oil
the Democratic party, TO he attended
1 by members Of these reasonable or
carnations from all parts OF the State,
The plan, as shown by the subsequent
confessions Of some OF the leading CON
spiritors, was on that day to release
about 1000 rebel prisoners confined IL
Camp Morton. seize the arsenal and
arm these prisoners, overturn the State
government and take possession of ths
State. This plan could not be kept so
cret: ID waslleveloped some three weeks
! before the time fixed, and was aban
doned by the leading conspiritors, AMI
orders issued countermanding Tia,
march of their force upon Indianapo
lis. Subsequently discovery and tn,
seizure Of q large amount OF arms and
ammunition, collected at Indianapolis
for reasonable purposes, and the seiz
ure Of the records and rituals OF thu
order OF the Sons OF Liberty. givinl
the names OF the principal conspira
tors, and the arrest OF some eight o
ring leaders, had the effect TO break NJ
and destroy the power OF the orgsni
zatioD; and | regret TO have to stat
that in the list OF the principal mem
bers OF this organization, were founs
the names OF three State officers, int
whose hands the Legislature Of 1856
had attempted to place the whole mill
tary power Of the State. Upon th,
trial Of these ring-leaders, before
military tribunal appointed by Tia
President under an act Of Congress
some of them turned State evidenc
and disclosed the full character and ex
tent OF the conspiracy. Four Of then
were convicted and sentenced to death
one Of whom made his escape; anothe
was par,lonej outright by Presiden
johnson, and two others, Bowles an,
Milligan, had their punishment CON
muted by President johnson TO i'm
prisonment for life, bnt we're after
wards released by a decision OF the Su
preme Court OF the United States,
the effect that military commissio
lad no jurisdiction to try them for TIA
offenss. There is large volume q
unpublished history showing in deta
the operations OF these organization
who were their siders and abettors, an
the connection they had with the pol
tics OF the day. Ii may he proper
state here that the Democratic Legisli
ture OF 1868, before its sudden adjourn
! ment, had appointed an Auditing Con
mittee OF its own members to aud
and supervise all my accounts and e,
penditares for military purposes. whic
. sat almost continuously until Januar,
1865; and that this committee did auS
II and approve every one Of my eIpeI
ditures, including that Of the sl33, &c
OF the fund obtained from the Pres
; dent. The same Legislature also Al
: pointed committee 10 investigate q
Y / Il .s.la