Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-05-10

AIRY. 1865:
Upon the adjournment OF the Legislature l
found myself unprovided, with the exception of
a small balance Of military contingent fund, with
money APPROPRIATION for military purposes.
No regiments could be raised under the requisi-
tons OF the Government, work could not be car
ried forward without the use Of large sums Of
money. The Legion tmilitia) had received no
pay for their services from the beginning OF the
war, and the organization could not be success
inily continued unless payment was made. and
lures, for which the appropriation for the Legion
fund, made in 1851. was Inadequate. The south
ern border was still disturbed by threats and
danger Of invasion, and such steps were to be
taken, If possible. AZ wouId guarantee peace and
security to our people. In this dilemma deter
mined TO apply to the President for advance
under an appropriation Of 81 900 OO0 made by Con-
gress on the 3lst Of July, 1861.
After afull consideration of the condition of
affair. in Indiana, the President advanced to me
az DISTURBING "facer out Of said appropriation.
Joint Committee Of the two Houses, EN-
bracing some OF the ablest Democratic members,
was appointed "a requested in my message. who
patiently investigated all my accounts, including
the expenditure OF the Sl33,32O which had OBJ
tanned from the President, and unanimously re-
ported them correct. taking no exception even to
the amount OF one cent. The nnexpended por-
ton OF the $3.50 COZ which had received from the
President and which described in my message
as the military fund.- but which was enormously
stated In the message IS $4,000, instead OF
$4,000, did not pay into the State treasury as
suggested In the message. but refunded directly
to the General Government a. before shown. and
the &133. 302 which had expended for the State
were settled with the Government by giving
credit TO the Government for that amount on the
indebtedness of the Government to the State, as
before shown.
Ny course was approved by the peo-
pie of Indiana by M reelection as Governor in
October, 1885, by majority of more than $1,000.
and by the election of Republican Legislature
and Republican Sta re officers.
The intermediate history between the events l
have desc ibed in the spring Of 1863. and the
meeting OF the Legislature In January, 1868, |
will refer TO but briefly, although II was extraor-
binary in Its character, and unlike that OF any
other State The State was honeycombed with
secret societies. formerly known Knights of
the Golden Circle, but at that time as Sons of
Liberty. They claimed In 1864 to have 10000
members in the State; were lawless, defiant, plot
ting treason against the United States and the
overthrow of the State Government In some
counties their operations were formidable rs to
require militia to be kept on a war footing and
throughout 1863, and until the final explosion of
the organization in August, 1874, kept the whole
State IN an upr0ar and alarm.
SO bold were these demonstrations through
the sumner of 1863 that Gen. John Morgan. of
Kentucky, was induced to invade the State with
his forces, in the belief that there wond be a
general uprising in his support. In 1864, 80 nu-
m -rous were these reasonable organizations,
and 80 confident were they Of their strength, that
they matured plan fora general uprising in the
city of Indianapolis on the nth of August to be
under cover OF a mass-meetiug OF the Democrat
ic party, to be attended by members OF these
organizations from all parts OF the State. The
plan, IA shown by subsequent confessions of
some OF the leading conspirators, was on that
day to release about 1000 Rebel prisoners con-
fined in Camp Morton, seize the arsenal and arm
these prisoners, overthrow the State Govern
mcnt. and take possession OF the State.
This plan could not be kept secret 1t WAS de-
yeoped some three weeks before the time fixed,
and WINS abandoned by the leading conspirators.
and orders issued couDtermanding the march of
their forces upon indianapolis. subsequently.
the discovery and seizure of large amount OF
arms and ammunition collected ut Indianapolis
for reasonable purposes, and the seizure OF
Liberty, giving the names of the principal con
spirators, and arrest of some eight OF the ring
leaders, had the effect 10 break up and de-
-troy the power OF the organization. and
| regret TO have to state that In the
iist OF the principal members OF this organiza
ton were found the names OF three OF the
State officers into whose bands the Legislature Of
1863 had attempted to place the whole military
power Of the State. Upon he trial OF these ring
leaders before y military tribunal appointed by
the President under an act of Congress. some OF
them turned States evidence, and disclosed the
full character and extent Of the conspiracy
-Four of them were convicted and sentenced to
death, one Of whom made his escape, another
was pardoned outright by President Johnson,
and Two others-Bowles and Milligan-had their
punish commuted by President Johnson to
imprisonment for life, but were afterward re-
leased by decision of the supreme Court OF the
United States to the effect that h Military Com
mission had no jurisdistion 10 try them for the
olonse.
There is a large volume of unpublished history
showing in detail the operations of these organi-
cations. who were their aiders and abettors, and
the connection they had with the politics OF the
day 1t may be proper To state here that the
Democratic Legislature OF 1903, before its sudden
adjournment had appointed an auditing commit
tee Of its own mcmbers 10 audit and supervise all
my accounts and expenditures for military pur-
poses, which sat almost continuously until Janu-
AIRY, 1905, and that this committee did audit and
approve every one of my expenditures includ-
ing that of the Si33,3G2 OF the fund obtained
from the President. The same Legislature also
appointed n committee to investigate all my ex-
penditures and accounts from the beginning OF
the War up to January. 1868 This investigation
was prosecuted with 1 eat vigilance until late in
the -priug Of 1863, and after the breaking up of
the Legislature. Failing to find anything wrong
in my accounts to the amount II even cent. the
Democratic majority of the Committee refused To
make any report at all, but the Republican minor.
lily made report indorsing my official conduct in
every particular
In often happens that the ink with which
old records were written, upon either pa
per or parchment, has faded and rendered
the characters entirely undecipherable
II is we'll, therefore, TO know that such
writings may easily be rendered legible
by moistening the paper with water, and
then passing over the lines in writing q
brush which has been dipped in solution
OF sulphide of ammonium. The writing will
immediately appear quite dark in color
and this color, in the case of parchment
it will preserve. Records which were
treated in this way in the Germanic Mu
scum, in Nurembeg, ten years ago, are
still in the same condition rs Immediately
after the application OF the process. On
paper, however, the color gradually fades
again; but it may be restored AT pleasur,
by the application of the sulrhlde The
explanation Of the action of this substance