The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-11-11


his leadership, bnt it was confined to a fe'
{ gentlemen wDo woald be described in m
: Hoosier vernacasar aa Z" too fne-haired" 10
! practical politics, and il may be said con
Hdently that the Repu biicsu masses neve
lost their faith in him or their love for him
His presence was always regarded as th
presage of victory and his absence as sl
omen of defeat; and where an importAn
Issue was at stake he was ready to descent
TO the GTnogery OF addTe. slpg meetings a
every CROSSROADS school house in the com
monweaIth. TIE dread and hatred viii
which the Democrats of the State regarded
him had in 1t something Whimsical abt
! absurd. bis moral character was nrQuss
tiooabiy bad, but could NOT have been bad
enough to justify the-horribIe storIes ths,
were told among his enemies, none oi
| which Will ever See print. ls 10 spf6cieDi
for the public, perhaps, To Know that he
was honest IN an age Of corruption AT
least, DO dishonest practices were ever
proved against him and no suspicion WAS
ever cast upon his -fasaey- y-saxe the
shsdowy one concerning his connection
with the Alaska Fur Company. De aban-
don-d tbe practice Of the law just as be
was becoming known TO the oar OF he
Stale aud devoted his whole .lfe to politics,
and he must, therefore, tie judged alto
gether as statesman. To uLderstand his
someWbat lBcObRIsteHt career put uno key
is necessary He had go such tsiug,
properly speaking, as political principles.
Ice cODvlctIoD Uu which he acted was shat
tue country ~h- ssfrsf IN tEe bat de of She
Republican party, and his hte was a cou-
tlnnous stroge's iuT rhe supremacy of that
party. Tegar''r-s Of the poncy which IL
protested Aata ihe var Closed be gss
an ardeot sappertes Of President Johnson
anG his TecUasJr artinD scheme, and de-
nOusced The iCes of I"TrustIGS The freed
men wIth ste baHct He DID - ro. merely
10 pao'e TO Keep up Al apHearaace Of har
fnony wit2 the Administration, bu1-was
equally "utspokeo IN private ccav eIsasion.
)" ben the party sentiment sgltttd he |
turned with 1t ssa became .5e tereest |
Champion as the scheme EJr SestroylDg |
AND Tecreaung the governments "f t5e re- !
oel!Ions States, ana snbseQ aeniiy was the |
pillar OF the whole system of carpet bag |
'atrap2es. Hs was she strer aous Gdvoeate /
'f the pay meDt of the national debt ln
reen6acks, and wAeeied ansut with hIs
party when it transformed the oSl,gat iens
'reate6 IN aepreciated paper rnro gold
lebts. 2e was an ardent ia nh.tion sst q oder
he irfneace OF the sentiment of tao West,
'ut fearing the resuls of cSnteea on The
urrency question within tbs party, gave
vay to The hard money theories OF the East.
The last notable askon of his political
areer was an exhibition of she seme ae-
ommosstiDg readiness to give uphis opin-
Ons TO: the saks of unity and diecip.ine IN
LO hcPuOilCs1u TAU &S d3lr6Q OF f0e
outh had grown to be secOod Hatnre 10
i'm rsvileuent of tss South xas bis sole
tock ia eloqnence abe bloody shirt was
ls favOrlte banner, snd the maintenance
negro rule IN the reconstructed States
onstltated the m ain point IN his political
anne. So we'll was this understood that s
was q com9on ring IN Indiana that if
he hope Of the Presidency WAS taken
way from him he would 6ie, and that if .
eace and prosperity were restored at the .
outh he wSufd have nothing TO rnake a
Deeeh abost. Yet he did not hesitate,
hen Mr.. Hayes was i3augnTated and ]
doPted the policy of coneiliatiap, to give
otDg so be blottsd and defaeed his own
cord and reputation. He had q strong
vmpathy with the Repu bliean masses, .
nd his instinct generally OWNED the ten
eocy aid direction of their passions; b5 t.
hen it failed to do so and they took :
lherent route he was not long in changing
ls o~s course and Tegaining his place in
~ froDt rank. When be veered he veered
ith the crowd, aud 30 escaped the impu-
s,ton Of Inconsistency. His parsisanship
further illustrated in the fact that though
himself he never attacked
but shnt his ey ca to the villainy
erpetrate6 by his associates and defended
ne vilest race of public plunderere that
be country has seen as the peers of Wash
1gton and HE companions-all in the hope
preserving the good name of Rspubli-
anism. 1t was his misfortune that he
ressed forward to national leadership in
he Republican party at q time when ita
hilanthropic mission of liberatiug the
lave was performed AID the era of it's de-
adence and Cishonor began. He could do
othing to retard it in its downward course,
ut his narrowness, bigotry and determin-
tion to eecure power at all hazards helped
o accelerate it's speed along the road to
ain. With all disposition to speak ohari-
ably of the dead, we can only praise him
3 strong man, not as a good man and not
s q statesman.
Despite the millions which he handed
Vhen Governor of bis own State, the cor
upt schemes before Congress by which |
ther Republican leaders were enriched
nd the opportunities afforded by his pro-
ession, Nr. Morton, as We have said, pre-.
erved his integrity almost free from sus.
icion even, and his whole fortune, it was
ately stated, will not amount to more than
80, 900