The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-11-08

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part in politics, but ii 1869 he was WI nom
mated j. for. lieutenant > governor on the
ticket with Henry s.. Lane, and. was
elected by ten thousand majority. A few
days after his Inauguration Gov. Lane was
elected United States senator, and Mr..
Morton became governor of Indiana. =:
" Previous to this, Nov. %, 1860, Mr..
Morton made speech to q mass meeting
in Indianapolis that drew to him the gaze
of all :American and all foreigners inter-
ested in American affairs. TT was the
first timesthat the! coercion policy Of the
south had been boldly and openly advo-
Gated. He threw on the south the re-.
sponsibility for whatever might follow by
declaring coercion was the only enforce
ment Of the law, and that there would be
no coercion till the law was violated. He
plainly avowed preference for secession
won by arms to secession peaceably gain
ed; for if the nation was defeated in the
attempt to prevent secession it would
still maintain the doctrine of national
unity, while if one state was allowed
quietly to withdraw the whole claim to
national unity would be waived. Abra-
ham Lincoln said of the speech. ut covers
the whole ground, and declares the whole
policy of the government. It is the
policy I shall pursue from the first"
MIR. Morton became governor Jan 16,
1861, and spent three months in success
full reformation and reorganization of the
states civil administration.
The attack on Fort Sumter called him
to the discharge of duties falling little
short of those of military dictator. On
the 10Th of April Mr.. Lincoln called for
seventy-fvc thousand volunteers, but be-
fore Gov. Morton had heard of this he Of
fered the president, by telegram, ten
thousand men. The states quota was six
regiments, and on the following day the
governor issued his call for them. The
state treasury contained less than $751;
900. The state had no militia, and hard
ly any arms or military stores, but recruits
poured in and were rapidly organized in
to regiments. Anticipating a call for
more men, he began organizing six more
regiments. On April "a the legislature
met and appropriated $1,740,000 for mil
itary purposes. Ten days from the issue
of the presidents call the states quota
was filled. A few days later the govern
or bought quantity of Belgian muskets
in Canada and ordered dozen pieces of
artillery from Cincinnati foundry. In
May the Indiana levies went to West
Virginia, and at once engaged in hostil-
tiles.
In 1864 Morton was re- elected governor
over the present Senator Mcdonald by a
majority of more than twenty thousand
A republican Legislature was elected. It
appointed committee to audit the &C.
counts of the financial bureau, and they
were found entirely correct.
In 1865 Gov. Morton went to Europe
for few months recreation. In 1865 he
opened the state campaign with speech
on the political situation which was circu-
lated as campaign document to the ex-
tent OF three million copies. The legisla-
ture elected in 1866 was republican and
it elected Gov. Morton United States Sena-
tor, and he took his seat in the senate
March 4, 1867.
Senator Morton was prominent candi-
ditto for the presidential nomination in
1876, and was subsequently a member of the
famous eight-to- seven comm ssion. Though
a thorough adherent of Grants military
policy at the south, he wrote letter last
May giving in his adhesion to Hayes
policy, but rather as a necessity under the
circumstances than as anything at all de.
sirable in itself.
In financial matters he was above re.
proach. He was charged with dishonesty
only once, and then to the utter discom-
future of his enemies. But whatever has
been thought of him socially or politically
none can deny that for over sixteen wears
he has been one of the most prominent
figures on the political stage, and one
of the most successful politicians of oul
history. For twenty-three years in ono
capacity or another he has been leade,
of the republican party.