The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-06
OLIVER P. MORTON.
THE CHARACTER AND CAREER OF THE
LATE INDIANA SENATOR.
A strange Combination OF Political Hon-
esty, Big0ted PartisansliIp ana bitter
sectional PreJudices.


upon Morton's coffin 1t viii sound the requiem
OF what has been ruling idea. propose to
write summary Of Mortons career and give
an eiectrotype OF his character. And shall be
conceited enough to say that believe eap
write as fair review OF his life and work as
can any eontempornneous writer: for the rea-
son that. while his diametricai opposite and
tireless opponent upon all public topics, IL was
my fortune to OIL JOY his personal confidence and
good will TO an extent not surpassed pei haps. by
any Washington correspondent Of his own party.
much less by any OF mine Among the pleas
| ATTEST OF my memories are those of two. three.
table in the Ebbitt ming room tWc a day with
Senator Morton. Representative Jerry Wilson
and nen as J9hn h Lane and he,T ,sh y was
days the one or two spare plates it offered were
coveted, for that in addition to the conversation
ways graeed by the pre- ence OF two or
%ss for Of hrss ys0 Years Mis- bs os nose Of ass
harsh and iarrng discords Of poiit col warfare
make Q melody oI the whole. and was enabIsd
to study Senator Morton, in all his phases. with
as near on approach to impartality as men
| shall assert at the outset, and of that asser-
ton make n basis OF analysis. that Oliver r.
| Morton was
|
| This assertion will doubtless strike the read
ers Of the DEMOCRAT almost with the force Of q
revelation. But whom we come to consider the
Of his country during. .fftet n years Of the Wild
est riot Of venality and corruption it ever knew
NH sas dss than wGrh ss hsa s bsn than ~
Washington: when we reflect that his style OF
living was always within the scope of his sena-
honest motive or corrupt impulse can ever be
made to lie against his memory,
| OF charges that have been made against him
on grounds OF
IMMORTALITY
it is not necessary, or pertinent to speak. II
such stories ever had any foundation 1t be-
longed to q period OF his career with which I
vas vas not lamilT +, and at the s2rst could not
mon experience OF American public men, One
thing know as an indispnabe fact, and that
down his later years and hurried him to the
grave were not as has been so often asserted.
disgrace. e., That Morton u was an honest % man m' in
dispute. That he was q clean man in bis habits
the epoch which his death will close, ID equally
well known TO those who were intimate with
| him.
| In short and as q general summary of his
private character and personal traits. shall
say that that he was u1RrpIght, In deal warm and
generous in impulse and genial in Fellowship.
A.appaintaanee with h him failed to disara
to g, cite, and social familiarity ways dispeIled
that UNPLEASANT impression which his forbid
ding yisage. seen upon the Senate floor from
the galleries. was calculated to produce. In his
younger days. before paralysis had cramped his
form and distorted his features, Morton was
mr." DT"ruRE OF PHYSICAL srMmETEz STRENGTH
| He used to stand plump six feet higI1 aas1
| without an ounce OF superfuous Hssb, Or full
nse s aonnd at f bis
| ders were square as the outlines Of brick, she
m nap nsb ssass ses fna and nme as egh nJ hs
hands and feet small and we'll shaped. In 1860.
| when he maee
| HIS FIRST PROMINENT POLITICAL APPEARANCE.
AZ the Republican candidate for Lieutenant
Governor o. Indiana, one of the chief reasons
for putting him ON the ticket was his repute as
a man physically capabe, OF enforcing re-
yassiEg that stormy battle-ground between the
ideas Of Free Soil and Slavery. Sou hern ta-
The 1e n
lier days in Indiana took the form o, Dhysslcai
eombativeness and there were few Dqilies ~
arm Of the young giant from Ramfond fnn aars start
ling from such antecedents, morton plunRe0
into hs L09 sate " yiee see Hs"ry @ Lane chosen
| the SenSte to succeed Bright. tie found hlm-
self at the outset
| ugwARTED Br DEMOCRATIC LEGIsLAsURE,
ard surrounded by organizations of semi
Secret character in sympathy with the Confed-
sracy. Between him aud these Immediately be-
IA Haear wbe fd
attempts a assassination ON the one hand, with
| lettres de cachet press seizures and r gronsign-
obviously no school in which to educate man
least Of all such man as Morton-in the doe
m haya obef
be corruptionists and public robbers; OF Nor
ton 1t made simply
BLIND, FANATTcAL PARTISAN.
incapable Of recognizing good present or possi-
10 1p6n hn al pf Dom and
equally inclined to condone any sin In the name
of Republicanism. provided its commission
tended to perpetuate the party.
Il labor with single purpose for the public
good ne % used to say ana u 70 me me ine pmeiie
There was very little Of the self-seeker. In the
current acceptation OF the term. about Morton.
He loved place and power. not for the emolu-
ments or the honors it conferred upon him, but
for the opportunity it gave h i'm TO aid In work
ing what be called the destinies of the Repubi-
can party.
TO HIM THE CAUCUS WAS KING,
ruling by Divine right, and it could do no
wrong. He looked upon the rebellion as de-
vice Of sef-seeking men to obtain in a new ma,
lost in the old Union. He used to say that
separation would have ruined both fragments.
able struggle between two nations for the su-
premacy on this continent which would have
exhausted and bankruptsd both sections. ~
supper table, with all their intricate system OF
diplomacy, their doctrines of succession and
have to keep. themselves constantly exhausted
in displays Of military power. What would be
the situation hen OF two rival republics one
free and the other slave. having frontier 5000
miles long and without any. neighbor. near
Why" said Morton, uplifting his front finger
and leaning over the table as was his wont. the
story of the XII kenny cats would have been out
done because the
NORTH AND SOUTH,
once separated would have fought until the last
hair OF their tails was annihilated"
Filled with this conviction Morton USED TO re-
gard the rebellion "a the greatest crime ever at
t-mpted against civilization. He believed fAat
the recognition Of the independ. nee 4 tne Uan-
federaey would have signalized the befinnlng
rather than the end of the war: fhar frsSa that
moment system Of rider raids and olia-