The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-06-02
SENATOR MORTON ON THE SITUATION.


the general public curiosity and put forth
declaration of his views on the situation. 1t
appears in the form OF lengthy letter 10 the
Indianapolis Journa1, ostenslbly in reply to
an opeu letter addressed to him in the New
York Times, but also, he says, in reply to nu-
merous private letters, which he thus answers
once for all. His letter IS rather curious
contribution to the political literature OF the
! day. Hitherto no politician in this country
not even Ben Wade-was more noted for
utterances than o. =. Morton. Nobody, tor
I instance. could extract two meanings from
his "keynote" speech at Indianapolis last
I August; and after his defeat in Indiana IN
}, October, nobody had two opinions as to the
Iobiect of his hasy hegira to the Pacific slope.
But events since then, 1t must be conceded,
have put Morton in very embarrassing po'
sition. None can deny but that he made, or at
least elected Hayes. Without his adroit ma
nipuation Hayes would neverh have carried the
Pacific states; and again without his unscru-
pulousness and nerve, Hayes could hardly
have been dragged successfully through the
8 by commission.
No politician in the country, therefore, had
stronger claims upon Hayes than Morton,
. and Hayes was neither backward nor mig
gard TO recognize those claims. While
his predetermined southern policy involved
the appointment of a southern democrat as
postmaster general he yet had so tender re.
gard for Morton's claims that he made Nor.
tons man Tyncr first assistant in the post.
oGice department and gave him control of all
the post Office appointments north OF the Ohio
river In the matter of other appointments,
also, especially in the northwest, Morton's IN
Huence was to be equally omnipotent Now
as Mortons highest and indeed only ambi.
ton is to control the politics Of Indiana-prl'
marily, TO secure the safety of his seat in the
l. S. senate, and secondly to exercise such a
control in the northwest as most efficiently
to promote his aspirations for tue succession
in 1880, Hayes seemed to bave yielded him all
! that he could desire,
But then came Hayes southern policy, a
direct slap IN the face to the whole bloody
shirt army. How was Morton to retain all
the potent political influence Hayes hau
placed in his hands and yet meekly submit to
the insulting hout of his all political teach
! ings which this new "poicy" involved? The
letter of Mr. Morton in review is his solution
of the conundrum.
In general way, the purport Of the letter
can be summed up by saying, that Mr.. Nor
ton hopes for the best rom the Hayes policy,
though he has no faith in it and looks only
tor the worst. Pretending to believe that
Hayes honestly carried South Carolina and
Louisiana, Chamberlain and Packard were as
unquestionably also elected. But" he con
| tinues,-
| "The republican governments of Louisiana
and South Carolina have yielded to force.
They have gone down before an armed mi.
nOrlty, whose threats of future violence were
guaranteed by Il long train OF bloody deeds
In the past regret that the real character
of the transaction should be obscured in the
least by pretended Investigations or negoti.
atoms Stripped of all DISCUSSES and pre-
fences, the simple fact is that Packard and
| Chamberlain were not able to maintain them
selves IN authority, and the Government of
the United States, in the exercise of its discre
ton, refused them its support"
And while Mr.. Morton charitably states
that Hayes, in thus refusing them his support,
but accepted the situation as 1t was be-
queathed ~ him (by Grant, on the 4th of
March, he very plainly intimates, though he
does not say so in terms, that ,he course OF
the government would have been very diff
ferent had lie been president
Nevertheless, Mr.. Morton kindly adds:
81 do not believe that President Hayes In.
tends to destroy the republican party and at
tempt the erection of new one upon Its ruins
believe in his patriotism and high integrity,
in his undivided purpose to make the admin.
istration a beneiicent to the country. The
language of his inaugural was strong and
beautiful, and the declaration of his devotion
to the great doctrines OF human rights which
constitute the foundation of the republican
party left nothing to be added or desired
Mr.. Hayes WAS elected as a republican, and |
believe he will be republican president, not
in mere partisan way, but in the sense of
devotion 10 republican principles and the
maintenance of the republican organization
by placing the political power in the hands
of worthy and qualified republicans.
On another point Mr.. Morton is equally in
conflict with the policy" Regarding the
title of Hayes TO the Louisiana vote as unques
tionable, it follows that the claim of William
Pitt Kellogg TO a seat in the L. S Senate is
equally unquestionable. lie shall therefore on
the re-assembliuG of the senate in October,
make the best tgut in his locker to seat hcl
logg, though he admits that on accoun, of the
said policy" 1.-THE republican
majority III the senate upon the Southern |
question is bot nominal, if It eXiss at all .
Five republican senators voted nj the late
executive session against seating Kellogg, aud .
to refer his credentials 10 committee, thus .
refusing 10 recognize the Packard govern .
ment; and Il number OF republican senators, /
sufficient when aided u the democratic mem