The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-08-07
SENATOR ID. w. VOORHEES,.
He is Interviewed and Tells What he
Knows About Republican
Lies.
Ex-sOIdfers Among His Strongest Sup
pOrters-He Always Wins I'm
Personal Campaign.

81 db Tue 1ccRdIutu III bulS City uuu,
before he was aware of my intent, had
drawn upon him copy of a South Bend
paper containing cOpiOus extracts from the
indianapolis Journal, which extracts were
not as full of praises as they might have
been. l at once prepared myself for business
by saying:
'sMr. Voorhees,. ii seems that the leaders of
the republican party, aided by the Indianap-
oils Journal, have decided to make this a
personal canvass against yourself. Does not
this strike you little peculiar, and out
OF the usual wayr'
The senator leaned back in his chair,
glanced out of the window for moment
and then replied:
Yes; / can see no good reason why
should thus be singled out from among the
large humber of democrats in the state who
are as Justly entitled to be candidates for
senator as | am. am not candidate 70 the
exclusion of the aspirations of Others 1
have simply tried to do my duty during the
short time | have occupied that position,
and if the people of Indiana shall approve
my course it will be gratifying, but if they
should prefer some one else IL will not be a
matter of complaint on my part"
In your opinion, what will be the effect
of these personal assaults upon you in this
canvass, and the likelihood of your being
returned to the senator
Il can only say, in regard to that, that my
enemies have resorted to their present mode
of attack. 1 have been six times a candidate
Tor congress in my old district, and five times
elected. The only time l was defeated was
in the Greeley campaign, when there was
scarcely word of abuse uttered against me
in the entire canvass. During my successful
canvasses all the ISLANDERS aud calumnies
now being repeated in the indianapolis Jour
nal and many more were poured upon me
in continuous torrents. The fact is, the
matters now being published are rehash of
cid, cast off, refuted falsehoods which have
met and trampled to the earth a thousand
times"
But, Mr.. Senator, here is a specific charge
that you called Union soldiers Lincoln
dogs?'
"Thst is a stupid Iie-in fact, a brutal
falSehood, and has been stamped as such by
the written statement of the Hon. Henry X.
Wilson, late senator from Sullivan county;
by Major Griffin, one of the most reliable
citizens of the same county; by Mr.. Ed Price,
clerk OF the circuit court, and the Rev. Jo-
seph X. Wolf and scores OF others, embracing
people of the highest responsibility and un-
questioned veracity, who heard the speech
in which it is said / used the language. In
addition, however, the Hon. ]. r. Mcdonald
sat by me on the stand at that time, and has
repeatedly stated that no more cruel or
abomInable falsehood was ever uttered than
dence every man Of sense must know it to
be untrue from certain events which fol-
lowed the close of the war. was not a can
didate for reelection in 1866. In the mean
time the legislative gerrymander in the state
took place, which took Putnam county out
of my district and put Monroe and Lawrence
in 1t, making it, according to previous re-
turns, republican district by about twelve
or fifteen hundred majority. In 1868 l was
while absent and AGAINST NV
earnest wishes, but accepted and made the
race. That district had sent over twenty
thousand gallant soldiers to the war"
Let me interrupt you, senator. What
was the entire vote polled at the last election
for congressman in that district?''
Il think about 80 600. Well my opponent
was Major Carter, good soldier and an Off
Ger of one of the regiments from the district
The survivors of the war, over 10000 in
number, we're all at home, and for the first
time l had an opportunity to meet them
face 10 face in almost every township in the
district and reply to the accusations which
they had heard at distance. carried that
republican district by 12S majority by the
aid of the votes of returned soldiers them
selves. If il could have been shown that l
called them hirelIngs and dogs while they
were imperiling their lives under the old
flag for the preservation of the Union they
would not only have defeated me at the
polls. but they would have killed me, as
they ought to have done. At the next cleo
ton 1 was returned by nearly fifteen hun
dred majority by the same constituency"
But the Journal seems to rely great
deal on your alleged sympathy with the
south before the outbreak of the rebellion
and your disloyalty to the government dur
ing the war"
so Iperceiye," he replied. IL was reared
under the conservative influences enter
&a.w L~&L - Il
lect OF slavery. l always regarded human
slavery as a vast evil, but found it in the
constitution, and feared worse evils grow
ing out of an attempt 10 bly, abolish it,
IL was natural, therefore, that / should cling
10 the last chance and hope of a compromise
and settlement between the north and south,
on the basis of existing institutions. / see
that what purports TO be an extract from a
speech made by me at GFeencastle, shortly
before the war broke out has been revived.
There was no shorthand reporter present at
that meeting, and / have no idea that nv
exact language has been retained, but at the
same time / have no doubt did say that
would not vote for men or money 10 bring
on a conflict between the two sections as
long as there was the slightest hope Of a
compromise. This was the position of
Stephen A. Douglas, whose speech of March
10, 1861, in the senate, / had just heard,
but when the war came by the firing on
Sumter, from that hour until Lees sur
render at Appomatox court house. | voted
for every man and every dollar demanded
by the government in its efforts to suppress
the rebellion; every dollar which soldiers
received in pay; every ration of food issued
70 them; every blanket and every stitch of
clothing that they received had the sanction
OF my support in congress / can say the
same with truth in regard to their bounties
and pensions / might also safely, were
disposed to do So challenge a comparison
between the private assistance which have
personally rendered Union soldiers and that
which they have received from nay bitteres.
assailants. All these facts are so Familiarity
known to my former constituency in the
Eighth district that would not now stop to
mention them but for the fact that people OF
different parts of the state can not, OF
course, be so well informed in regard to
them
Did you see in the Journal of few weeks
ago what purported TO be fac simile of a
letter written by you IN behalf of Shoup in
December, 1S60T'
No. did not see it, 1t was printed be-
fore my return from Washington. do not
remember having written the letter, but