The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-31
MORTON ON HENDRICKS.
he Great War Governor Mercilessly Exposes
the Record Of a Southern Sympathizer.

The following extracts from two speeches by
he late Senator Morton expose the record Of
Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks, and, in view of his
present candidacy, are worth the attention OF
ihe country:
SENATOR MoRToNs SPEECH AT LA PORTE, SEPT
5, 1876.
Now my friends, Gov. Hendricks Is on the
stump, making speeches. He made speech last
Saturday, to which wish to call your atten-
hon The first part of the Governors speech is
rather poor than otherwise. He appears to take
very high grounds, and when he came to refute
speech that had made-not my speech at the
Academy of Music which was reported and pub
lished-but speech at Lebanon day or two
before. which had not been reported at all, he
used this languages;
with view to preiudicing the people of
Lebanon, when was not present. Gov. Morton
told them, as reported in the papers, that was
In sympathy with their reasonable organlza-
lions, understanding their motives and purposes
during the war;
He says made this remark in his absence
did What said in his absence would say in
his presence, were he now here Ard now say
10 the Governor that as far as my meetings are
concerned, will divide the time with him every
where. If he chooses to come to any of my
meetings he shall have part of the time, and l
will give him the opening and closing OF every
debate. Or if he does not like the places where
my appointments are / will withdraw my APP
pointments, and go to those counties which he
may select, so that he cannot say that what
say is said in his absence [Cheers.l will say
nothing in his absence that is not sustained by
truth of history. So far as he is personally con-
cerned, / have nothing to say / am dealing
with his public record, and have right to re-
fer to it, if do so in respectful terms, as have
always done.
Now, the Governor says he never was mem
Der of that order. That is true. But he never
said one word against it during the whole war
that I ever heard Of The Governor occu-
pied this position He stood Just on the out
side. If the order succeeded he would reap
the benefit of it, if it failed he was not response
BILE for its action. 1t was a safe position for him
to occupy. That is what said, and that is
what believe wish to read on from the Gov
ernors speech. After this last statement voice
in the crowd says That's lie.n Mr. Hend
ricks says Il am much obliged to my friend for
furnishing the only answer that can be given to
Tit is lie have little bit of evidence
right in that connection that | will read. You
understand the position of Mr.. Hendricks and of
the leaders of that party during the war-that
while the chief men of the party did not belong
to that order, yet they never condemned it and
never took any part against it publicly pri-
vately, but permitted it to go on and do its work
and take its chances of success.
The 18th day of March, 1868. Gen. Darlington
called meeting of the Governor of the State
and OF the leading men of the Democratic party,
IN the parlor of the Bates House 1t was in
dark period, when the State was threatened
with civil war, when there was resistance to
the recruiting and opposition to all the measures
That meeting was called for the purpose of
securing the aid Of the leaders of the Democratic
party in suppressing resistance to the measures
Of the government resistance to recruiting for
the army. There were number of leading gen
tlemen present now read from the testimony
Of General Darlington on the trial, in 1871 of the
Milligan case. The evidence of General Car
rington on that occasion shows that Mr.. Hen
bricks, then a senator of the United States,
said THE majority Of the people Of Indiana
are desperate under the despotism of the govern
nent and no one can tell how long it well be en-
uured DR.. Athon, who was to be Governor
after was disposed of [laughterl said to Gener-
al Darlington: I'm visiting southern Indiana
every man in many counties is armed to the
teeth and asking- How long is this to be en-
duredp But read on from Governor Hen
dricks's speech at Shelbyyille He says: There
is one resolution in the platform adopted by the
Chicago convention in 1864 that has been subject
to great misconstruction. It has been CON
strued to 50 say that the war up to that time
had been failure do not think it properly
bears that construction but it is a thing Of the
past which shall not discuss to-day
Now, he says, he does not think it will bear
that construction. It is not question of con
struction at all. will read this resolution in
your hearing. It is resolution adopted the
18th of August 1864, at the national Democratic
convention in Chicago:
Resolved That this convention does explicitly de-
clare as the Of the American people, that after
four years of failure to restore the American Union
by the experiment Of war during which time under
beu ne q war Power higher
disregarded in every part, and public liberty and
private right alike trodden down, and the material
prosperity of the county essentially impaired Justice
liberty and the public welfare demand that iinmedi-
ate efforts be made for cessation of hostiities with
view to ultimate convention of all the States or
other peaceabe means to the end that at the earliest
practicable peace may be restored on the basis
of the federal union Of the States.n
Now, Mr.. Hendricks says this resolution has
been improperly construed as meaning that the
WAR w a ia at he bad erix,n
that construction. It is not matter of con
structlon, for that is just what the resolution
itself says. Mr.. Hendricks relied on the fact
that there was nobody then to read the resolu-
tion, and that the memory of it would be indis-
tinct and vague in the minds of his auditors
Now, want to read little further: Morton
told them that Governor Tilden and were both
members of that convention, and both in favor
of that resolution Governor Tilden's friends
who were on the committee on resolutions in
formed the country long ago that, in the commit
tee, he opposed the resolution, and so far as
am concerned it is simply lie made out of
whole cloth, for was not member Of the com
mittee at all"
The first point to which call attention is this:
That the world moves, and that here Governor
Hendricks claims that have illuminated him
by charging him with having been a member of
the national Democratic convention Of 1864
He says he was not member of it at all
[Lsughter and applausel Now / do not
know that he was delegate. / do
not know that he was a member Of It in
the strict sense, but have always understood
that Governor Hendricks was there in that con
vention, and IL he was there we know that, as a
senator Of che United States and a leader of the
Democratic party, he would be on the inside,
and would be consulted in regard to the plat
form or any other leading measure The Gov
ernor does not say that he was not in Chicago
He does not ray that be was not in the conven-
ton. But he says he was not member of it.
daughter. Ii he had said he was not there at
all, Of course would accept his statement; but,
until he does say that, will always believe. as
have always understood, that he was in the
convention, though not delegate Ny colleague
in the Senata, Mcdonald was there, and was
there as delegate I believe, and was the
chairman Of the Indiana delegation. But the