The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-08-26
THE SURVIVORS OF THE CoNvEN-
TON.


The meeting of the survivors of the con-
stitutional convention of 1850, which has
been called for the first Monday of October
next by the President George w. Carr, and
the Secretary William III. English, with the
cordial approval of several prominent mem
bers, will be an occasion of general and I'M
usual interest. The convention met on the
9Th of October. 1850. and adjourned early in
the morning OF the 10th of February fol-
lowing, and in the thirty-fve years,
nearly, since that parting the convention
has passed into history, and to nine-tenths
of the present population OF the State is
known only as any historical assemblage.
Many are living yet who were living then,
to be sure, but they either never saw the
body or knew anything of it except by re-
port, and many more were too young to learn
anything about il in any way. Thirty-fve
years cover the life OF generation, and the
men who are managing the world now are
mainly the men who were school-boys then
when they were not babies, or just entering
into active life. Most of the men who shaped
work of the body gone. Most of the
fourth or fifth who remain were not old
enough or prominent enough to take di-
recting grip on the action of body so large
ly made up of the ablest men of the State.
Although Democrats were largely in the
majority the body was not in the main
elected by partisan votes. That is, votes cast
for partisan candidates, proposed by partisan
bodies and nominations. In this county two
Democrats and two Wings were elected by
agreement and supported in the election by
both parties. The Democrats were Alexan-
der +. Morrison. founder of the Democrat
predecessor of the Sentinel, and at one time
editor of the Sentinel, and Jacob Page Chap
man, its editor, and owner at the time its
name changed, and father of the late
General George H. Chapman. The Wings
were Ex-Governor David Wallace and Doug
las Mcguire, ex-Auditor of the State. Few
subjects brought before the body were either
started in partisan impulse or were given a
partisan direction. 1t was liberal and able
body, containing many of the most accom-
plished and intellectual men of both parties.
1t will sound strangely to most readers, no
doubt, to hear Vice President Hendricks and
Hon. William S. Holman, and the late Vice
President Colfax. and General Alvin 2.
Hovey, and Judge Advocate General Mckee
Dunn spoken of as young men just entering
prominently into political life, but that is
what they will hear when that meeting of
survivors is held. Most of the leading men
of the body are dead, though, singularly
enough, the President and Secretary both re-
main. There is no way in which the pres
ent generation can get any idea of the
men who built the constitutional structure
that has sheltered US so long cramped us
sometimes, and stood in the way sometimes,
but in the main has done us good service as
its trainers could have hoped. As Judge Nc
Lean once said from the bench in this city
of the National Constitution, at has borne
us calamity" and we might more easily have
had a worse than a better one. A daguer-
rean artist OF the city took pictures OF all the
members of the convention, which were pre-
served ia one huge frame in the State Library
for a long time, but these have probably
faded or been defaced and nothing has been
seen of them for some time, even if they
should prove to be in good condition. When
the survivors meet, photographers should,
and no doubt will, take admirable portraits
of them, and if the old daguerrotypes can be
found they ought to be copied and repro
duced by the improved process of to-day,
and the look at "this picture and at this"
viii be instructive and interesting to every
one, especially to those who know the con-
vention by sight and occasional attention.