The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-11
INMANA'S MASTER SPIRITS.
aGath" Deyotes Another Letter to Con-
sideration of Prominent HoOsiers.
Governor Willard, Senators Lane and Bright,
and Oliver p Morton, the Greatest
Executive of Rebellion Days.

Letter in Cincinnati Enquirer.
Governor Ashbel Parsons Willard. known all
over the Union as the brothern-law Of one of
John Browns band, Captain john Cook, was
made the Democratic Governor of Indiana in
1856, 5eating Oliver p. Morton. Willard, how
ever, was moro Of a Yankee than Morton. Will
lard was descended from one of the old Massa-
chusetts families, and vas born in Oneida
county. New York, the county OF Roscoe Conk-
ling, and did not emigrate to the West until he
had passed through college and studied law in
New York. From being schoolmaster in Ken
tucky he came across the river to near Louis
VILE and there he married Cooks sister, who
had also been teacher from Connecticut He
made great impression as stump speaker,
and was the precursor at New Albany of
Michael c. Kerr, who had also taught school in
Kentucky, though native OF Pennsylvania.
At the age of thirty Willard was the leader
of the Indiana House of Representatives,
and soon became Lieutenant governor.
and he was one of the persons who pre-
and going to the United States
Senate. He beat Governor Morton chiefly be-
cause the new Republican party had not had
time to organize itself we'll on the ruins of the
old Kncw-nothing party. After his brotber-in-
law entered the John Brown raid Willard went
en to Virginia TO try to get his life spared, but
failing in that he took silent prejudice against
slavery, and he died about month before the
election of Abraham Lincoln to be President.
He is buried at New Albany. Some say that he
was the ablest organizer Indiana ever had, except
Tie has all a riuaO in,
the Indiana Legislature
Everybody knows that Oliver P. Morton,
though defeated by Willard, reached the Office
of Governor next following him. because the
Republican Governor elect, Henry S. Lane only
held the place two days and then entered the
United States Senate. Lane was native of
Kentucky, settled at Charlottesville, Ind, at
twenty three was agreeable, good anec-
dote-teller. and was twice in Congress.
He went to the Mexican war, fought Tom
Corwin and other antiwar Wings, and
Jim Lane, of Kansas, was one of his political
pupils Joe Lane became, as United States
senator from Oregon. the candidate for Vice
president on the ticket with Breckenridge in
1861. Joseph Il. Mcdonald, in 1849. beat Henry
Lane for congress. At the formation of the
Republican party Henry Lane became its leader,
and was the president of the first Republican
national convention, making a splendid speech.
He contested Brght's seat in the United States
Senate, and when he ran against Thomas A.
Hendricks for Governor it was soon observed that
Hendricks the keener debater of the two,
and that Lane, while a fine speaker, had not the
art of arguing his case. 1t necessary to
take Lane off the debate to pull him through. In
the Senate Governor Lane held rather moder-
ate place. and he died IN 1881 at Charlottesville,
where he had married into an excellent family,
and he was Methodist
/ have thus run through the Governors of
Indiana from Harrison to Morton. 1t is neces-
sary to turn to the real leaders of the Legislature
and of the party organization in the Union.
Bright and Morton were the two master spirits
of the late great revolution Strangers in Indi-
ana may suppose that Jesse d. Bright was a
Southern man, either by birth or extraction, but
on the contrary. he was like many radical pro
slavery men, cut of the loins of the North. How
much of his hostility to the free settlement of
Kansas and Nebraska was deep principle will
never he settled between his enemies and
friends, but that he had large interests in sia-
very will always lead the majority of Indiana
people to believe that he supported his interest
with his politics. His force of character, how
ever, no man ever questioned
a plain man, who was brought up to make
hats in the Champlain region of New York, and
who was possibly of Yankee stock, came out to
Indiana in 1920, bringing with him sons, of
whom Mike was seventeen years old and Jesse
eight. These boys had keen observation and
very decided ideas of leading and driving. Mike
edited a newspaper awhile, when ne finally be-
came general fnancier. John Brough, after
ward Governor of Ohio, accused Michael Bright
OF Trying TO c0mpel MIN TO Duy rOtteu railroad,
and they came near having duel. For sixteen
years before his death Michael Bright par
alyzed. He was one of the chief architects of his
brothers political supremacy, and left a fine
looking family, chiefly daughters, but his son
Richard is now prominent in Indiana politics.
Jesse ID. Bright was the Democratic Oliver
p. Morton. Brought up in Madison, he was
good street fighter, heavy and fine looking, well
dressed, decided and in his eyes devotion to him
self was good Democracy. He did not differ
Ewow Goxr%
or later imperious leaders we have SEEN His
education was defective enough to prevent him
exercising the whole of his capable mind He
would reward with his favor political oppo-
nent whom he liked. and turn his back on po-
itica friend whom he thought to be uncertain
considering that they were too sweet to be relia-
BILE. As lawyer he carried his point by his
manhood rather than by his legal knowledge.
Being made United States marshal he went
over Indiana and made a personal constituency
of it. Living in Wing county, he divided his
opponents and controlled it. Therefore he went
to the United States Senate. about lS45, apd
manned there some seventeen years, until he
finally had to be expelled. His election in 1856
was disputed, and was accomplished by a union
of the Know-nothings with the Demo
Gratis Stephen A. Douglas, David
Broderick and Mr.. Mason were the
only three Democrats who supported Lane and
Mccarthy as against Bright and Fitch. From
that time Onward Bright threw himself across
the presidential path of Mr.. Douglas, who was
the favorite of the Indiana Democracy. At one
time 6uoi was nearly made up between Brght's
colleague, Fitch, and Douglas. The Douglas
men have maintained that Bright was willing TO
have Douglas killed in duel or in any other
way to beat him. For four years Mr.. Bright
was the president pro tenn. of the Senate, and
refused to put Summer, Chase and Hale on any
committee, on the ground that they were not
members of any healthy political organization.
That organization became healthy enough to
terminate Mr. Brght's career
All this time Mr. Bright, who had married in
kentucky, had large number of slaves. Thus,
living in Indiana, a free state. and controlling
it by his personal power and organization, he
really was a representative of the institution of
slavery. He opposed the war, wanted Union
dominated from the South, and just before
Fort Sumter was fired on he wrote
a letter to Jefferson Davis recommending TO
his friendship q who had fire. arms
TO sell TO tie Southern belligerents. The letter
was addressed to the President of the Confed-