The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-08

was ueJter suited 20 It. Bishop AmeS remarked
on this: 1T was the amen corner that defeated
Bigger, and had hand in the work"
Mr. Bigger defeated the most notable Demo
| crat Indiana possessed prior to the war except
Jesse D. Bright. This was Tilghman A. Howard.
Mr.. Bigger was in turn defeated by James Whit
comb, who stands next to Howard in Democratic
| popularity among the State Governors. Howard
| was a native of South Carolina, though probably
| or Maryland antecedents; his father was a revo-
| lutionary soldier and Baptist preacher. His
| youth was passed in the county Of Buncombe,
which he has the credit of having introduced to
| the world. He told story in one of his speeches
| that representative in the North Carolina Leg
| lSlature from Buncombe county, when called to
| order by the Speaker for not combining himself
| to the question at ISSUE replied my speech is
not for the Legislatures it is all for Buncombe.
Mr.. Howard removed to Tennessee and studied
! law with Hugh l.. White. There he became
| friend of Sam Houston. Governor of the State,
| and years after went as representative of the
United States to the republic of Texas. He
| took the fever there and died at Houston,
the capitol of Texas. in 1884, at the early age Of
forty seven. In Tennessee he was one of An
| drew Jackson's presidential electors. In lndi-
ana, where he settled to practice law, he became
James Whtcomb partner, and they made the
| strongest legal firm in the State. One of his
| law partners later in life was Joseph A. Wright,
an eminent Governor of Indiana and foreign
minister. General Jackson made Howard an
| Indian commissioner and district attorney, and
he was only prevented from reaching the govern
orshp in 1910 by the popularity of General Har-
| risOn, who was running for President
| There was force of character and manly
| honesty about Tilghman Howard which left
| long impression on the young Democrats of the
State. In one of his letters he wrote: Never
write to any but men of distinction" In another:
II have considered the matter of public din
| ner. 1t is not Democratic"
! He was finally beaten fer the United States
| Senate by Edward A. flanagan, and it is said
| that when an attempt was made to sell votes to
| Ganpral Howard ha rapiiad that ba ScOrued the
| profer, and refused to continue any longer IL
| the contest He was not college man, but was
| full of knowledge. On one occasion, upon max
| ing a public speech, he read aloud newspaper
article charging him with a disreputabe act.
Having read the article through aloud he threw
the paper down without word and proceeded
with his speech The Legislature of Indiana
| some years after his death passed an act to re-
move his remains from Texas to the State of his
! citizenship
| James Whitcomb, his partner was Vermont
| boy who came in childhood to OHIO, and went
to college at Lexington, Ky, maintaining him
| self by teaching in vacation. He was admitted
| to the bar at Lexington, and then settled at
| Bloomington. Ind, the seat of one of the most
| fourishing schools
| Governor Ray, from Kentucky. already re-
| ferred to, appointed him prosecuting attorney.
He emf tered the State Legislature at the time the
| passion for internal improvement general,
and resisted it, and hence, upon the collapse, he
obtained the support of the poor tax payers. Be-
4
recommended him to President Jackson, who
| had antagonized Henry Clay on that point.
| jackson made him Commissioner OF the General
| Land Office at Washington and he held that
| place for eight years. 1t is tradition that he
| learned the French and Spanish languages in
| order to comprehend the land grants.
| In course of time Thomas A. Hendricks also
| took his office, there being an Indiana prece
dent for holding it. Whitcomb, after his long
tenure at Washington returned to Indiana aged
| forty-six and opened law office at Terre
! Haute His practice became large land cases
being notable then, and in two years he was
| ing Joseph G. Marshall by nearly four thousand
votes. This man Marshall by the way, was a
| most remarkable character native of Ken
lucky and a Presbyterian preachers son. he
| went to the same college with Wnitcomb, and
| partly at the same time, and also came to Indi-
ana and settled at the lourishing business town
of Madison, which has produced such banking
houses as Lanier & Co.'S Marshall became a
Wing, was a judge, and, after being beaten by
Whitcomb for Governor he tried in vain to
enter the United States Senate. His opponent
at that time was Jesse D. Bright, who
refused to let the Democrats go
into the election. Bright as Leutenant-gov-
/ ernor gave the casting vote against this election
The next year Bright was sent to the Senate,
instead Of Marshall, by small majority. These
two men, living in Madison, hated each
other with bitter fury. Marshall would have
| been sent to the Senate in 1854 but for the
Marshall was probably the ablest Wing Indiana
1 ever had, and some think the ablest man the
| State ever had He was the Tom Corwin of
Indiana with more tenacity of purpose.
Although Kentuckan, he took an earnest anti
slavery position and defended Abolitonists and
I those who broke the fugitive-slave law. Bright
and Marshall were about to have a duel in 1851,
and Marshall lay for Bright with bowie knife
who is still alive in Washington, was one of the
seconds of Marshall when he was about to fight
Senator Bright. John Defrees called Marshall
1.-THE Webster o. Indiana
TO return to Governor WhitcomS; He came
into power when the State was suffering with
debt and paying no interest, and in his admins
tration resumption became feasible. He was
one of the authors of the philanthrophic State
institutions, and he called out the soldiers for the
Mexican war, five regiments. Being sent to the
United States Senate, he was attacked with
gravel and died in New York nine years before
the war. He was parsmonious man, was op-
posed to protective tariff, and was Methodist
class leader. He died Vice president of the
American Bible Society, and gave his library to
the Asbury University
Joseph A. Wright, whom I knew personally,
having met him in Berlin when he was minister
there during the war between Austria and Prus.
STA in 1866, was one of the immediate links be-
tween the old Democratic party and the present
Republican party. He came from the same town
in Pennsylvania where James G.. Blaine was ed
ucated, Little Washington. At Bloomington
college he made fires and rang bells to get his
schooling, and did little brick-work and ma
sorry ALSO He went to Rockville to practice
law, and was sent to the State Legislature in
1888. to the State Senate on the great Harrison
boom of 1910, next to Congress, and having been
once defeated for Governor, he was elected in
1852, and the Pierce administration sent him to
Prussia After Jesse D. Bright was expelled
from the United States Senate, Governor Nor
ton saw chance to reconcile one wing of the
Democracy, and he appointed Wright, and soon
aft Mr Lon Ia,
and there he died in 1867
Wright was strange combination Of the self
made demagogue and the experienced public
man. He was in favor of the compromise meas
ures and follower of Crittenden, and was highly
thought OF by the conservatives in Kentucky.
Uhe poiiticianS thnrnuohlx hated him while the