The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-04
INDIANA'S WAR GOVERNOR
Teaching Children of the Public Schools
of the War History of the State.
Miss Laura Domains Lecture on Oliver P.
MortOn-His Great Services During the
Rebellion to the State and Country.

| fully prepared biography of Oliver P. Morton.
recalling the chief incidents of his life and
career, and furnishing graphic and Interesting
picture of Indiana in the days of the war of the
| Rebellion. The lecture was an atonement in
great measure for the suppression of the study
of war history in the public schools, ard. as
Miss Donnan unfoded the panorama. the eyes
and hearts of the children, who may have been
brought up in ignorance of the most glorious
page of history of their State. must have glowed
with intense excitement. It would be well were
the lecture to be printed in full in handy shape.
for distribution among the school children of
the city, not only at the present time, but for
the future The Journal makes some interest
ing extracts from Miss Domains paper. After
bringing up the life of the Governor TO war
| times, she sketches his unwearying zeal and
activity in LOOKING after the comfort of the Indi-
ana soldiers.
Brave hearts and good bullets are essential in
| war, but they only dc their best work whom
the brave hearts are found IN healthy bodies and
| when the bullets are shot from hrst-class guns.
| The watchword with Governor Morton was.
what the soldiers need, that they must have at
| any cost. In the fall of 1861, when the general
i Cover nment was unable to furnish overcoats to
| the soldiers. Governor Morton bought 20, 600.
| for part of them paying ST. 90 more than the
| regulation price. The refusal of the Quarter
| master general to pay more than the regulation
| price was met by Governor Morton with this re-
| ply Indiana will not allow her troops to suf-
fer II 1t be In her power to prevent it, and If the
| general government will not purchase supplies
| at current rates, Indiana will"
His calls upon the people TO aid in furnishing
| necessaries and comforts to the soldiers and the
| soldiers families we're heard all along the line
| To the patriotic women of Indiana he said 1.-The
government Is doing all it can for them the sol
| diers but when all is done they must still lack
/ many comforts which men in ordinary pursuits
! enjoy. and which soldiers need above all others.
| Will not the women of Indiana do their share in
/ Indiana battle
| fieldP
To the church sewing societies he said: f'The
| sewing societies of our churches have a wide
| field for exertion, wider and grander than they
/ will ever find again. Will they not give heir
| associations for time to this benefcent OBJ
/ JectF To the ministers of the gospel he said:
/ Especially do / desire that ministers of the
/ gospel should present this subject to their
spective congregations, and cooperate as far as
possible, in carrying out the general plan of re-
| lief"
Again, in another proclamation, he speaks of
| the obligation of the citizen at home to the
| soldier in the field ''It is the solemn duty of
| the patriotic citizen to that the needy
| cared for. This is not charity. but a sacred OBJ
legation. which should be met promptly, and the
| recipients should be made to feel that they
| are not objects of charity. but that what they
receive is but the partial discharge of debt of
| the most binding character" What the
responses to such calls as theseI The patriotic
women all over the State sewed, knit and held
| sanitary fairs. The sanitary commission in In
/ diana was the outgrowth of the effort on the
| part of the people to respond to the calls of
| their Jealous Governor. And to the same eff
| cient Governor may be traced the establishments
| of the Ladies' Home at Indianapolis and the
| Soldiers Orphans Home at Knightstown.
| Speaking of the invasion of Kentucky and In
dianas relation to it, Miss Donnan said:
| In August, 1862 Kirby Smith invaded Ken
| lucky. His aim to get possession of Louis
| VILE and Cincinnati. and convert Kentucky into
| battle field The cry for help from Kentucky
| was met by most willing and prompt reply
| from Go vernon Morton. Up to this time one'
half mill ion dollars bad been raised and spent in
| Indiana for bounties. Men slow to
enlist or re-enlst unless assured of bounty.
Twenty thou sand troops from Indiana were
needed in Kentucky, and twenty thousand
bounties were needed in Indiana 1t during
| these pressing times that Governor Morton ad-
dressed one regiment at midnight, and urged
| them to CO. bounty or no bounty. And they
agreed, saying, Because you have asked it,
| and for other reason, Governor Morton"
| But he could not ask so much from another
| regiment. He felt that men who went to the
battlefield had right to demand bounties for
| the support of their families and that it
/ the duty of the men that staid at home to see
| that their bounties were provided. With this
| thought, on Saturday morning he entered the
| bank of Mr.. Stoughton Fletcher. Between tn Q
| Governor and the banker the following words
| passed: What do you want?" was the bank
er's) salutation the Governor entered
got any. What security can you giye% Only
| do you want it for2" was the gruff
| rejoinder. Fifty thousand dollars" and the
urgent necessity was briefly explained. The old
| man listened a moment, then rising from his
| chair, cried out more fercely than ever What
| have you got to carry 1T inF' and without wait
| ing to hear his answer nothing" he produced
| dilapdated market basket. spread paper in
| the bottom, and piled into it fifty packages of
| 81, 600 each. There, sir! leave a memoran-
dunn OF this and let me hear that the rebels are
| licked.
| On the following Monday, the Governor Wis
| tied the banks a second time and found money
/ enough for the required bounties. At this time,
Kentucky
| rapiditv that has never been surpassed, Is it
any wonder, then, that he received the title,
| Governor of Indiana and KentuckyF
| When Cincinnati was assailed by Southern
forces, Governor Morton not only sent
indiana troops ,b to defend the and city
that all things were done that could be done.
The Council of Cincinnati, as a mark of graft
| tude. procured his portrait and gave it promi-
| nent place in their City Hail."
| Miss Donran then recounted Governor Nor
tons efforts to obtain money and preserve the
credit of the State, in view of the action of the
dIsloyal Legislature of 1923:
! By September 1862, Indiana had furnished
over 1000 soldiers. In the battlefield she
doing a noble work. But for every patriotic
citizen sent into the battlefield, one patriotic
vote was taken out of the bailot-box. Thus in
the fall of 1862 disoyal Legislature was
elected. This body refused to receive Governor
/ Mortons message From the emptiness of their
| souls the Legislature appropriated not a single
dollar for carrying on the war or paying the ex-
penses of the State. They even attempted to
take out of the Governors hands the control of
the State forces. From the loyal soldiers of In
diana fighting on Southern soil these
words: 1--WE come boldly asking only what
have right to expect, either citizens
soldiers battling for the integrity of the
/ Union. We ask simply that you will
give this war a cheerful and hearty support
| And especially that you will sustain worthy
| Governor. whose energy. during the past two
| years. has been entirely devoted TO the cause OF
| the government and Its sup porters."
How the loyal people OF the State met the
| failure of the Legislature to appropriate the
| requisite is thus described in Governor
Morton's own words: There were persons and
counties who forward and rendered me
the moaey-not the money of the State. but
theE own money. They said. We are not will
| ing to have the machinery of the State govern
| ment stopped; we are not willing to have the