The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-09-05
POOR MANS FRIEND HOVEY.
ANOTHER scoRcHER FROM EDISON.
Some Salient Chapters In the Record of the
Republican Candidate for Governor
His Antagonist to Jews and Ne
groes-His s'Life Work.


Gen. Hovey'S past career, and more particu-
larry in his administration of the Mcclure
estate, which entities him to be called the
"poOr mans friends" Judge Edison said:
at sounds rather strangely to a person who
has known Gen. Hovey ever since his early
manhood, and has witnessed his everyday ar
rogance of manner, selfish exclusiveness and
aristocratic pride, to hear him designated as
the poor mans friend
Every unfortunately for Gen. Hoyey. some
indisereet admirer has invited an examination
of his record, by a special to the indianapolis
journal published August %, 1888, in which it
IS said that Gen. Hoveys record has many
features which recommend him to the support
of the lsboring men and wage earnerS, gen.
erally;' that when he voted for Thoebe, who
contested Speaker Carlisle's seat in the house
he was simply following up line Of action
which only was portion Of his life work;
that a wealthy old citizen named William
Mcclure died at New Harmony leaving will
which gave to the poor people desiring htera-
ture and an education, all his possessions;' that
there were number of suits in the lower
courts, and finally Gen. Hovey was compelled
to take the case TO the supreme court in order
10 maintain the provisions of the will. He was
sustained in the court above, and then followed
over fifty suits for the sales of the lands. With
his customary tenacity, Gen. Hovey won every
in cash, from the estate. All of this he judi
ciOusly and carefully expended for books, as
provided by the will and that the suits
brought in contest of the will are to be found
in the Fifth Indiana Reports
Before showing what Gen. Hoyey's life
work has been, it is proper to say that his vote
in the Thoebe-Carlisle case, according to the
general belief Of those acquainted with the
facts, was instigated by his hatred of Speaker
Carlisle on account of not having been APP
pointed on any important committee, and was
not influenced by any friendship or sympathy
for Mr.. Thoebe; and it is also proper TO say that
Gen. Hovey is not entitled to any credit what
ever for his acts as administrator with the will
annexed of the Mcclure estate. He simply
collected the money and disbursed it
ing mems institutes, as he was
compelled by the will TO do, and in addition to
that he received very large fees for his services
He also required a complete record to be made
of the estate and of all allowance to institutes
with copies of their constitutions bylaws and
lists of books; swelling the clerks fees to
large sum; and he also required the Institutes
TO employ lawyers and pay large fees and other
unnecessary expenses to obtain their allow
ances. ii he had given his services and had
saved the expenses of a complete record and OF
lawyers fees and other unnecessary expenses,
for the benefit of the institutes, he might
be entitled to some credit as benefactor OF
workingmen.
ga bad feature in the case is that the decis-
ions OF the supreme court in the fifth volume OF
Indiana Reports, which are referred to as evi-
dence of his wonderful achievements in win
ming the lawsuits which resulted in his great
work as such administrator have been all over
ruled by subsequent decision in the thirty
fifth volume of Indiana Reports, p. 1919,
showing that the money which he collected,
by the fifty suits referred to, from hard work.
ing farmers who had previously bought the
Mcclure lands in good faith, and who were
compelled TO pay for them second time or
lose them altogether, was wrongfullY obtained.
Certainly he is not entitled to any credit as a
benefactor to those hard working and much
wronged farmers. All of these facts are fully
proved by the record as a reference thereto
will show.
Probably the friends of Gen. Hovey will
learn in due time that the less sad about the
Mcclure estate the better it will be Ter him.
what has been Gen. HoveyS line OF ac-
ton as part of his life work. toward the
labOring classes?
"An Investigation of Gen. Hovey's life work,
as the poor mans friend so boastfully re-
ferred to by his indiscreet friends, will dis
close the following facts: Gen. Hoyey, after he
became voter, commenced his political Life as
a WING, with the repeated declarations of the
following very proscriptive and uneharitable
principles: ~ That no man should be
permitted to vote unless he was the owner
of certain amount of property. (2)
vote who could not read and write.
60 That no foreigner should be
allowed to vote until he had resided in the
United States for period of twenty-one years.
Some five or six reputable citizens OF POsey
county made affidavits that they had heard him
make these declarations, which affidavits we're
circulated in hand bill form during the year
1874, when he was the whig candidate for pros
ecuting attorney. Afterward, in 1854, when
he was the democratic candidate Tor Judge OF
the supreme court, copies of the hand-bills of
1874 were circulated, and some OF the parties
who had made the original afhdavits signed a
certificate that they had not had anything TO do
with publishing the hand-bills of 1854, but mono
of them ever certified that the hand-bills of
1874 were not true and correct. These facts
will not be, denied. II they should be, they
are susceptible of proof.
"The next act of Gen. HOvey in his life work
rs the poor mans friend was when he was O
democratic member of the state constitutional
convention and opposed, with great vehe-
menee, the humane and charitable provisions of
homestead exemption in favor OF the OPP
pressed debtor and his helpless family. lSee
convention debates, p. 774.1
''The next act in his life work as the poor
mans friend was his cruel and proscriptive
vote i'm the state constitutional convention for
provision making it q crime for any negro to
come into the state of Indiana and imposing
heavy fines and penalties on any person giving
employment to such negro. See convention
journal, PIP. 652, 767 and 76S.
'The next act in his life-work. as the poor
mans friend was, during the war, when he
was a republican and issued his bigoted
proscriptiye order, as military commander
against the jews as a class, excluding them
from his lines and denOuncing them mercen-
airy spies, traitors, and blood-hounds OF com.
merce.
''The next act in his life-work, as the poor
mans FRIEND was after the war was over and
he had returned from Peru, as a kind of non.
partisan free-trader, when, year after year, he
bought for taxes, in large quantities, the real
estate of helpless widows and orphans, as well
as of poor soldiers and other laboring men,
compelling them to pay the exorbitant sums
necessary TO redeem their real estate, or taking
il and Queting his title thereto by lawsuits
brought for that purpose, all of which are mat
tiers of public record.
"These are a few salient points in the history
of Gen. Hoyey's life work, as the poor mans
date for governor and his indiscreet friends
have invited an examination of his record il is
proper TO let the people know the facts.
"In view of the premises, II seems somewhat
strange and incomprehensible that the republic
can leaders OF indianapolis, after failing TO Sc.
cure Gov Porter as candidate for governor
70 strengthen Gen. Harrison where he was
the weakest, with the laboring classes, should
aid in the nomination of Gen. Hoyey.
''The friendship of Gen. Hovey for the pooI
man, like his Quixotic measures in congress
for the supposed relief OF the soldier, entities
him to the appellation of Humbug Hoyey
which has been given him. IL is not a very Dig
nifed appellaton, but nevertheless, it is very
appropriate"
Ono of Chose,s ffsstatements