The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-07
bring to bear. A hint from history, By the
way, to all reformers who begin at the top


way, to all reformers who begin at the top
and work downward.
IL was Oliver p. Morton's education un-
der the silent influences Of . wholesome
anti-slaveryism, entirely removed from
abolitlonism, that made him the power he
soon became in the crusade which fol-
lowed He fully recognized the binding
authority of the compromises of
oessive platforms Of the Republican
party under which those who had once
been AbolitionIsts did such valuable serv-
ice In the immediate work In hand, the re-
leaving the time and manner of it's utter
overthrow to the developments and ext
geucies OF the future. 1t came sooner than
any one expected and in way no human
foresight could predict.
1t 10 customary to call Mr.. Morton "the
great war Governor" and to refer to his
readiness In recruiting soldiers and his ex-
ceptional care for them IN the field and in
the hospital as sustaining this claim.
While not O word of such praise Is unde-
served and while our children and their
children for generations will refer to
his patriotic speech in indianapolis
soon after the election of 1860 in
which, while others were suggesting fur
Their concessions 20 the slave power In order
to placate it, he rose at once TO the
demands of the occasion. and, in advance
of almost ell Others proclaimed that the
was through an army; and while future
patriots will admire his prompt and states
man-like answer to the rebel Cover
nor of Kentucky, who wished to Sc
cure his cooperation In suspending the
measures of the government until a further
parley could be had with the States in re-
bellion. the life of Morton, which il yet to
be written. will bring to the front deeds
much more heroic in character and bearing
more upon the emergencies OF the darkest
days of the war period than all his
ministrations to the soldiers and their
families. or any speech In the SEN
ate or on the hustings. The
that part of the history of those darkest
days in which Governor Morton rendered
the greatest service to the country without
the country knowing it at the time, Is not
yet born. for the time to do him justice has
not yet come and cannot come until the
lapse of many years shall have relieved the
subject of some environments OF too deli
cate nature to allow candid and honest
statement of the whole case.
KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE.
Without disparsginR any other act of his
life it is already dawning upon the thought
of the world that the part he was compelled
to take in resisting the schemes of the cop
perheads in our midst was the most
heroic as we'll as the most bene-
fetal in its bearing upon the Union
cause of any part he played. These
were organized luLO 0eCE0G, O0tn- DOuuQ
association known generally as the Knights
of the Golden Circle. but sometimes as the
Sons of Liberty. Their object was TO de-
feat the cause of the Union by whatever
aid they could render within the State to
the re bells In the field, for reasons not prop
er 10 mention here. Indiana was the
hot-bed and center of this force and
Governor Morton deserves TO be recog-
nized as the one man who met it heroically
and wisely. and history will ultimately so
decrea That Indiana sent trOODa
to the field was q wonder at the time. but
that they were exceptionally so good was
no longer o wonder when it became known
that the towards stayed at home to plot
treason against the Nation, and If need be
to murder their neighbors, and to plot the
death of Morton.
1t is delicate matter to refer to the work
of this great man in the overthrow of this
reasonable organization, even In such o
presence as this, for too many of it's active
members yet live in entire security and In
comparative respactabillty as our neigh
bors. whose feelings we do not
t Msn past to to- ALLOW us saei.n aG
freedom to 90 the subject Justice; for
we can speak of them and their record
now only In an apologize and tender
tone. especially since they failed
ingloriously, and are now SO heartily
ashamed that they usually deny any par
ticipation in that disgraceful affair. We
have taken them into our social and
CIVIL llIo. AZ we nave TAKEN tuOs6 VINO
openly bore arps against us. wearing the
uniform of the Confederacy, but neces-
sarily and naturally not so completely
into our confidence. how can Wet 1t
that he once suffered from the misconduct
of brother minister The affair Was in
vestigated. and the wrong-doer made apOl-
ogy and the two worked together in har-
mony for several years, when one day the
brother said: Brother Hayens, our rela-
tions are cordial and friendly. but it seems
TO me that you do not have the same feel
ing toward me that you had before our
Misunderstanding" Mr.. Havcns replied:
Il once had the misfortune to break
had so far recovered that l could use ii
without much inconvenience, and finally
IL got SO that hardly ever now think of
have heavy load to lift / lnstinctively
use the arm that was never broken" Tho
application is easy. In all the ordinary
affairs of life these mems crime Is con.
doned but in cases requiring trust we pre-
fer the arm that was never broken, at least
we ought to.
To fully appreciate the great heroism and
management of Governor Morton in cirouuh-
venting that dangerous organization, it
may be well to say. for the benefit of the
young, that it was both military aud po-
lltical In its purposes, and that it was both
oath-bound and secret in its methods.
Whenever it became necessary to act
pOlitiCdllJ ~ btUlO tuo lively vi ut6ttu
to serve the devil in and its men,
bers held all their public meetings
and worked all their plans In the name
of the Democratic party, and. strange to
say. without a word OF protest from that
party, then or since; or any part of the
party that was then OF Is now; and all their
candidates tor Office were nominated as
Democrats. To prove that this was doing
business under a stolen garb we have only
to remember what kind of q party that
was when Andrew Jackson said, The
federal Union must and shall be pre-
served" apd when such statesmen as
Thomas II. Benton. and Lewis Cass, and
TighIman A. Howard and Joseph A.
Wright danced to the tune the great
Jackson piped; when such ministers as
CALVIN w. Ruter, and Edward II. Ames,
and Peter Cartwright, and Andrew Willie
were proud to be counted in it; and such
business men as Washington c. DePau W,
and Nathan Is. Palmer, and James Blake
kept step with the party; and such jurists
as Isaac Blaokford. and James Morrison
and John Petit were among it's honorable
men; and euch young men rs Oliver p. Nor
ton. and Albert q. Porter, and Ed Dumont,
and John A. Logan. and John s. Spann
were the promise of it's future. Who that
knew these men would ever look for them
In q guarded dark room planning how 20
help q band of armed rebels overthrow the
Unionf
THEIR FIRST SALLY.
1t was in the name of the party that
once contained such honorable men as
these that this reasonable organization
made it's first political sally in 1862. How