The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-27
GRESHAM AND HIS RECORD
A Review of His Career Shows that He
Has Always Been a Selfish Politician,
Continually at War with the Prominent In
diana Republican Leaders. and at All
Times Cause of Party Dissension.

To the Editor Of the indianapolis Journal:
The following. from the ST Lofs Repub.
| lie DEM. commented upon by the Jour-
nal did not startle those who for years
| have observed Judge Gresham's tortuous
course In politics and his natural evolution
from the Republican party into the Demo-
cratic ranks
Careful inquiry has revealed the fact that
Judge Gresham's Republcanism was never lit
tie more than skin deep that, in fact. IL was a
habit with him contracted in the army rather
| than conviction founded on profound belief.
| Democratic senator informed the Republic
correspondent that he has known Judge Gresh-
am intimately for many years, that he had dis
| eussed politics with him frequently and az
length. and that Gresham admitted TO him. even
| when he In the Cabinet OF a Republican
President. that ali his leanings and theories
were largely in the direction of Democracy. and
that only old association kept him liz the Repub-
| lican party.
| To get a thorough understanding of hit
| Repubicanism it is not out of place TO 60
back to ante-bellum times, when he was
| supposed TO be q Republican. Judge
| Gresham was resident Of the strongly
| Democratic county of Harrison. where Re-
publicanism was always held at a discount
| and no Republi could rise to proIni-
nencs. But be veDtured TO become candi.
date for the Legislature and managed to
be elected, together with q MIR. Jones, who
was at the same election q candidate for
the clerksbip on the Republican ticket, by
procuring their names TO be printed on the
regular Democratic ticket and to have
these spurious tickets distrib uted by known
Democrats among the faithful. who, being
mostly immigrants from the Sonth. were
not able TO read voted IN blIesful ignorance
| without sUspecting the artlfice practiced
upon them for the man who is now selected
by Mr.. Cleveland for Secretary of State;
1t was then that he made his first appear
ance In the political arenai AS a black
haired young Republican leader" distin-
| Guished by acrimonious hatred of every
! thing that was Democratic.
| It's passing strange that a great apostle
OF purity. who now sternly talks of the pen
| ltentiary for Republicans. because Indiana
| did not give Mr. Cleveland %. 900 majority
as he expected. should have entered poiiti-
cal life as the outcome of a successfully
| ACCOMPLISHED dishonorable trick. In these
days when political purists have almost
| succeeded In grating upon American insti.
| stutions that wonderful antIpodean exotic,
the discovery of Botany bay convicts. tha
| Australian ballot law. the universal pam
acea for all political evils. such vulgar arti.
| flee might not have succeeded. and the
| American people would have been deprive
OF the services of great statesman who
| might have to this day roamed in obscsIi~
| " around the idyllic glades aud romantic
| hills OF Harrison county.
| HIS RELATIONS WITH GRANT.
After recovering from bis wound TO
| ceived on the march to Atlanta, the day be-
fore the great battle. not having an ex-
tensive law practice TO occupy his time. be
made race for Congress against the Hon.
Nj. &. Kerr. and suffered disastrous defeat
1t is even basely asserted that he ran be-
hind his ticket. But compassionate Re.
publican Legislature applied soothing
poultice to his wounded spirit by electina
him Agent of State. the most lucrative OF
| nee within it's gift. which position he held
until appointed by General Grant. as q
purely personal matter. to life position
as district judge for Indiana. The fitness
of the appointee was doubted. Ii was not
Enthusiastically recognized by the people
OF New Albany. where Judge Gresham re-
sided at the time. and his home organ. the
Tribune. had the temerity TO say that be
was now Judge without having been q
lawyer, and that he was q general who
never was soldier. The people in New
Albany really pretended to know some
thing about him at that time. Perhaps
| they did.
1t was plain TO all who came in contact
with him after his removal TO Indianap-
oils that Judge Gresham had an ambition
TO become q great political leader, with the
principal object of putting down the greas
war Governor of Indiana, Oliver p. Nor
] TOD. anu benjamin darrfSon, who was
rapidly coming 10 the front as Republic
an leader. Ii was quite an undertaking.
but no pent-up Utica was suffered to con.
tract Judge Gresham's powers. With
| bOundless vanity and self-conceit. with q
natural bias for calumDy, he undertook his
task.
His recent public apostasy has thrown
light upon The course pursued by him IN
those days. and leaves no doubt that this
step was deliberately premeditated for
many years. He started on his career as
the Repu blican DE-. Jekyll and tie Demo-
cratic Mr. Hyde. Stevenson must have
| had sucn a man IN mind when he created
that character. Lord Macaulay, in his his
tory. tells OF q diabolical English states
man Who was an adept IN the art of whis-
Derlng. Judge Gresham adopted sneerIDs
and JeerlDg as his potent weapon OF polit-
ical warfare, with the motto: Rule or
ruin" He did not succeed in the ruling
business. and the ruin part only exists in
distorted lmaginations Mirabile dictu!
The Republican party still exists. and posi-
lively declines TO consider itself ruined at
any rate it Is very animated ruin. For
the next step in making himself q political
leader it was important 20 surround him.
self with body-guard of choice
spirits to do his bidding-real Adult
lamites. These he attached 90 his fortunes
By liberal gifts of lucrative positions. as
court icers.receivers, ASST gnees. attorneys.
etc. All became his devoted, well-paid adj
mirers All others who did not bow down
and worship him, believe in him and only
In him, belonged TO the large category de-
| nominated in the vocabulary OF himself and
| hired retalners as rascals. Thus equipped
the long, wearis0me campaign began. with
| varying fortunes. After many years 10
landed him in the goal OF his ambition. the
| Democratic party. or course At that time
| Judge Gresham had not vet bloomed out az
profound jurist He had not yet become q
stlcker for that antiquated tradition Of
the judiciary to abstain from politics.
which he so glibly used in later days. es-
pecially when Republican politics were in
| issue. But for this be must be excused.
In his early days, when he trst came to In
dianapolis and projected his political cam.
paign, he was not very much of q judge,
| either.
But to the facts. In 1872 Gen. Thomas
M. Browne district attorney the time Of
Gresham's advent. and who dared TO assert
| himself against the Judges arrogance was
the Republican candidate for Governor.
He was defeated by L. A. Hendricks by q
small majority. General Browne believed.
| and TO his dying day asserted. that Gresh-
am secretly stabbed him and used what in.
1uence he could command against BIN,
and that he voted for Hendricks.
AT WAR WITH REPUBLICANS.
In 1876 when the Republicans of Indiana
instructed their delegates TO the nation al
convention at Cincinnati to vote for Gov
ernor Morton for President. Judge Gresham
made himself conspIcuously offensive by
going as a volunteer Co Cincinnati TO adj