The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-08
, in MEMORY OF MORTON
A MAGNIFICENT GRAFTON DELIv-
Erred BY ALBERT J. BEyERIDGE.
Services at Roberts Park Church Yes
terday-GOverner Mounts RecOI-
lection of the War Governor.


The annual memorial services in honor
of Oliver p. Morton were held at Roberts
Park Church yesterday morning and were
peculiarly impressive and interesting. The
church was filed, and among the audience
were about $50 Grand Army uniforms. Col.
James S. Dodge, department commander of
the Grand Army presided, and after pray
er by DR.. Bacon, pastor of the church, Col.
Dodge made a few impressive remarks, de-
claring the purpose of the gathering and
introducing Albert j. Beverage, the orator
of the day. Mr.. Beveridge spoke as follows:
Veterans of the Grand Army, Ladies and
Gentlemen-Great men are the instruments
or God. They are His voice TO the surfer
ing; His shield TO the oppressed; His sword
10 the oppressor; His hand for the building
of nations. The Almighty needed His Mac
cabees, His Joshua and His David as much
as His John the Beloved. RichelieU and
Washington and Bismarck were His min
listers as much as Luther or Wesley or
Brooks And just as truly was Oliver p.
Morton one of that small group of mighty
men who bore heavens high commission TO
establish the imperishable nationality of
the American people; and fidelity to that
sacred trust is the Key to all he ever said
did was.
do not believe that inspiration is con-
fined to the dreamer of dreams and the
singer of songs. Inspiration may glorify
the doer of deeds we'll. In a sense, Oliver
p. Morton was inspired, when, in the midst
of doubt of hesitation and beaconless pur-
pose, he said: Il would rather come out of
a seven years struggle, defeated in arms
and conceding independence to successful
revolution, than 20 purchase present peace
by the concession of a principle that must
inevitably explode this Nation into small
and dishonorable fragments" and, speaking
thus. voiced the loyalty of the land to the
flag of the Nation. He was inspired, when,
on the very day and hour that Lincoln
called for troops, he flashed back this mes
sage in response:
Executive Department of Indiana
''To Abraham Lincoln, President of the
United States:
ION behalf of the State of Indiana, ten
der to you, for the defense of the Nation
and to uphold the authority of the govern
ment, ten thousand men.
'OLIvER p MORTON,
Governor of Indiana
And, speaking thus, made disgraceful all
delay, and left only action glorious. He
was inspired when he hurled regiment after
regiment into battle with all of dutys he
rOic sternness, and inspired when he cared
for and comforted those soldier boys with
all a mothers tenderness for her suffering
child. His Sanitary Commission was as
holy as religion; his military agency as sa-
cred as the church; his bureau of finance
an institution dvinely blessed as an instru-
ment of the great purposes of God.
All this was done in a holy cause. A single
passionate belief inspired his life-a single
Irresistible resolution: A nation in reality
the American people ought to be. and a
nation in reality he would give his powers
to make us. To the current of this great
purpose every act and word and thought
of Oliver P. Morton was tributary His
craftsmanship nationality. His parti-
sanship was nationality. His loves and
hates. his hopes and fears We're incidents
to the mighty thought that glorihed his life
and made him mighty as itself
GREAT MEN NATIONAL.
He was himself an argument for his
cause All great men are Gods incarna-
lions of national life. A man like Morton
makes sectional lines absurd. Washington
was too great for Virginia: Hamilton too
great for New York. Bismarck was too
great for Prussia-he was by right divine.
the statesman of all the German people
And we see that God has made all great
men for their people-not for. a local sub
division of them. AS civilization broadens.
governments widen and men are great only
as their powers and sympathies are large
enough for ali the people of their race At
the beginning, the greatest man was great
In his family alone From families sprang
communities. From communities grew
petty states and from these great nations,
with all their possibilities of commerce and
OF art. of interchangeable industry and mu-
tual helpfulneSS, of united power. collect
i've achievement the civilization of cooper
alton the royalty of labor, and the sover-
eighty citizenship. And so in the hearts of
the common people the aspiration toward
nauonaIlty eyer dwells. II is their instinct
OF power. That is why the common people
OF every land respond to their Alfreds. their
Iincons, their Cavours and their Mortons.
These Seers of craftsmanship behold in a
consolidated nationality the sovereignty of
the people, the prosperity of the people, the
happiness and safety of the people; and so
great except he serves the people and be-
comes the visible expression of the peoples
thinks to be great by serving self alone is
of fate.
And so it was to the establishment of the
peoples nationality that Morton conse-
Grated his giant powers He was the Glib
raltar of the government in the West.
stanton and Morton were the imperial wills
that held aloft the hands of Lincoln until
victory came. So far deeds and facts
dent of the United States, in active charge
OF the Ohio valley. No man can tell what
the result would have been had not some
man like Morton been what and where our
Morton was. Consider our position. lndi-
ana was the keystone of the loyal North
Indiana invaded Chicago and Detroit taken
and the Confederate flag would have pre-
vailed from lake to gulf This territory
was a necessary factor in any grand STRAIT
the State We're gangrened with sympathy
for the rebellion The knights of the
Golden Circle, numbering $1,000 in Indiana
with 100000 for the purchase of arms ac-
tually planned military uprising. Power
full men hoped to see Indiana the open gate
way by. which the hosts of the stars and
bars might enter to split the North in
twain. Suppose a commonplace man had
been in Morton's place? Think what misht
u.
been your Governor. Think of the certain
consequences had rebel sympathizer been
the executive of this strategic State
WHAT MORTON DID.
But Oliver p. Morton was Governor of
Indiana, and instead of ar inward swinging
gate to the enemies of the Union Indisna
was made by Morton an entering wedge for
the rending of the South He did more. He
made Indiana an example for every loyal
State. He obliterated state lines for the
purpose of patriotism. Before Ohio had
equipped single man Morton had sent four
Indiana regiments flying across her terri
tory en- route to Washington. The rebels
threatened Cincinnati-the proper authori-
ties We're laggard in responding; the fright
ened city turned tn Morton--in fifteen hours
5000 stand of arms, twenty-f0ur pieces of
artillery. with ammunition for BOTH two
regiments of Indiana soldiers in Cincin-
MATHS streets proved that Morton's patriot
ism knew not the boundaries of States. Nor
gan crossed the Cumberland; they wired
IF vOur Children ore well