The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-03-28
STATUE OF MORTON.
Contribution by the State of In
diana to the American
Pantheon.

contribution by the state of In
diana to the American
Pantheon.
Washington, d. c., March 24.-Ad-
dresses ON the life and character of Oil
yer 2. Morton, the war governor of In
diana, were delivered in the Senate this
afternoon.
Address of Senator Fairbanks.
Mr.. Fairbanks said in part:
Inc Senate Of the United States pauseS
IN the consideration Of the important rou-
tine business of the country TO accept II
lf III U,e from the state of Indiana-a statue
OF Oliver Perry Morton. to stand in yonder
venerable hall of representatives, now ten
| jewels of the republic.
The state of Indiana has an ample roll
or distinguished statesmen who have served
her we'll; of soldiers who won imperish
able renoWn upon the battlefelds of their
country; of those who have attained high
Piace; IN the world Of letters, but, without
hall
handing figures of the United States dur
ing the most heroic period of her history
He impressed himself upon. his state and
nation by the force of his commanding
genius, and the history of neither state nor
nation would be complete without the story
Of his life and work.
a Great Man in Great Crisis.
Mr.. Fairbanks then drew a striking
word picture of Gov. Morton. He pic
tured his early life, his struggles for an
education, the sacrifices he made to Stake
his passionate thirst for knowledge and
the power as lawyer and judge which
he early attained by reason of his bril-
liant qualifications. Then he told in Wig
Orous words the stirring story of Nor
tons entrance into political life and Of
his becoming the governor Of his native
state lat the threshold of a mighty
crisis
Gov Morton realized, and in advance of
most others, the true and tremendous sig
nificance of the incipient secession move !,
inent. he did not doubt the result of the
issue. but he favored energetic and speedy
preparation to meet it. When others way
cred ne was firm, and when others doubt ;
was herculean. There were many who.
were not in sympathy with the Union
cause. BY ceaseless vigilance he antici :
pated every attack which treason about him :
planned. When the governor was without
funds to support the affairs Of the state,
through the failure of hostile and dis !
loyal Legislature to perform it's duty. he
borrowed money upon his personal respon- :
sibility and preserved the faith and credit
of the state. The emergency was great.
and it required man Of commanding force
and ability to meet it.
Struggle with Deadly Disease.
the part which Gov. Morton took in the
Civil war, what he did for his state and !.
her troops in that critical period and how
he won the love of the soldiers and an:
imperishable reputation at the same
time. Next he told how the distin
guished statesman, already in the grip of
deadly disease, came to Washington as
a senator from Indiana. That he might
do his duty to his state and to his coun-
try he bid even death defiance. He
worked increasingly that the nation,
which had just emerged from the fierce
baptism of war, might be put on the
highway of enduring peace. This her
time to Darley with death. There are
colleagues of Mr.. Morton in the Senate
who remember as though it were but
yesterday, how the senator was borne
into this chamber in his chair and how
he delivered his great speeches seated
there.
With the Electoral Com mission.
Eloquently Mr. Fairbanks told Of Mr..
Morton's most conspicuous public service
his labors on the electoral commission
following the presidential election of
1876
Stricken by remorseless disease and ran ].
idly approaching the end of an illustrous
career, he yet became member of the
COMMISSION the creation of which he had
antagonized. He had to be lifted into his /.
scat during the sittings of the commission,
there remaining into the long, dreary hours +
OF the night, tlrelesS among the tired, press
ing on where strong men gave way. he pre- =
sents picture that may we'll excite our
wonder and challenge our admiral ton, and :
for which history furnishes no example \
NO dlshOnorabe act detracts from his
fame. His hands were clean. his integrity
in corruptible. He was bold but chiyaI. Z
rOus political antagonist, for his sense of :.
honor was acute. His political adversares. i
at the time Of his death, paid tribute to his :,
stainless and exalted purpose. He was re-
garded and ranked as an intense partisan,
and such he was. He had an abiding faith Z
cence as an instrument in promoting good .
government. :
The American Pantheon
The state of Indiana commits to the
keeping of the United States the statue of
served so long as the fabric of our political /
institutions shall endure She commits it !.
with affecti0nate pride, believing that those
who shall follow US in the stately pro-
cession of the years to come will pre-
serve in it perpetual remembrance of the :.
one who gave his best years, yea, life itself !
in unselfsh, unceasing devotion to the
mighty task of preserving the unity ana
honor of his country.
] can readily believe that were it posi-
bic for the statues of Samuel Adams, Ethan
Allen, John Stark and Roger Sherman to
utter speech. yea, if George Washington
Daniel Webster, James A. Garfield and the
other occupants of our American Pantheon
could breathe through their marble forms.
they would say: Hail. hail, thou brave
and incorruptibe patriot. thou loyal vice
regent of the peop,e in the perilous hours
of the republic"