The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-04

his first homestead in the new for CON
sciences sake. These things were not un-
known and so must necessarily have De-
come known to Morton when a boy
Moreover, Wayne county was peopled
by men and women who had left their
| homes in the Slave States and come TO the
| New Purchase because, by the ordinance OF
1887, and the Constitution of the State, our
| soil had been dedicated irreVocaDly as
! land of freedom. ,
These early Quaker pioneers believed
| firmly in both religious and civic liberty.
They held that 1t needed neither priest nor
| sage to teach them what was right ana
| what was wrong. They believed that II
man would listen to the silent voice OF MS
| own conscience he would not err.
| These influences. acting on the heaIthy
mind of the sterling boy mace conscience nee
| dominant trait of Mortons character in
| manhood and guided his strong Will ana
powerful mind in the performance OF every
| duty.
Thus, believing in the supremacy of in,
| dividual conscience, he early felt that all
men were equal in the eye of God and UNI
| der the law And so he naturally affiliated
| politically with those who seemed 10 MIN
| at the time to best represent tnat truth.
| He believed in our government, Its deVel-
| opment and extension, and acted with those
| who favored widening its boundaries ana
Jurisdiction to the Rio Grande and the "a
cifc. lie believed that a solemn nauonai
! compact once made and performed couIu
| not in conscience be torn up ana over
| thrown. And when the agitation came 10
! generation covenanting that all the lands
| of the Republic the north side OF a GER
| tain line were forever dedicated 10 Iree-
| dom, his conscience refused MS assent;
| He used every power he could command
| to resist and prevent the violation OF TINS
| national covenant. And, lastly, to resist
| it, he became a delegate from his county
! to the state convention, and there boldly
| resisted and denounced the movement as
| a crime against the Republic. His party
| leaders told him that their party was strong
| enough to do anything. Morton replied;
| at is not strong enough to do a wrong
| thing" And when the convention sought
! 10 sti1e his conscience by adopting what
| is known as a unit rule, recurring that
| the vote of each county should be cast
unanimously, and thereby IL was sought
| TO compel him to acquiesce in what be be-
| lieVed to be wrong, he arose, and with
| dignity Withdrew, because TO remain was
| to smother his conscientious sense or duty.
| No greater act of courage was ever SHOWN
| by that courageous man than this single
act Young, talented, ambitious, conscious
| OF his mower and favor-all these could not
| for a moment suppress his own strong
| sense of right. He walked out, man
| without a party because he was a man
| with a conscience. Soon another party
was found by him and others to maintain
| these principles.
1t was this quality that in professional
| life made him Irresistible before the panel.
There he never relied upon what somebody
else had said was right, but he appealed
| to the consciences OF the jury to answer
| him from their own hearts as to the right
of the cause. He would not bow to the de,
|
| to be wrong in principle.
| DRIED SCOTT CASE.
| The bred Scott case was decided by the
| Supreme Court in 1857. That great tribunal
| then declared that a free man whose an
cestors were of the African not
| a citizen of the State in which he lived,
| North or South and could not seek justice
| in the national courts; and that slaves were
mere ohattels, and could be taken. held,
purchased and sold in any territory be-
| longing 10 the United States.
Morton refused to accept this decision
as right or in accord with the Constitution
| and laws of our Nation.
a short time afterward, being at the viii
| lage near my fathers farm, which he Oft
en- visited he made an address to the peo-
| pie in the Methodist Church. 1t was not
| not political speech. II was an address
| to his acquaintance, friends and clients.
| He stood in the pulpit and began by read
| ing the words of the Declaration: we
| hold these truths to be self-evident, that
| all men created equal" He then read
from the words of Chief Justice fancy mat
black men, when free, were not citizens or
| the United States within the meaning of
the Constitution, and could claim none of
the rights and privileges which the Con-
| stitution guaranteed to citizens of the Re-
| public; that men of African descent had
| no rights except such as those who held
| the power and the government might
| his conscience that God made all men,
whether black or white. and that in the
| sight of Him and under the Constitution
| all free men were equal in their civil rights.
| He was then but thirty-three, erect pow
| erful, with a voice and mien supremely
| with the declarations God made all men
equal; and no free government can stand
rights rfs 'a and privileges under it's iaWs u
He held firm to this conviction through
| out his life 1t was by reason of his bold
al truths that he became Governor of our
| State. For years he gave every energy
| of his brain and body TO the great work
| he had TO do, and put down every OBJ
/ many. He lifted Indiana into the first
| place Of military readiness and efficiency.
| During the war he was everywhere-in the
camps. the hospitals, on the battle fields
wherever there was an Indiana regiment
there was his help and care.
| is known to every one 1t passes from
| father TO son and daughter without the
| need of books 1t needs no telling in this
| a Renaissance, or a memory. IL does little
good to hold in mind his acts and words
nobler thoughts and the better perform
| ance of the duties of citizenship.
SALVATION OF THE UNION
During the war he gave every thought
! and energy to the salvation Of the Union
| And when the surrender came he did not
relax his work. but went on TO strengthen
| the Constitution and laws and perpetuate
| the Nations safety and glory He was
vigilant and untiring. and most potential
! in embedding in the Constitution the funda-
| mental amendments that every man born
! in the United States is a citizen of the Re-
| public; that no State has power TO de-
! prive any such of his inalienable rights as
! such citizen; and he was the recognized
/ leader in the movement that added the last
amendment that the right 10 vote should
not be denied or abridged to any man be-
cause OF race. color. because he or his
/ ancestors had been slaves. lie taught al
/ WAYS and everywhere that our Nation
! was not just and sound while IL denied
/ TO one man that which enjoyed by
another under similar conditions And
4 could he speak now. he would cry out that
| a Republic can not live long that permits
| some of its citizens to enjoy rights which
are withheld from others.
| If we appreciate his life and work we.
the living. should not remain silent. We