The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-11

slightest trace of egotism. All Of these
pages are devoted to current and past
events and the great actors with whom
he came in contact. Whatever may be
Judge Turpie's faults, vanity is not one OF
them.
1t was in the famous joint debate with
COlfax in 1862 that l first heard him speak.
Shall L ever forget that delightful October
afternoon, and that picturesque assembly
in our courthouse yard? Judge Turpie
was then thirty-ive and Colfax thirty-nne
years old. There was an audience of $500
people. in which the Democrats had large
ma jority COlfax opened in an hours
speech; Turpie replied. using an hour and
a half. and then COlfax rejOined for half
an hour. Turpie was more than a match
in shreds. He adopted Morton's methods,
taught him in the campaign of 1850. All
the same, COlfaX got the votes. How? Be
cause he appealed to his audience to stand
by their government against the assaults
which Turpie made upon it, He pointed
out that in great war mistakes were in
evitabe and Lincoln not to be con-
demned for his, or his subordinates errors,
but TO DE sustained by all good citizens in
their efforts TO put down causeless and
wicked rebellion. In the Life of Colfax,
by HOLSTER, the reason Is given why, In
this canvass, he was elected by only 230
majority; it was that 5000 men had enlisted
from the district in the army, Of whom
900 were Republicans and 1900 Democrats,
none of whom that year under the law were
allowed TO vote. In each Of the subsequent
races between COlfax and Turpie the for
Mr.. HOLSTER, in the volume above referred
to, speaks of Judge Turpie as this re-
doubtable Ajax" This is mere figure
of speech. Turpie, upon the stump, from
the beginning to the end, struck powerful
blows; his inVectives, rapartees and
torts were something wonderful, as / can
personally testify and he used both merci-
lessly, although in private life he is and
always has been and still is one of the
most amiable and charitable of men.
To return TO the book 1t is full of vivid
kaf N Of m r. n
men of whom Turpie is the sole survivor
and who were our leaders during those
years when Indiana was an October and
also doubtful State. On the Democratic
side there were Hendricks, English Nc
Donald, Voorhees, and Turpie-all United
States senators except English And upon
brilliant array, Harrison, Morton, ThOmp-
son, Pratt and Gresham, all equally hon.
Ored. Then there was a host of lesser
lights, OF whom Governor Porter, w. S.
Holman, DR.. Fitch and Niblack ex-
amples. What is the matter with our In
diana politics that we have no longer any
breed of noble bIOods? '' If so, why? The
answer is not far to seek. In the last
twenty-five years our political issues have
been almost wholly commercial-tariff. cur
rency and trade questions. From 1860 until
1880 the issues were all moral and political
freedom or slavery; union or disunion; war
or peace? Meantime we have had bOOmS
without end We have prOspered to such an
extent that the "canlxers of a calm peace"
have eaten the heart out of our enthusiasms.
No one can grow very eloquent over
question of coinage or tariff rates or open
doors" 1t is also to be noted that this de-
cay in craftsmanship has kept pace with
a like decay In literature, poetry and art, all
of which were at their very best during the
strain and agony of our great civil war
In 1886 for the first time in years Indiana
on an off year went Republican. This was
Cleveland's fault. He had incurred the ill
Will of his Indiana constituents by his civil
service reforms. Judge Turpie in this vol
ume gives an account of a conversation
with Governor Hendricks, in which the lat
ter denOunces the whole business and in
sists upon the old rule of taking care of
the boys" This Democratic defeat became
HarrisOns opportunity. While the Repub-
licans prevailed at the polls. the Democrats
by virtue of a former appOrtiOnment con-
trOlled the Legislature by majority of one.
The usual tactics were resorted to by both
parties of unseating a Democrat in the
House and the Republicans cOuntering by
like measure in the Senate. The result of it
all was that after war OF weeks Harrison
was beaten for reelection United States
senator by Turpie. This gave Harrisons
adroit partisans unrivaled opportunity
to claim for him the hOnOrs of a martyr
and To insist that he alone carried Indiana
in 1856 and was the only man who could
repeat the victory. The result was, as in
LincOln's case. the loss Of the senatorship
for Harrison compensated by the infinitely
greater reward OF the presidency.
Soon after Turpies election in 1887 the
silver craze broke out and ultimately proved
almost as great a detriment to the Demo-
cratic party the slavery scheme of 1860
Judge Turpie served usefully in the
| United States Senate for twenty years but
never rose above his party. and this is
| his weakness public servant. II must
be admitted that in this respect he has
| plenty OF high-grade cOmpany-MortOn,
| Hendricks and Harrison for example Of
| the Democrats who have risen above their
/ party, Cleveland is an illustrious example.
When, nifty years hence. history shall be
/ write that of observation-disclosures will be
| numbered among our great Presidents.
| Suppose he had yielded to the demands Of
/ his party upon the silver question, would
/ all Of us have been bankrupt The Demo-
| cratic party for the last fifty years has
been afflicted with fatal malady. 1t is
| party of criticism and reaction I'm national
| matters, and has never risen to construc-
| tiOnal craftsmanship in response to the
/ progress and the demands of the age. Their
/ position upon the slavery question is an
| excellent illustration The party as a party
/ never rose above the compromises of the
/ Constitution, and when Chief Justice fancy
/ decided that the black man had no pO-
/ litical rights which a white man was bound
/ TO respect that for them the end of
/ the matter The party knew no higher law
/ than fancy and would have preserved. IL
/ they could. slavery intact to this day. But
/ IL should in justice be remembered that a
| revolt followed within their own ranks
which gave the power in 1850 10 the Re
puDlicans. And SO in reference to coinage
| they advocated paying of the bonds in
/ greenbacks and afterward in silver in de-
I
| ence of tha civilized world But this was
/ also followed by a revolt within the party
/ in 1886 and 1900. The writer well remembers
/ a conversation he held with DR.. Fitch after
| the election of Cleveland i'm 1892. when that
/ astute politician remarked Now if we
| Democrats do not make fools of ourselves,
/ we can hold the power for twenty years TO
| come" Long before Cleveland's term ex-
| pired the party deserted its greatest living
! leader and went chasing after the vagaries
| of William Jennings Bryan. Judge Turpie
| has little or nothing TO say about free
| coinage and does not once mention Bryan 5
| name, and in this he is wise, for 1t is al
ways a safe rule. when you do not know
| what 10 say. TO say nothing.
| Judge Turpie's notices or his contem-
| pOraries of both parties are most excellent
| and satisfactory. especially of the great
/ public men of Indiana for the last fifty
years His words concerning the now for
| gotten politician. a. L. Willard Governor
| from 1856 To 1860 are extremely laudatory.
| Turpie-and he ought TO know. for he met
them all-prOnounces Governor Willard the
| greatest stump speaker the State has ever
| produced.
| Ii is fortunate that Judge Turpie has
| written this book. 1t is greatly the SUI
| periOr of a similar work by Senator George
r. Hoar, although not covering so wide a
| range. and written by man so much more
| widely known throughout the Nation. The
majority of Republicans look upon Judge
Turpie chiefly as a spellbinder. "A man with
| a powerful vocabulary. but this book will
show such an estimate is erroneous. At a
| dozen different places there are profound
| suggestions and far-reaching observations
| upon many of the great questions of the
| day And the English Is always delightful.
| There is not a dull ungrammatical SEN
| tence i'm the entire volume IL IS the only