Year: 1868

senator Morton arrived at MS nome,
at Indianapolis, Indiana. on the even
ing of the 29th nit, at which time he
was heartily welcomed home by one of
the grandest receptions ever extended
to any statesman. i In his eloquent re-
ply to the speech of welcome, among
other things, the illustrious Indiana
Governor and Senator said: r,.. +.


We are approaching State election
and Presidential election. AS the
State shall vote in October upon the
subject of State officers, it will vote in
November in all probability, upon the
Presidential question


Now my friends, let us refer briefly to-
night to the exact questions which are
presented. We have two tickets in the
field. Gen. Grant is presented as the
Union an'idate tor the Presidency.
and Hon. Schuyler ColfaX for the Vice
Presidency, while on the other hand,
Horatio Seyrnouris the Democratic can
didate for the Presidency. and Francis
p. Blair for the Vice Presidency. Gen.
Grant. although he has been successful,
is now an advocate of peace, While Ho-
ratio Seymour, who was clamorous for
peace in war, now~represents the party
that is again clamoring for war. A
yoice-.'TlIat is true:''l The Democrat
lic party assembled in Convention in
New York, which Convention, i be-
lieve, began its session on the 4th OF
July, and the day was neyer-so dis
graced before. Laughter That Con
Ivention has laid down what it calls its
principles, and l beg leave to call your
attention. my friends, to the declara-
| ton Of that Convention upon recon-
StructiOn in the rebel Sta ateS.


Mr.. Morton read a portion of the
platform.l


You Will perceive by this platform
that the action of Congress in the re-
construction of the rebel States, in the
effort to restore the Union, to heal the
wounds of the nation. is pronounced a
usurpation. revolutionary. unconstitu-
tional and void. Thus, by its platform
made at New York. they declare to the
/ people of the rebel States that the vari-
Gus acts of Congress that have been
passed for the purpose of reconstruc-
tion are void that being void they are
of no binding effect, and being of no
| binding effect. that nobody is obliged OF
under any litigation to pay obedience
to them. Thus the Democratic party
have Informed the people of the rebel
States that they are at liberty again to
embark in rebellion, to. nullity the acts
of Congress, and thus renew the strug-
gle. The Democratic party has invited
the people of the rebel States to renew
the war by asserting that the action of
| Congress is unconstitutional, and that
they are thus not bound to yield any
obedience or subsection to these recon-
structiOn acts of Congress. 1t the peO-
| pie of the South do not again embark ID
| the rebellion, it is because they disre-
gard the express wish of the Democrat


ic party North. If they do again en-
bark in rebellion. then again. as before.
the Democratic party is Responsible for
the war, and the blood will be upon
their shoulders. [Applause.l ,,.-.


We understand, my friends, that nine
teen out of twenty of the white people
of the rebel States are hostile to the
United States. They are hostile to those
governments we have framed. They
are full of hatred to the people of the
North. w hat is more, they are all
1 armed. Iou cannot go into rebel
house or catin in the rebel States but
what you find every one who acted
with the Confederaey armed with rifles
and with mt,skets. The private soldiers
and officers of the rebel army who
served together for four years, are liv-
ing together in the same neighborhood
ready, and armed with musket and
|
made. With this hostile and rebel pop
ulation in the Southern States, sur
rounding these governments We have
been calling into existence, under the
acts of Congress. The Democratic par
lty of the Northern States are thus in
Iviting them to rebellion, and calling
upon them to again take up arms. as
suring them that all these laws are void
and of no force nor effect, and that they
are not bound to yield obedience to any
of them. This is the position of the
Democratic party according to its plat
form, and if the power shall pass into
President who stands voluntarily upon
that platform. then indeed will we go
back, then will the blood of our soldiers
have been split in vain, and all this
treasure wasted, and the 100000 graves
that have been filled up the wives that
have been widowed without number,
will he in vail, and the rebel cause will
finally triumph. Oh, my friends, this
same party was responsible for the be-
ginning Of the war. If they had not
told the deluded people of the South
that the Government should be held
still while they carried on the work OF
secession, they never would have under
taken it. Here in this old State House
! the Democratic majority, in 1861, told
| the people of the South that if the army
| passed from the State of Indiana, foT
the purpose of subduing the rebellion
that had then but just commenced, it
must pass over their dead bodies. And
what the language of the Democratic
party was in Indiana, it was in Ohio
and other States, and believing these
declarations. they Immediately plunged
into the war against the Union. -


But if further evidence was wantin 9
in regard to the character of the Demo-
cratic party, and in regard to the char
acter of its purposes, it is found in the
nomination Of Gen. Frank p. Blair and
the letter upon which he was nomin-
ated, and without which he could not
have been nominated. A portion OF
the letter was read.] [ repeat, there is
the remedy pointed out by Frank Blair,
They cannot change the Government
without changing the Congress. He
states that they can accomplish this
thing by legislation. But they cannot
undo it under four years. How then
do they propose to undo what we


have done? By .electing a President
who shall have command of the army,
and that he shall, by military power,
| oyerturn and disperse these loyal State
i Governments; that he shall by the mil
itary power and in defiance of the acts
of Congress, reinstate the rebel State
Governments, return the rebels to DOW


er, and place the Union men of the
South, white and black, in the hands OF


these rebels who brought the war upon


us. This is the remedy proposed by the
democratic candidate for the Vice


Presidency, and would like to appeal
to any honest Democrat, within the
sound of my voice, does he approve OF
Sc 1a - 10, I,


nit to the will of the Government ?
Does he. propose. now, in the middle -oi
the seventh year,1to resort to war and


bring upon US all the horrors of revo-
Iutien? Read the remainder Of the
Blair letter. He says that he wants to
stand, before the Convention upon this
proposition, to renew the rebellion. He