378 



INDIANA. 



Cumback, for Lieutenant-Governor ; and Max 

 F. A. Hoffman for Secretary of State. Their 

 platform of principles was embodied in the fol- 

 lowing series of resolutions, which were unani- 

 mously adopted : 



The Union Bepnblican party of Indiana, assembled 

 in convention at Indianapolis on the 20th day of 

 February, 1868, to consult in reference to the present 

 condition of the country, make the following declara- 

 tion of principles : 



1. The congressional plan of reconstruction was 

 made necessary by the continued rebellious spirit of 

 the Southern people, and if they will not, upon the 

 conditions prescribed by Congress, become the friends 

 of the Union, it is the duty of Congress to do what- 

 ever the emergency requires to prevent them from 

 doing harm as enemies. 



2. The extension of suffrage to the negroes of the 

 South is the result of the rebellion and the continued 

 rebellious spirit maintained therein, and was neces- 

 sary to secure the reconstruction of the Union and the 

 preservation of loyal men therein from a state worse 

 than slavery ; and the question of suffrage in all the 

 loyal States belongs to the people of those States un- 

 der the Constitution of the United States. 



3. The Government of the United States should be 

 administered with the strictest- economy consistent 

 with public safety and interest ; the revenue should 

 be so laid as to give the greatest possible exemption 

 to the articles of primary necessity, and fall most 

 heavily upon the luxuries and wealth of the country ; 

 and all property should bear a just proportion of the 

 burden of taxation. 



4. The public debt, made necessary by the rebel- 

 lion, should be honestly paid, and all bonds issued 

 therefor should be paid in legal tenders, commonly 

 called greenbacks, except where by their express 

 terms they provide otherwise, and paid in such quan- 

 tities as will make the circulation commensurate with 

 the commercial wants of the country, and so as to 

 avoid too great an inflation of the currency, and an 

 increase in the price of gold. 



5. The large and rapid contraction of the currency, 

 sanctioned by the votes of the Democratic party in 

 both Houses of Congress, has had a most injurious 

 effect on the industry and business of the country, 

 and it is the duty of Congress to provide by law for 

 supplying the deficiency in legal-tender notes, com- 

 monly called greenbacks, to the full extent required 

 by the business wants of the country. 



6. We are opposed to the payment of any part of 

 the rebel debt, or to any payment whatever for eman- 

 cipated slaves. 



7". Of all who were faithful amid the trials of the 

 late war, there are none entitled to more especial 

 honor than the brave soldiers and seamen, who en- 

 dured the hardships of campaign and cruise, and im- 

 perilled their lives in the service of the country ; the 

 bounties and pensions provided by law for these 

 brave defenders of the nation are obligations never to 

 be forgotten ; the widows and orphans of the gallant 

 dead are the wards of the nation a sacred legacy be- 

 queathed to the nation's protecting care. 



8. The public lands are the property of the people ; 

 monopolies, either by individuals or corporations, 

 should be prohibited; they should be reserved for 

 actual settlers, and, as a substantial recognition of the 

 services of Union officers and soldiers in the late civil 

 war, they should each be allowed one hundred and 

 sixty acres thereof. 



9. The doctrine of Great Britain and other Euro- 

 pean powers, that because a man is once a citizen he 

 is always so, must be resisted at every hazard by the 

 United States as a relic of feudal times not authorized 

 by the law of nations and at war with our national 

 honor and independence. Naturalized citizens are 

 entitled to be protected in all their rights of citizen- 

 ship as though they were native born, and no citizen 

 of the United States, native or naturalized, must be 



liable to arrest and imprisonment by any foreign 

 power for acts done or words spoken in this country, 

 and if so arrested and imprisoned it is the duty of the 

 Government to interfere in his behalf. 



10. "We cordially approve of the course of the Ke- 

 publican members of Congress in their active support 

 of the bill prohibiting further contraction of the cur- 

 rency, in which they faithfully represented the will 

 of the people of Indiana, and this convention express 

 their unwavering^ confidence in the wisdom and patri- 

 otism of Oliver P. Morton ; his devotion to the -vital 

 interests of the nation during the past six years has 

 endeared him to every lover of Union and liberty, 

 and we send greeting to him in the American Senate 

 an assurance of our unqualified indorsement of his 

 course. 



11. General U. S. Grant and the Hon. Schuyler 

 Colfax are the choice of Indiana for President and 

 Vice-President of the United States, and this con- 

 vention hereby instruct the delegates to the National 

 Convention to cast the vote of Indiana for these gen- 

 tlemen. 



The political canvass in Indiana, as else- 

 where in the country, was quite animated. 

 The election for State officers occurred on the 

 second Tuesday of October, and resulted in 

 the choice of Conrad Baker, the Eepublican 

 candidate, for Governor, by a majority of nine 

 hundred and sixty-one. The whole vote was 

 342,189 ; Baker received 171,575 ; Hendricks, 

 170,614. Representatives to Congress were 

 chosen, of whom those from the first, second, 

 third, and sixth districts were Democrats, and 

 those from the fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, 

 ninth, tenth, and eleventh districts were Re- 

 publicans. At the presidential election in 

 November, 343,532 votes were cast, of which 

 176,552 were for Grant, and 166,980 for Sey- 

 mour, giving the Republican Board of Electors 

 a majority of 9,572. 



The State debt of Indiana on the 31st of 

 October was $7,195,085.94. Of this over three 

 and a quarter millions consisted of the rem- 

 nants of a debt incurred for internal improve- 

 ments many years ago, and adjusted by what 

 is known as the "Butler Bill" in 1846 and 

 1847, when five per cent, certificates of stock 

 were issued to the creditors of the State. Over 

 three and a half millions more of the State 

 debt are represented by non-negotiable bonds, 

 held by the State School-fun4, for money bor- 

 rowed therefrom to redeem a portion of the 

 certificates issued in 1846 and 1847. The re- 

 mainder of the public debt consists of $210,000, 

 in six per cent, bonds, issued in 1861, to meet 

 expenses connected with the war, and $63,585, 

 in bonds held by the Vincennes University. 



The State of Indiana has claims pending 

 against the Federal Government, on account 

 of expenses incurred in the late war, to the 

 amount of $3,568,092.30, and an agent has 

 been appointed to prosecute thesS claims at 

 "Washington $1,958,917.94 have been already 

 allowed. 



In 1867, under authority of the Legislature, 

 commissioners were appointed to hear and 

 consider claims on the State for loss of pri- 

 vate property, destroyed by the forces under 

 command of the Confederate officer John 

 Morgan, known as "Morgan's raids." These 



