Shelby County, Indiana - Chapter 3: Indiana Organized As a State, 1909

Chapter 3: Indiana Organized As a State

The last regular session of the Indiana Territorial Legislature convened at Corvdon in December. 1815. The executive v.as Governor Posey, who at that time, in his message, congratulated the territory upon the grand results of its earlv settlement period and its legislative enactments. December 14th of thatVear OMigress was memm-iali^ed by Indiana territory, praying to be admitted into the Union, after liaving the privilege of forming a fitting constitution on which to be admitted. On April _'8. 1S16. the President of the United States approved the bill and accordingly, May 30ih. l.illowing, a general election was held for a Constitutional Convention, which bxly met at Corydon June loth to 29th. Jonathan Jennings i>residing. and William Hendricks acting a^ secretary. ,

conventir.n that formed the hrst constitution of the state of Indiana ^vas composed mainly of clear-minded, unpretending men of common sense, whose patriotism was unquestionable and whose luiirals were fair. Ihcir !,-imiliaritv with the theories of the Declaration of Independence, their teiritoria' experiences under the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787. and thenknowledge of the principles of the constitution .^f the Imited States were sutficient which combined, to lighten materially their hiUjvs in the great work of forming a constitution for a new state. With such landmarks in view, the labors of similar conventions in other states and territories have been comparatively light. In the clearness and conciseness of its style, in the comprehensive and'ju^t provisions which it made for the maintenance of civil and religious liberty, in its mandates, wiiich were designed to protect the rights 01 the people collectively and individually, and to provide for the public welfare, the constitution that'was framed for Indiana in 1816 ^vas not inferior to any state constitutions which were in existence at that time."

On the first :^Ionday in August. 18 16, the first state election took pkace. and the result was the election ot Jonathan Jennings as Governor and Christopher Harrison. Lieutenant Governor. William Hen.lricks was elected to represent the new state in the House of Representatives of the L'niled States.

The first General Assembly elected under statehood and the new con^^ltution liegan its session at Corvdon. Xovemlier 4. i'^^'^^- .l"'"i ^^'^^ ^"'''"' to the chair of the Senate pn:. tem. and Isaac Plackford was elected Speaker of the House.

The first ,-cssion ut" ilic State Lcgi^lauirc elecicd Janios Xdilc ami Waller Tavlxr to the I'liited Slates Senate; Rciheri A. Xew was cleeied Seeretarv of Sta'ic; W. H. Lilly, Auditor of Stale, ami Daniel C. Lane. Treasurer of State. The session adjourned January 3, 1817.

With the close of the war of iSiJ-14 there was a great ru^h for entry of lands within Indiana. By 1S.20 the stale had more than d>aibled her pi^iulation, having- at thi- time one hundred forty-seven thousar.d one liundred seventv-eight, ami li_\- 18^3 nearly doubled this number again, that is to say, in rcjund numbers a quarter of a million people inhabited Indiana in iS_'5. This, it is believed, is the most excessive increase in population of any p«)rtii'n of this country, since its discovery by Columbus.

From 1S23 to 1830 was also another prosperous half decade in the history of Indiana. Acoimpanying this large influx of population, however, there were many paupers and indolent, worthless people drifted in and really threatened to become burdensome to the honest toilers. In his annual message Governor Rav called the attention of the law-makers to this fact, but no action was taken, as it was then, as it has ever been, a serious question to know how best to provide for this unlViriunale and almost helpless class of citizens,

Indiana And The Mexican Wak

In the short Init decisive war with }^Iexico, Indiana furnished her qu.>ta, five regiments of troops, n.umljered one, two, three, four and five. The fact that companies of the first three named regiments served at times with the men of Illinois, the Xew ^""rk Volunleers. the Palmettoes of South Carolina, and the United States marines, under Gen. James Shields, makes for them a history. Because the campaigns of the Rio Grande and Chihuah.ua. the siege ofA'era Cniz, the desperate encounter at Cerro Gordo, the tragic contests in the vallev at Contrcras and Churubusco, the st;u-ming of Chapultepec. and the planting of the stars and stripes upon every turret and spire within the conquered City of ^^lexico, were all carried out by gallant troops under the favorite old general, and consequently each of t'lem shared with him in the glories attached to such exploits. The other regiments, under Cols. Gorman and Lane, participated in the contests of the period under oth.er commanders. The Fourth Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, co'.nprising ten companies, was fomiallv organized at Jeffersonville, Indiana, by Capt. R. C. Gatlin, June 15, 1847, and on the ir)th, elected Maj. Wiiii^ A. Gorman, of the Third Regiment, to the colonelcy; Ebeneezer Dumoat, lieutenant colonel, and William McCoy, major. June 27th the regiment left Jeffersonville to the front and later were assigned to Brigadier-Genera! Lane's command, v.hen they comprised a battery of five piece-- fo.m the Third Regiment, rniled Stales Artillerv. the Latiery oi two pieces from the Second L'nited Stales .\rtillery.

Chadwick S History Of Shelby Co., Ixd

the Fourtli RcL;-iineiu of Indiana \''ihinicers and the l-^iurth Ohio Rcg-iment, with a squadron of mounted Louisianans. and deiachments of recruits from the United States regular ainiy. The in Hips i.f this Ijriyade won signal honors at Passo de Ovegas. August lo, 1S47; National bridge, on the I2lh; Cerro Gordo, on the 15th; Las Animas, on liie tgth. under Maj. F. T. Lally, and later took part in the siege of Puebia that began September 15th and terminated October I2th. They also served at Atlizco. Tiascala. Matamoras. Gtterrila Ranche. Xapaloncan. The Indiana Fourth Regiment performed gallant service, and carried the campaign into the following year, representing the state at St. ]\Iartin's, February 2"], 1848; Cholua, I\Iarch 26th: Matacordera, Fel)ruarv 19th; Sequalteplan, February 25th: and cm the cessation of hostilities reported at Madison, Indiana, for discharge. July 11. 18-1S: while the iMflh Indiana Regiment, under Col J. H. Lane, underwent a similar round cf diitv with other brigades, and gained some celelirily at \'era Cruz, and with the Illinois troops, under General Shields at Chapul tepee.

This war cost the L'nited Stales sixty-six million dollars. Pint this large amount was not paid for glory; there was something else at slake, and the territory was added to our possessions larg-er than all of France and was a just defense of the great Lone Star state, through the rightful humiliation and chastisement of a quarrelsome people known as ?\Iexicans.

In 1850 a block of native granite was sent from Indiana to be placed in the great m'.inument then hieing erected in honor of George \\'ashington, the same now oveidooking the Potomac at the National Capital. Governor Wright had inscribed on the face of this stone this inscription : "Indiana Knozcs no Xoiili. Xp South, Xothing Bui flic Union.''

Within a dozen years thereafter, this state demonstrated to the world that her patriotism was of the practical, true and uncompromising type. However, in keeping with his sentiments. Governor \\'rig'ht indorsed the compromise measure of Congress on the slavery question, remarking that Indiana takes her stand in the ranks, not of Southern destiny, nor yet of Northern destiny; she plants herself on the basis of the constitution and takes her stand in the ranks of American destiny.

The Civil war broke out and that noble "war Governor," Oliver P. Morton, Republican, flashed over the -wires, on the early morning of April 15, 1861 (the day after Ft. Sumpter had been fired up<-'i-. l.)y the Confederacy), the following message : Executive Department Indiana.

tlie state of Imliana. I tender tri you ioY the defence of the nation, and to ujih(_)ld tlie autlmriiy of the Government, ten tlionsand men.

Governur of Indiana. Tliis was tlie nrM . iVicia; act ni ihe ne\^;y .-eated Goverr.or of ihib state. Tlie state was not financially well preiKircd for sneh warfare, Imt the General Assembly knowing that ten thousand dollars would cover all the funds in tlic state treasur}-. yet at once appropriated sums as follows for th.e carrying on of this war for the Union :

Tiie total number of men furnished liy Indiana in the rebellion amounted ti) over two hundred tlmusand, most t;l wliom served three years or more. Tliis includei.l one hundred fifty-six regiments: twenty-six i)aiteries and tlie number of Ixiilles pariicijiatcd in by these soldiers was by states as follows:

Engagements in Mrginia. 90: in Tennessee. 51: in Genrgia. 41: Mississippi. 24: Arkansas, 19; Kentucky, id; Louisiana. 15: ^.lissoari, 9: North Carolina, 8: r\larylaiid, 7: Texas, 3: South Carobna. 2; Indian, Territory, j: Pennsylvania, 1; Ohio, i: Indiana, i. Total of 30S battles.

In 1867 the Legislature comprised ninety-one Republicans and fifty-nine Democrats. Goveri^jr ]^Iorton having resigned to take his seat as a L'nited States Senator, Lieut. Gov. Conrad Baker assumed the executive chair during the remainder of the term. This Legislatiire, by a very decisive vote, ratified the Fottrteenth .\niendment to the L'nited States C institution, constituting all persons li^rn in ilie country or sulijects to its jurisdicti'T., citi.^en^ of the L'nited States and of the state wherein they reside, without regard to ra.ce or color; reducing the Congressional represematii')n in any state in which there should be restriction of the exercise of the elective franchise on account of race or color; disfranchising persons therein named who shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the l'nited States, and declaring that the validity of tlie pul)!ic debt c:,f the United States, authorized by law. shall not be Cjucstioned.

Divorce L.Vws

The divorce laws had been from an early day very lax up to 1S70. when the Governor recommended a reform in this particular and such changes were made as to not allow divorce only on statutory grounds, since which dale the state has been looked upon in this respect, on a par with oilier common- - wealths and superior to many slates.

In 1821 Indiana owed a debt of $20,000. The close of the European wars and a reduction of l.ircadstuff prices brought on a panic in Indiana in common with nearly ail the stales. But in 1S23 speculation began to set things right along the financial line. ]\Ioney was invested in home manufactories, instead of wilder commercial enterprises. These factories set money in circulation and gave employment to tens of thousands of willingworkers. A part of tlie gain thus made, Ii(-i\ve\er, was sunk in useless interna! iniprc Acment- - but not seen at the time. Tlie^e internal improvements were begun in the face of the Asiatic cliolera sweeping along the Ohio river and entering inland at various points in Indiana. The Black Hawk w-ar of 1832 was raging in the Xorthwest, but these had no bearing on the minds of officials who went ahead with internal improvements as though times were always to be good.

The subject of making roads and impr-wir.g the streams onmmenced in 1818, and continued to be urged by all goverii.:>rs up to 1842. Governor Hendricks, in 1822, specified as important improvements the navigation of the falls, of the Ohio, the Wabash and AMiile ri\ers. and other lesser streams in Indiana. Also the construction of public highways and. Xational roads through the state. In 1826 Governor Rav considered the making of a system oi roads and canals as inijiera.tixe. In 1830 llic people liecanic excited over the project of connectiiiij the streams of the country by the Xatitnial New York & Mississippi Railrcad. the National road and the .Miehi,L;an and Ohio turnpike, the location of which was a long, bitter contest.

In 1S32 the real work of internal ini])rii\cnients iK-qan. During that and the following year thirty-two mile^ of the Wabash and Erie canal were placed under cuUraci and work commenrvd and ]nisliL'd fiirward until 1835, and navigation was opened July 4th. when the people assembled to see the mingling of the waters of the St. Joseph and Wabash rivers, uniting with the waters of the Gulf of ]\Iexico. During 1836 the canal touched and benefited Fort \\'ayne, Huntington, Lawrencelmrg, Brookville, Evansville and Terre Haute.

At the close of 1837 it was found that the state had borrowed three million eight hundred eighty-seven thousand dollars lor internal improvements, of which a million and a quarter dollars was for the construction of the Wabash & Erie canal. The five per cent, interest amounted to o^"er two hundred thousand dollars, and became brvrdensome.

In August, 1S39, all work on such improvements ceased. In 1S40 a statement showed that there had been projected roads and canals to the amount of one thousand two hundred eighty-nine miles, two hundred eightyone of which miles had been completed at a cost (finished and uncompleted) of twenty million dollars, estimated cost, of which had been paid out the sum of eight million one hundred sixty-four thousand five hundred twenty-eight, dollars. The state debt at that time was eighteen million four hundred seventy-nine thousand one hundred furly-six dollars. Notwithstanding the people were compelled to pay taxes, including a compound interest on large debts contracted by the state, her honest, loyal citizens would not think of repudiating such obligations, as was the case in many other states in the Union.

By the year 1850 all so named "Internal Improvements" systenis. had been forever abandoned and private capital and ambition pushed forward the needed improvements of the state. During that year four hundred miles of plank road were built, at a cost of about one thousand three hundred dollars per m.ile. The state then contained two hundred twelve miles of railroad and one thousai:d more were already surveyed.

As time went on the state forged to the front, and today stands on a high and safe financial plane. AVith railroads second to no other Central West state, and liiglnvaA's such as wagon roads unequaled. In her school fund and educational institutions she is ahead of most any of her sister states. Her manufacturing and mim'ng and general mineral resources have developed to a prodigious degree in the last few decades, until mere figures do not signify as a means of telling of her true wealth and greatness as a commonwealth.