Excerpt from Speech of Gov; Oliver P. Morton: At the Union State Convention Held at Indianapolis, Ind;, February 23, 1864
The Military bill had come from the midnight caucus to the House; had been printed and forced to its engrossment without the change of a word or letter; all amendments and substitutes had been voted down; all references to committees had been refused, although every other bill of a general character that had gone to a second reading had been referred to some committee; the previous question had been sustained, the gag applied, and all debate cut off, and the bill engrossed. Nothing was left for us but to sit by and see this infa mous measure passed through, the revolution consummated and civil war begun, or to quietly retire and leave the House. Without a quo rum there was no other peaceful and constitutional remedy. If it had been left to the Courts to annul it, before the question could have been determined the law would have done its work.
The military power once in the hands of the conspirators, it would be a matter of no importance what the courts might decide and if the question took the course of others before the Supreme Court it might be months or years before the decision was made. The path of duty was the path of safety, and we had no doubt nor hesitation as to the course we should pursue.
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