USA > Indiana > Biographical and historical sketches of early Indiana > Part 38
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In 1850 Mr. Bright was elected a member of the constitutional convention from the county of Jefferson, defeating Moody Park, a Whig, for the office. He was chosen chairman of the Com- mittee on the Legislative Department, was second on the Com- mittee of Revision, Arrangement and Phraseology, and was also a member of the Committee on Salaries, Compensation and Tenure of Office. He was not a speaking member, but he some- times addressed the convention, and when he did he was list- ened to with the greatest interest. He took much concern in the provision authorizing the taking of private property for pub- lic use, and addressed the convention several times upon it. He opposed that part of section 21 of the bill of rights which forbids the taking of private property for public use without first tendering the money for the damages assessed. In discussing the question, he said : "Every member of the community holds his property, whether real or personal, subject to the rights and requirements of the State. It is a duty which the State owes to itself and to all the members who compose it to maintain its sovereignty and its authority inviolate. It is a right inherent in sovereignty to take private property for public use without com- pensation being first made. The State is amenable to no one, save to a sense of right."
During the debate on this question, Mr. Walpole, a delegate
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trom the county of Hancock, charged Mr. Bright with being the representative of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad upon the floor of the convention. Mr. Bright replied to the ac- cusation in the following dignified words :
" MR. PRESIDENT-I have no interests to represent upon this floor which will conflict with the rights and interests of the State at large. I do not consider myself as holding a seat in this convention for the purpose of exclusively representing Jef- ferson county. I am here to represent and support the interests " of the whole people of Indiana-not the interests of a section as opposed to the general welfare. I am not the representative of a local or personal interest ; I came up here to aid in the forma- tion of a constitution which shall be, as I trust, the beneficent organic law for this generation of the people of the State, and for the generation to come, as well as for myself and my child- ren. I am a constituent part of the people-an unit in the great aggregate-and I can not, if I would, separate my interests or the interests of my immediate constituents from the interests of the people of the State. We are all interested together and alike in the formation of a good constitution ; we shall all be benefited by its wise provisions or injured by its bad ones."
Mr. Bright was the author of several sections in our State constitution, and had much to do in moulding into shape many others. The day the convention adjourned it thanked the Com- mittee on Revision, of which he was a leading member, for the able manner in which it had discharged its duties.
Mr. Bright never held public office after the constitutional convention adjourned. He had large farming interests, and devoted much time to railroad matters. He projected several railroads, some of which were built and others not. He did not do much at the law, nor did he care to, his office being in his yard, away from the business quarter. He had accumulated a handsome estate, and did not wish to be bothered with cases in court. He seldom accepted employment as an attorney, and never did unless it was to oblige a friend.
Among his last cases in court was that of Stephen Lanciscus, indicted for the killing of Ebenezer Hollis. Lanciscus being the son of an old personal and political friend, Mr. Bright en-
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tered upon his defense with great earnestness and conducted it with all his old-time ability and energy. Lanciscus, however. was convicted and sentenced to the State prison for life, but through the influence of Mr. Bright and others he was after- ward pardoned.
Mr. Bright owned a railroad running from Columbus to Knightstown, and it being unprofitable he put it on the mar- ket for sale. It was purchased by the Jeffersonville Company, and thereby Mr. Bright became a large stockholder in that corporation. Previous to this sale John Brough, then president of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company, and after- ward Governor of Ohio, asked the Legislature to pass a certain law in the interest of his road, but Mr. Bright antagonized the measure and it was defeated. Mr. Brough publicly charged that Mr. Bright offered to champion the measure if the Madi- son Company would buy his road, and that his opposition to the legislation sought was caused by the company's refusal to do so. Mr. Bright denied the charge and asked Mr. Brough to retract it, and upon his refusal to do so challenged him to fight a duel. Mr. Brough published the cartel and his answer in a newspaper, and, Mr. Bright declining to fight on such a field. the matter ended. Early in February, 1865, Mr. Bright was stricken with paralysis at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York. and never afterward was able to walk. He left Madison in 1868 and removed to Indianapolis, where he remained until he died.
On the 24th of April, 1878, Mr. Bright celebrated his golden wedding, and it was as beautiful as it was touching to see him on that eventful day. As he sat in his chair with a bouquet pinned to the lapel of his coat, the wife of fifty years by his side. 'and all his children and grandchildren around him, he seemed like the patriarch of old, ready to say: "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation."
On the 19th of January, 1881, when seventy-eight years and three days old, Mr. Bright departed this life. His remains were taken to Crown Hill Cemetery and there interred.
Mr. Bright was a member of the Episcopal Church, and in his younger days was an active Freemason. His affliction in his
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latter years debarred him from the privilege of the lodge room. but he often attended church after he became an invalid.
Mr. Bright was an able and ingenious lawyer. He was well read in the books, and in practice was as good as the best. He was ever on the alert, and if an opponent had a weak place in his lines he pierced it. In speaking he sometimes hesitated or stammered, and frequently repeated his words; but if he was not an eloquent man he was a sensible and a plausible one. He ranked high at the bar as a business lawyer, standing at the very head of his profession in the State. He made a study of finance, and once prepared a lecture upon it, which, however, he never delivered. He loved social games, and was an adept in playing them. He was public-spirited, and liberal with his means in assisting such enterprises as were for the public good.
Mr. Bright was an ardent Democrat, and the best party ma- nipulator in his section of the State. He was not ambitious for office, and was never a candidate from choice. He lived in a Whig county, but, when a candidate, he was always elected. His party opponents knew his ability. and his power to serve them, and, therefore, many of them voted for him.
Mr. Bright was a born diplomatist. No one knows how much his brother Jesse was indebted to him for his successful political career. He was his brother's mentor and counselor. All his movements on the political chess-board were to check the king of his brother's antagonist. The following letters. written by him to a friend, and hitherto not published, will show his interest in his brother's fortune :
" BROOKELAND, NOV. 21. 1852.
" DEAR SIR-I received your late favor and mark its con- tents. I hope things will all come out right. I do not fear, if prudence and discretion mark our management. Jesse will not go into the Cabinet-at least I think so. In the first place, a position there will not be offered him : in the second place, I think that it would be inexpedient, under all circumstances, to accept it if it were offered. He can be of as much service to his friends and more to himself by remaining where he is. Judge Borden wants to be Recorder of the Land Office in place of Tenney, who was appointed from our State not long ago.
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How would he do? My notion is, it would be a very proper appointment.
"As to United States Senator we in the South must follow the lead of our Northern friends. If they want Pettit, then Pettit is the man ; if they prefer Dr. Fitch, then Fitch must be our candidate. We shall leave it to them to say whom they will have. If they can not agree among themselves (which will be most likely), and it devolves upon us in the South to make the selection, I say to you in confidence, I should not hesitate one moment about the choice. Pettit, with all his goodness, is too much identified with the Douglas faction to receive my cordial support. On the other hand, Fitch is a real gentleman-known to be right, and as true as steel. I hope to be out next week or the week after, and shall be pleased to see you.
" Ever your friend, M. G. BRIGHT."
" MADISON, Jan. 31, 1853.
" DEAR SIR-I acted on your suggestion and visited Wash- ington. I returned last Friday, and one day this week I shall pay you a visit, for I have much that I wish to say to you.
" Who are to compose the Cabinet of General Pierce no one can tell. On this subject you know as much as I, and I knew as much before I left home as I learned by my trip. All is in the dark. Pierce, if indeed he has made up his own mind upon the subject, which it is believed he has not, keeps it en- tirely to himself. Cass and Hunter, and all those men, are as profoundly ignorant on the subject as we are ; at least they say so, and I do not doubt it. Fears are entertained by many of our friends that extreme men will be taken into the Cabinet whose appointment will create distrust, and produce dissatisfac- tion to the National Democracy. I fear such a thing, though I hope for the best.
" On the whole, I am gratified that I went. I found things much better than I feared they would be, and I am entirely easy in reference to the effect which any effort of Jo: W. and Bill B. can have upon my brother. He can laugh them to scorn. I shall try to be out this week ; if not early next.
" Truly your friend, M. G. BRIGHT."
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MICHAEL GRAHAM BRIGHT.
It will be seen by these letters that the interests of his brother Jesse were ever uppermost in his thoughts. He says nothing about his own affairs ; it is of those of his brother that he speaks. These two distinguished men were the most affectionate of brothers. When you struck one you hit the other. In many respects they were unlike. Michael was insinuating, diplo- matic, and conciliatory ; Jesse, magnetic, frank, and outspoken. They were both proud of their family, and both loved their father's children.
John Pettit and Graham N. Fitch were candidates for United States Senator before the Legislature of 1853. As will be seen from Mr. Bright's letter printed above, he favored the election of Dr. Fitch. 'He came to Indianapolis at the beginning of the session, and worked hard for his favorite. Mr. Pettit, however, was elected, and this result greatly chagrined Mr. Bright, for he felt it was a blow at his brother Jesse. The evening after the election he and Mr. Pettit met at the Palmer House, and warm words passed between them. Pettit told him that, hav- ing been elected to the Senate, he would have influence with the appointing power, and that he intended that he (Mr. Bright) should be sent as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Guano Islands. After this, Mr. Bright and Judge Pettit became friends and re- mained such while they lived. It will be remembered that Judge Pettit was nominated for Supreme Judge in 1870 by the Democratic State Convention. The evening after the conven- vention adjourned he called upon Mr. Bright at his home. They had a long conversation on old times, and when Judge Pettit arose to leave, Mr. Bright ordered his carriage for the purpose of having the Judge taken to his hotel. Judge Pettit declined the offer, saying he was too heavy and clumsy to get in and out of the carriage. He then walked up to Mr. Bright. and taking his hand, said : "Michael, God bless you. I am glad to see you looking so well, and I hope you will be dancing with the girls before spring. Good-by."
On the 24th of April, 1828, Mr. Bright married Betsy Brooke Steele, who survives him. Twelve children were born to them. six of whom are living. Among the dead is the lamented Mi- chael Steele Bright, who lost his life by trying to save the lives of others in the memorable conflagration of the steamers Uni-
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ted States and America, which burned on the Ohio river in De- cember, 1868. The children living are, Richard J. Bright. Ser- geant-at-Arms of the United States Senate ; Mrs. Rachel Hal- deman, Mrs. Martha Griffin, Mrs. Hannah Nichol. Mrs. Mary Korbly and William L. Bright.
Mr. Bright's eldest daughter married Dr. J. R. Haldeman. who, during the war, was a Confederate surgeon. Mrs. Hal- deman was taken sick while her husband was in the army, and was kindly nursed and cared for by the Sisters of Charity in Vicksburg. When she convalesced she passed the lines and came to her father's home. After the war had ended Mr. Bright made a trip to New Orleans, and finding the steamer upon which he traveled would stop awhile at Vicksburg resolved to personally thank the Sisters for their attention to his daugh- ter. When the boat landed at the Vicksburg wharf he was taken ashore in his chair and conducted to the Sisters' hospital. Reaching the hospital he called for the Superior, and on her appearance said : " My name is Bright. I am the father of Mrs. Haldeman, whom you so kindly treated during her sick- ness, and I could not pass your city without calling in person and thanking you for your goodness to my child." He was then taken to the steamer and proceeded on his way.
In person Mr. Bright was large and portly. He was quick in speech and in action. When animated his face and eyes were peculiarly expressive. His hair was a dark brown, his eyes hazel, his features good, and his whole appearance that of a well-bred gentleman. He was a good lawyer, an adept in finance, and a diplomatist of very decided ability.
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NICHOLAS MCCARTY.
INDIANA has had many men of more learning and greater natural talents than Nicholas McCarty, but she has had few who exercised a more healthful influence, and whose life-work re- dounded more to the public good. He was a pioneer of the State, and impressed himself deeply upon its morals and poli- tics.
Nicholas McCarty was a native Virginian, being born in that part of the Old Dominion now included in the boundaries of West Virginia. When but a child his father died, and he was thrown upon his own resources for a living. Not only this, but he had a mother to care and provide for, and he discharged this sacred duty with the same fidelity with which he ever exe- cuted his trusts. When a boy in his teens he left Pittsburgh. where he had gone soon after his father's death. and emigrated to Newark, Ohio. He soon obtained employment in a dry goods store, and such was his faithfulness and aptitude for business that in a short time his employer placed him at the head of a branch house in a neighboring town. This increased responsi- bility was met by increased industry and more strict attention to his duties, and the fidelity with which he served his employer laid the foundation for a friendship which lasted while they lived. Soon after this he went into business for himself, and met with reasonable success, but becoming infected with the emigration fever then pervading the country he sold his store and started towards the setting sun. When in the vicinity of In- dianapolis he became impressed with the fertility of the soil, and on reaching that town he stopped and pitched his tent. From that time (1823) until he died he was an inhabitant of Indiana's capital.
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The pathways of some men are easily traced. By the fur- rows they cut others follow them as readily as huntsmen follow the trail. Nicholas McCarty was such a man. From the time he settled in Indianapolis until he died he was a leader in everything that went to build up the city and conduce to the public weal. He was the first man to establish a large mercan- tile house in the town, and his manner of dealing was such as to draw to it a large and lucrative trade. After awhile he in- stituted branch houses in several towns throughout the State, and unquestionably he did more to create a correct code of mercantile ethics than any other man in Indiana. Although he had his vicissitudes, his ups and downs in trade, no one ever questioned his integrity or doubted his fair dealing. If he did not always do just as he agreed, he ever had a reason for the failure, and the one he gave was accepted without question.
Mr. McCarty was of a sanguine temperament, and engaged in several enterprises which were not successful, but the faith he had in the future of the city where he lived never forsook him. He bought large tracts of land in its immediate vicinity which have become exceedingly valuable, and his descendants are now reaping the benefit of his judgment and foresight.
As commissioner of the canal fund Mr. McCarty effected the first loan ever made to Indiana. His action in this matter was such as to commend him to those in authority, as well as to the people at large, and no man ever acquitted himself in a fidu- cial capacity with more conscientiousness and fidelity than he.
Mr. McCarty had a taste for politics, and it is a wonder he did not cultivate it more than he did. He was emphatically a man of the people, and had the faculty of endearing himself to all classes, but he preferred a private business to public em- ployment, and was seldom a candidate for office. He was a Whig and a leader of the party, and could have had almost any office in its gift for the asking. In 1847 he was the Whig can- didate for Congress in his district, and was beaten 298 votes by the late Judge Wick. Judge Wick's majority over his com- petitor two years before was 1,676, and William J. Brown's majority over his opponent in the same district two years after- wards was 1,497. Thus it will be seen that Mr. McCarty was over 1,200 votes stronger in the district than his party.
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In 1850 Mr. McCarty was nominated and elected to the State Senate. He was made chairman of the Senate's Committee on Corporations, and jealously guarded the interests of the people. The author remembers an incident which illustrates this fact. During Mr. McCarty's service in the Senate some gentlemen at Madison sent William McKee Dunn and Captain David White to Indianapolis to secure from the Legislature a charter for an insurance company. They wanted the charter to run ninety-nine years, and to be secure against legislative interfer- ence. But Mr. McCarty, while favoring a charter, insisted that the Legislature should reserve the right to alter or repeal it at will. Messrs. Dunn and White reported this fact to their clients, and were directed to get the charter through the Senate when Mr. McCarty was absent. This was done, and the char- ter secured without any provision for its alteration or repeal.
In 1852 the Whig State convention nominated Mr. McCarty for Governor. He did not desire the nomination, and strenu- ously opposed its being made. Marshall and Dunn and Thomp- son were spoken of, but none of them wanted the race. And, besides, it was believed that Mr. McCarty, on account of his bus- iness connections and large agricultural interests, was stronger than any other man. When the convention met it was apparent that he would be nominated if he would accept, but it was so generally understood that he would not stand that the conven- tion hesitated to make the nomination. Therefore, after ap- pointing a committee to see him and solicit his consent, it ad- journed until the following day. That evening the committee met Mr. McCarty for conference, and found him firmly fixed in his determination not to make the race. It labored with him long and earnestly, but he continued obdurate. At last George . G. Dunn, one of the most gifted Indianians of that or any other day, arose and, in the name of the Whigs of Indiana, demanded that Mr. McCarty cast behind him his personal wishes and ac- cept the standard his party wished to place in his hands. This touched him deeply, and asking until the next morning for con- sideration, he left the room. It was felt at once that Mr. Dunn's shot had hit the mark. 'Tis said, if a woman hesitates she is lost. and it may with equal truth be said that the man who hes- itated when George G. Dunn urged him in another direction
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was also lost. So next morning the committee notified the convention that Mr. McCarty would make the race, and he was nominated by acclamation.
After this the convention was addressed by several distin- guished speakers, among them James T. Suitt and George G. Dunn, who were particularly severe upon Governor Wright. At last the nominee for Governor appeared and took the stand. He looked troubled and careworn, and seemed as one offering himself as a sacrifice. He thanked the convention for the honor it had conferred upon him ; said that, being a candidate, he wished to be elected, and would do all he honorably could to succeed ; that his competitor was able and honorable and had made a good Governor, and he hoped his friends would not be- little his opponent nor traduce his character. The convention had been wrought to a high state of excitement by the previous speakers, and these words. for the moment. fell on stony ground. But the appearance and manner of the speaker, his frankness. his earnestness and his simplicity, soon touched the hearts of his auditors, and they cheered him to the echo. They saw they had nominated a good and an honest man, and one whom it would be an honor to follow. That the sentiments he avowed were from his heart, his subsequent actions abundantly proved. He and Governor Wright made the canvass with the utmost good feeling. They went from place to place together. often riding in the same carriage, and nearly always stopping at the same hotel. They had no petty bickerings nor angry words, their intercourse being more like that of members of the same family than of leaders of hostile parties. On the stump there was great difference between them. Governor Wright was educated : Mr. McCarty was not. Governor Wright was a good talker and a good reasoner : Mr. McCarty was also a good talker, but not a . good reasoner. He dealt in repartee and in anecdotes, and was peculiarly happy in his application of the latter. At their meet- ing at Madison, Governor Wright led off in a long speech. in which he claimed credit for developing the agricultural resour- ces of Indiana and for the State's improved financial condition. ยท
When he had concluded Mr. McCarty took the stand, and ad- dressing himself to the audience, said : "If my friend Governor Wright's foresights were as good as his hindsights, what a won-
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derful man he'd be." The crowd laughed and cheered him. and although he was no match for the Governor as a debater, he excelled him in wit and anecdote, and made a deeper impres- sion on his hearers.
Eighteen hundred and fifty-two was a bad year for Whig can- didates, and Mr. McCarty went down with the tide, being beaten 20,031 votes. Having resigned his seat in the Senate when he accepted the gubernatorial nomination, he was now a private citizen. and he remained one while he lived.
Mr. McCarty was a good story-teller, and was fond of jokes. His was a sunny disposition, and when he visited friends of evenings the young folks always remained at home. There are men with gray beards now living who are wont to tell of the many funny things said and done by the old pioneer in the long, long ago. The sunshine he brought to the homes of his friends still lingers on the door-steps, and lights the way of those who traverse the halls of their fathers.
Mr. McCarty loved practical jokes, and often indulged in them. He was a believer in the integrity of men and a disbe- liever in the doctrine that every man had his price. In the early history of the State he sometimes went South to purchase tobacco and other Southern products. On one of these occa- sions he took with him a large amount of the bills of the bank of the State of Indiana. The bills were brand new, never hav- ing been used. On his passage up the Cumberland river on a steamer he made the acquaintance of a Kentucky farmer who was also on his way to Tennessee. Mr. McCarty found out that the Kentuckian was a Baptist, and being a half-way one himself, the two soon became intimate and treated each other as old friends. He had often heard the assertion that every one had his price, and he thought he had a good opportunity of testing the truth of the saying. So one day he whispered to his friend in a mysterious way that he wished to see him privately, and led the way to his state-room. Entering it with his companion, he drew the curtain over the window, bolted the door, and opened his carpet-bag. Taking from it a large roll of bank bills, and looking under the berths to see that no one was present, he spread the money on his bed and said : "There, Mr. Smith, is as good money as though it had been issued by a bank. It will
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