nt; and yet you say it is your
belief that if General Morgan should invade the state, not a hand would be
raised to help him. I cannot understand it."

"I will try to make myself plain," said Calhoun. "The Democratic party is
sick and tired of the war, and want it stopped. They believe we can never
be whipped, and in that they are right. But they love the Union, revere
the old flag. They indulge the vain hope that if the war were stopped, the
Union might be restored. We know how foolish that hope is. I speak of the
rank and file. Many of their leaders are notoriously disloyal, but they
deceive the people with fine words. They make the party believe that if
the Republican party were only defeated, things would be as they were.

"As to the Knights of the Golden Circle, the great mass who join it are
told it is only a secret political society. They scarcely comprehend its
oaths; they are kept in ignorance of the real motives of the order. These
Knights hate the party in power with a bitter hatred. They are friendly to
the South, believe we are right; but mark my word, they will not fight for
us. They are armed, but their idea is to resist the draft. Go among them
to-day, and not one in a thousand would enlist to fight in the Southern
army. Fighting is the last thing they want to do for either side. For
these reasons I conclude that if General Morgan invaded Indiana he would
receive no direct aid from the Knights of the Golden Circle. I confess
these conclusions are entirely different from what the leaders told me.

"As for the leaders, they are heart and soul with us. They want us to
succeed. If they dared they would rise in revolt to-morrow. They are doing
all they can, without open resort to arms, to have us succeed. But they
are a band of conspirators. They want us to succeed, because they want
utterly to destroy the Federal Union. They want to break loose and form a
Northwest Confederacy. They dare not tell their followers this, but it is
what they are working for."

When Calhoun had stated his opinion, both Breckinridge and Morgan asked
him many questions. He was then dismissed. Unknown to Calhoun there were
three or four other Southern officers present, who had also been in the
North. They were called in, and questioned on the points raised by
Calhoun. Every one differed with him. They believed that if an opportunity
were presented the Knights would rise almost to a man at the call of their
leaders.

Breckinridge