Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1879 — GOV. HENDRICKS. [ARTICLE]

GOV. HENDRICKS.

Synopsis of His Indianapolis Speech. Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks recently delivered -a speech of an hour and a quarter in length, at Washington Hall, Indianapolis. After a few preliminary remarks, he referred to the Bepublican victories of this year. Begarding Maine, he said that Grant carried it by 30,000, but this year the Bepublican s were less than the Democrats and Nationals. In California the party lines were broken down by the Chinese question, and Ohio, which was a Bepublican State, had simply gone Bepublican. The Bepublicans were elated over the latter, because without carrying it they could not look for any national success whatever. “ Will you Democrats,’ he said, “who never faltered or never feared for the future be discouraged? Seven years ago I was the only Governor elected in any Northern State. This State went Bepublican in 1864 by 27,000 majority. We have reduced the majority again and again, until now, with whatever hesitation I may speak of other States, I understand the State of Indiana and have no fears.” Gov. Hendricks charged that the Bepublicans had an organization called the Emigration Society in Washington city, which had for one of its purposes the importing of colored voters into this city, and dwelt upon the cheapening of the labor of the State by this process. In regard to State sovereignty, he said: We Democrats stand by the Union with all the powers that the constitution delegates; by tlio States withjall the rights that the constitututioa reserves to them. You all know that during the progress of the war at every political meeting you heard the appeal made to the citizens to volunteer to preserve the be st Government in the world—that Government which received the sanction and blessing of the great men that established it. Madison and Mouroo; and such mighty men Ss Jackson; and in the war, wherever a national gun was fired, its moaning was that the Government was to be preserved, witli all the rights of the States delegated to them by the constitution. Eeferring to the Grant boom, Gov. Hendricks said: I don’t want a man on horseback to represent the ins itutions of our country. They want to reverso the idea teat our institutions rest upon ike consent of the people, aud establish in its stead the idea of physical force. If there is a dispute among us, how shall we dfcoide it? Shall we invoke the sword and bayonot to decide, or shall we, according to the civil idea, bring our controversy into court and have it settled there? Is it not strange that this Republican party, that claims it is so sure of victory in the future, has now appealed to this idea for success? They tell us they aro going to nominate Grant. Of that I have no doubt. To succeed they ha vo to tread underfoot the traditions of all generations since Washington loft the Presidential chair. The Republicans are very mad about tbo Brigadiers in Congress. They are not mad because Hayes has a B igadier in his Cabinet, or that there are five Bi igadiers in the United States courts, administering the laws pf the country. The Brigadiers in Congress have abolished the test oath, restored the silver dollar to its place in the currency of the country, have stopped the enormous payments to fraudulent loyalty and of fraudulent claims, and reduced the expenditures $30,(00,000 a year, and have made the issue that elections must not bo controlled by troops. What havo the Brigadiers done that any man can find fault with? In referring to Hayes’ veto of the Supervisors bill Gov. Hendricks said that a man who got into office the way Hayes did ought to wear his official robes modestly, and ought not to veto a bill involving no constitutional question. One Congress ought certainly to havo the right to repeal a law passed by another. In conclusion Gov. Hendricks said: After all, the only place where the American citizen expresses his acts, his opinions, and his power is at the ballot-box, and that little ballot that he drops in there is the written sentiment of the times, and is the power that he has as a citizen of this great republic. It must not bo interfered with. It must be preserved. I think you will preserve it. It is not always that Hayes will do vetoing things—at least wo have got a subject for effort. We have got something to work for. We havo got tho freedom of the ballot, the freedom of legislation, and the maintenance of the institutions of our country as our fathers framed them, and as modified by the amendments to tho constitution, to assert, defend and preserve; and I am proud to know that, in 1370, the great army that rallied around that banner representative of American liberty was more than 4,000,000 strong. The greatest army that was ever organized on earth was the army of American freemen that voted for Tilden and Hendricks. It was 230,000 majority over all, white and black, votes of this couutiy. It was more than a million of a majority, and more majority than was ever given in the history of the United States, that was ever given for the candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. You, my fellowcitizens, that know my sentiments almost as though you could read with a glass—you men know that I did not want to become a candidate for the Vice Preridency of the United States, but when the word came over the wires that there were 4,000,000 men voted for me for the second office in the Government, for that compliment—for no man conld be more highly honored—l felt honored; but if I had not received the votes of the people, and oould have slipped in some other way, as the scriptures explain it, not going in at the straight gate, but had climbed up over the wall, and round about—in that way had I sneaked into the office—then indeed would 1 expect no man to honor me, for I ould not honor myself. That is the condition of the two gentlemen that got in there. There may be demonstrations apon the streets, and there ma.y ho shouts and Hurrahs as they pa e by, but history wiß write this story, and what she writes will never, never be obliterate 1. It goes to history, and down along all generations of men that one President and one Vice President came in without election, and it is the last time that story is to be written in the history of America.