Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-04-19
4 Few Words With yIr. Hen.
dricks

/ baos Auceuhy c'cuiuS lnoihns n
Hendricks made q speech in the town
Of Lswrenceburgh. in which he at
tempted three things: lst. To clear
himself of the charge of malversation
in his office as Land Commissioner;
I'd. To prove that the prosperity OF
Indiana has resulted entirely from
Democratic policy; AMI Sd, To show
that the Republicans had accomplish
ed very little but evil in the regulation
of national policy. Though by no
means a strong speech, it exhibits a
good deal of adroitness in bringing to-
gether its charges against the Repub-
licans. and avoiding all allusion to the
counter charges against the Democra-
cy. In fact its ability may be very
Justly stated as an unusual agility in
lodging. It's treatment of the points
presented is very unfair. but its tone
is free. in a great degree. from the
scurrility that generally marks Demo-
cratic assaults on Republicans, both in
Congress and on the stump. He talks
like gentleman, but very unscru-
pulous gentleman. We should like
very much to follow every step in his
speech, and show him that there are
some things in the history Of party
collisions in this State that he dent
know. but We have not space in O
single article to reply to an hours ar,
gument. We shall therefore only al
lude to the more prominent topics pre-
sented under the three divisions we
have noticed.
1st. Mr.. Hendricks's reply to the
charges brought against him by Judge
Birch of Missouri, is direct, clear, and
so far as now appears. satisfactory
OF course he may have treated thi:
point as he did those affecting the Re-
publicans. and suppressed matsria
facts, but taking the case as he pre-
sents it, we see no cause to believe thai
he was guilty of any dishonest or even
censurable conduct.
%. The attempt to connect the pros
perity ofthis State with the predomin
ance of the Democracy. is little to,
much like a school boys argument il
debating club for statesman discuss
ing important questions before tn
men who are to decide them. 1t re
minds one very much Of the way boy
undertake to prove that "love is ,
stronger passion than anger" Mr.
Hendricks may not really know tina
the collection and disbursement of I
81 ,000, 900 year by State Govern
ment. can not IL any sensible degre'
affect the general current of busines.
counting up hundreds of millions. anC
he may not fully understand that, il
a government like ours, prosperity i
the result of unincumbered individua
effort, and not the result of admins
trativc wisdom at the Capital. Bu
the people know exceedingly we'll tha
it Indiana has been prosperous it ha
been because her farmers were indus
,rioas. her mechanics skillful, her mer
chants ju6iciouS. and not because an,
one party had the power in the Stat,
administration. We commend to Mr.
HIS consideration the first child
book on political economy tha; he ma,
come across. with the suggestion tha
he must get rid of the notion engen
dered by long continuance in office
that government is the "be all and en-,
all" of national existence.
Dismissing this pucrile argument
let us look at the next point presente,
in his discussion of State policy. Their
is but one. and that is the failure O
the revenue and appropriation bills il
1857. This. he says. was the result o
the action or inaction OF the Republi
can Senate. Will Mr.. II. allow MS I,
: tell him thing or two that he evi
IDENTIFY don't know? The failure O
these bills was one of the steps in
Democratic scheme TO secure two Z
E S. Senators at all hazards and by an,
means. The story is not long one
, and we will tell il. When the Lepis
lature met in January, 1857, it wa
evident that the vacan. Senatorsbip
would be the great point of contest
The Democrats had majority in tn
House, and the Republicans an,
Americans were in the majority in tn
: Senate by just the American vote
Messrs. Sage and Crane. There wer
five contested seats in the Senate. thre
of them certified to Republicans. Il
order to get the first possession O
these seats. and thus have clear tenn
porary majority in the Senate, b,
which an election of u. s. Senator
! could have been made. the Democrat
boasted that Lieut. Gov. Hammond ha
agreed not to recognize the Republi
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