The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-09-14

a nlgnI f2nda Gay, W1ehOut Sleep we could
not deprive ourse1f Of the pleasure 1t al
ways affords us to listen to speech from
our distinguished Senator, Hon. Thomas
A. Hendricks, and upon hearing that
he was to address the citizens at the Wash
ington House corner, last night, we repaired
thither. We found, upon arriving, a crowd
which we should consider, at a fair esti-
mate, of from $500 to 5000 people, assem-
bled in the street, and Mr. Hendricks al
ready speaking. Several of our Democratic.
friendsi hastened to INFORM us-and we
thank them for the kindness-that there
were 900 or 5000 people present. That it
was decidedly the largest crowd ever as
sembled in the city, and all that sort of
thing. But we always estimate those things
for ourself, and we are generally apt to be
above than below the figure, in counting
Democratic meetings, for we love to be
liberal, especially when it costs US nothing.
We should not have been disappointed
had the crowd been twice as large.
Mr.. Hendricks is by far the most elegant
orator and estimable gentleman person.
ally that the Democracy can claim within
the state. DE is a refined and accom-
pIished scholar never INDUCING in the
low vituperation, bi1lingsgate, and slang
that mark most OF the speakers of
that party, whether wool-dyed, as is Joe
Mcdonald, or recent converts, as d. w.
Voorhees, or VIII. c. Moreau. But Mr..
Hendricks is a specious and dangerous
sophist, well calculated to- mislead and
misinform a listening and miscellaneous
crowd; and we propose, when less wearied,
to point out many such points in his speech
of last night. fFf,E4 -vrf..krys .k..FF.EF
When we arrived on the balustrade of
the Washington House, Mr.. Hendricks
was discussing the Tariff question. using
the threadbare arguments that have been
used by the Democratic party for the last
thirty years, and with which everybody is
familiar; but these were interspersed with
an undercurrent designed especially to
prejudice the minds of the people of the
West against the Eastern and New Eng
LAND States, manifestly in furtherance of
his grand idea of 1852 of establishing a
great Northwestern Confederacy, with the
South as near allies, the East as tributa-
ries, and the New England States left out
in the cold; concluding with an adroit
effort, after depicting the ruinous tenden-
cies of high tariffs, to fix the odium of such
measures upon-the Union Republican
party. ses..rpSs-,,s q
From this theme, with great facility, the
distinguished speaker glided upon the
proposed Constitutional Amendments,
which he proposed to discuss and consider
by. the light of reason, and aside from
passion and prejudice. He argued that
this was an unsafe time to amend the
Constitution when, the passions of party
The old Constitution had been framed
when our forefathers had just passed
through a long and bloody war, to estab-
1ish free government, the very experiences,
the trials and sacrifices of which had
tended to cement their affections and har-
monize their views Now we had just
passed through a terrible sectional strife,
a'civii war the wounds of which are not
healed, and mems prejudices and passions
were aroused. gA e4rfs5 rfr.sv t@i
Mr.. Hendricks is too good a lawyer to
believe that the proposed Amendments
econfers the right of suffrage upon negroes,
and has too much self-respect and respect
for the opinions of others to assert that
it does, but by the most cunning sophis-
tries designed to leave the impression upon
the minds of his audience that such was
the purpose of the trainers of the Amend
ment. no - aaha nnaIi.r aala y7t
The other parts or sections of the amend
ments were treated in a like manner, and
the subject of the payment of the rebel
debt, and the saeredness of the Federal
debt, he used the same argument, if. not
the very argument used by Voorhees, and
| others, on the same propositions, while he
wholly ignored the question of the basis of
representation EEsaEShegB *g ss@a
In speaking of the Philadelphia Conven-
/ ton of southern Bnionists, and in his al
lusions to Gov. Morton Senator Lane,
Fred. Douglass, and Anna Dickinson, he
lowered himself, as we thought, beneath
the dignity of a. grave Senator of the Con-
gress of the United States.
B. He argued thatfit was unjust to disqualify
men from voting and holding office simply
because they had been guilty of treason and
had sought to destroy the life of the nation,
On the question: of taxing bank stock or
| United States bonds he was gushing, and
especially solicitous for the welfare and
enfranchiseinent of those who. have no
bonds, and pay taxes on nothing else.
He made a fervent and pious appeal to
cherish a. fongiying spirit and quoting
scripture with the fiuencys and about the
same accuracy, of anew fiedged student of
theology, forgetting that we were in no
place commanded, to forgive,s orto expect
forgiveness, except on the condition of re-
pentance.f - ID sac eanisIY "a.
A few OF his points, whenwe feel in the
mood of writing, we desire to notice here
after. Many points in the speech Were
really beautiful in oratory and dictlon. but
they fell on Ieaden ears, AMI failed to elicit
the slightest applause. They were evil
IDENTIFY not appreciated by claquers, who
failed to give the signal for applause; but
at every approach to riba1d jesting or buff
foonery he brought down the audience, or
at least few. The speech was short, but
certainly the most respectable we have
heard from that side OF the house this
! year. brai 4at .o rof t<
After Mr.. Hendricks had closed, the late