The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-07-29

often applied to the Hon. Thomas
A. Hendricks, of Indiana, seems
more appropriate than ever after
his speech before the Democratic
Convention of Indiana. The ad
dress was carefully prepared, and
its every word and sentence closely
scrutinized. It was spliced in one
place and amputated in another
until it was considered, no doubt,
the most remarkable effort of the
kind ever produced. And taken
as . whole, it is an astonishing
production. In the concrete it
thunders like Jove. In the alb
stract it COOS like sucking dove.
He starts straight at q proposition
as if he would knock the vitals out
of it at bounce; but just before
he hits it, his boulder turns to
bunch of down, and he carresses
what he threatened to destroy.
But in his effort to slip through
the narrows and slide over the
sand bars of politics, Mr.. Hen
bricks is not altogether successful.
He does well; he does better than
most men could do; but his lubri-
Gated breeches catch on a jutttng
point here and there, and, not to
put too fine a point on it, they are
rent.
One of the chief questions enter
ing into the local canvass in Indi-
ana is temperance. At the last
session of the Legislature a law was
passed known as the Baxter law,
which, during the late exitement,
has been rigidly enforced, and has
consequently grown to be very un-
popular with certain class of the
people. Probably any other law
restricting the sale of intoxicating
drinks, closing the saloons at an
early hour of the night, and making
the saloon keeper responsible for
damages occurring through an i'm
proper sale of liquor, would be just
as unpopular and just as oppressive
as the Baxter law; but such law
has not been tried, or at least has
not been enforced; and so the
Democratic convention, afraid al
belt to come out boldly against any
rigid regulation, determined to
court favor with the anti-temper-
ance element by denouncing the
Baxter bill, and to molly the tenn
perance people by insisting that
they were effective. To Mr.. Hen
bricks was given the task, as is
asserted, at his own request, OF
introducing this proposition and
clearing his own records, which
was not exactly satisfactory to the
anti temperance element Mr.
Hendricks as Governor approved
the Baxter bill. Finding that il
had become unpopular with his
party, he proposed to make things
all lovely and harmonious by tell
ing how he came to do this. To
the initiated, this explanation is Q
curious one. He says, in brief
that having examined the bill and
found it constitutional the plat
form, by the way, says its constitu
tionality is doubtful he considered
it his duty to approve what had
been passed, after due deliberation
by the peoples representatives
In other words, he had mo policy
to enforce against the will of thu
people" He does not say, il
words that he was personally op
posed to the bill, but he creates
that impression. The facts are
that Governor Hendricks was tn,
recognized friend and, so far as hi
official position would admit, tn
advocate of the Baxter bill. H
wrote to numerous parties in vari
GUS parts of the State, which wer
universally understood to expess
desire that the bill might become
law. His smooth assumption now
therefore, that he did not approx
of the law is as cool and impuden
piece of acting as we have me
for many day. It was in slidin
over this rock that the first rent i
his garments was made.
The financial question was al
other troublesome obstruction. o
this subject the willy Governo
reminds us of species Of steal
vessels called "double enders.
They move forward or backwar
with equal facility. With a flu
head of steam on, Hendricks struc
for greenbacks. Interpreted h
the platform, he struck for the1
: more completely, and lavishly tina
any other prominent public mai
: But just before he reached I'll
|, grand shoal he stopped, and bega
: moving the other way fully 1
rapidly. He sailed over and wave
, his banner to the expansionists
the West, but, without stoppin,
moved swiftly to the bullionists
( the East, and fred big gun to l.
: them see that his flag of spec
|; payments was flying at the mai
: Having done this, he went mea
a dering about until he anchore
r finally with one end of his boat in
2 limitless sea of greenbrcks, viii
! the other was grinding on the rec
:. of specie resumption.
r MIR. Hendricks made anoth
failure when he tried to get ov
the charge that he had admitted
1872 that the Democratic par
was dead. Going into the ranks
!. the Liberal Republicans, and el