Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-08-16
Hendricks Great War Speech AT
ShoibyviIie, Ind, Feb. s, 1868.


In the winter of 1862 63, Mr.. Hen
bricks was elected United States Sen
ator from Indiana. The event was
deemed of sufficient Importance by n
nest of antiquated Butternnts who
inhabited the southern portion of the
state to merit small celebration. The
gathering took place according to
arrangement, at Shelbyville, ON the
9th of February, 1868. Although os-
tensibly an ovation to q single man,
il was in reality bid of defiance to
the General Government ut one Of the
most critical periods of the war. The
Lincoln-haters We're present in great
numbers, and whooped and yelled
their JEFF Davis sentiments through
the streets with impaticnce until the
hero of the occasion appeared with
his speech. The preliminaries had
been so quietly arranged that Mr..
Hendricks fondly hoped that he might
meet the eXigencies of the hour with
out exposure to the world; but by
one of those strange condolences that
newspaper managers sometimes pro-
vide for, a Gazette reporter was pres
ent, and took n verbatim report of
the speech. After getting of the
stereotyped charge of peace-demo-
crats, at that time, that the North had
provoked the war, the orator began
to warm up his Copperhead audience
with sentiments like these
! say unto you, gentlemen, if the
President of the United States, in the
language of the Crittenden resolu-
tions, had held up the banner of this
country for the Constitution and a
restored Union, that all the states
shall remain under the Constitution,
with every right secured an unim-
paired, there would not have been a
dissenting voice in the North. But
the President cannot change the pur-
pose ofthe war, as originally declared.
and make Ii am Abolition war, and
then hold the people of the North a
unit.
We have some dissensions, in the
North; we have some men who are
not true TO theircountry. They are the
men who say that the Constitution of
Washington sis a covenant with hell
and league with DEATH" They are
the foes of their country and their
country's good" The disasters that
are upon as now are owing TO the in
fluence OF these men with the Presi-
dent of the United States. If Con-
gress would take bundle of switches
and switch them all ont of the White
House, it would be well for the peo-
pie but until that is done, it will not
be well. Hou may hear prayers in
our churches; your sons may go out
to the battlefield, but our country is
not to be restored as it was until
Abolitionism is buried, never to be
resurrected. lCheers.
Gentlemen, what is the effect upon
You at home when you see the pur-
pose of this war changed from con-
test for the Union and Constitution
to a contest to free the negroes !? What
is the effect upon your manly pride
What is the effect upon the army in
the field l think can comprehend
something Of the honor, something of
the pride the soldier feels as he stands
upon the field, and the missiles OF
death are flying around him. In the
midst of that trying scene, testing all
the high qualities of a soldier, when
he. looks up to that flag, and thinks it
is the emblem of the United States
under the Constitution, when he is
fighting the battles of that flag, he
feels that he is fighting glorions
war, and he can do his duty faithful
ly. But when the proclamation OF
January /, 1854, Is issued, and lie is
told that he shall make il his business
to fight to make negroes free, where
has the pride of the soldier gone .
Can he fight such battle as that ? lie
cannot do II,
Mr., Hendricks next relieved his
mind on the Negro Enlistment bill
(he had not yet discovered the pres
ence of the reporter). lie said;
The browning act of Injustice has
been completed. They have passed Il
bill In the Honse Of Representatives
to arm an army Of negroes. One hun
dred aud fifty thousand negroes Let
me tell You, gentlemen, that every
democrat in that House voted against
the bill, aud every Republican voted
lfor II, with three exceptions; and if