New-York tribune., 1876-10-17
HEyDRICKS ON THE "BLUE j."


Not that Hendricks is OrnithOogist Not
that "Blue ..r is n bird, unless, indeed, con-
sidering his gratifying rarity, he may be
regarded as a phoenix. But Hendricks on
"Blue .J.n (or Jeans) is speech which h.
made about B. j. when the fierce Democracy
of Indianapolis gave the Governor IN eSSe
serenade in honor of the Governor an posse
OF this speech it may be said that IFS eulO-
CYSTIC tone, maintained under great dl1lcultles,
sufficiently refutes the old notion that Kings
and Governors do not love their successors
The only objection to it is that the eul0gy
takes rather too much the tone OF apology.
For when Gov Hendricks says that the vlrtuOus
Williams "has not had the advantages that
"some other of the public men of the State
Z" of Indiana have enjoyed" we are inevitably
led To the conclusion that Williams is shaky IN
his Lndley Murray and not over and above
ND in his Noah Webster. 1t is cheering to
observe the great Hendricks patting the little
Williams on the back in this encouraging
manner. These are amenities calculated
to temper the ferocities Of Indiana poll
ties. Only amiability may be carried
little too far. AS for instance: 81 be-
"lieve," said Gov. Hendricks, that MIR.
civilians for twenty years has been identi-
L" fled with the legislation of this State, and
"during those twenty years he has said much,
&" voted often, introduced many bills, and not
can objection has been made during heated
"partisan contest to any word he has uttered,
"t0 any vote he has given, or to any bill he
"has introduced" Here is paragon for you
What does Gov. Hendricks mean by saying
that Mr. Williams "has not had advantages T.
Of what other public man, in Indiana or out
of it, can it be said that for fifth OF cen
tITy he was in active public, we may say par
tisan life, and during all that time never SAID
anything to which anybody objected, never
did ANYTHING with which the least fault could be
found, and never introduced bill which was
not entirely above criticism Well may the
Governor call Blue j. "a chieftain." In fact,
when he merely calls him "an honest man"
we feel that the words are poor and in
ADEQUATE. Honest men in ordinary
clothing, and not given to bringing
in bills to which nobody objects, and to
giving votes which everybody prOnOunces adj
miIable, are plenty enough in this world; but
when we find "an honest man" who pleased
even the dishonest and against whom neither
the good nor the bad say word, we say with
Hamlet, d" Art thou there, truepennyV There
are those who might doubt the force, there are
others who might suspect the efficiency, there
are even others who might question the hon
csty of such man, unless indeed he was
"a rcformcr" and wore blue jeans, which
might possibly make a difference. There are
others who might hint that such ga reformer'
would be likely to pOthcr about pence and
maundcr about mills, and object to such an
extravaganza as cold tea, and show himself to
be a sort of political PhariSee But they ought
to be ashamed, after nobody has found fault
with the excellent Williams for twenty years,
to be the first to begin the small and queru-
lous business. We say frankly that
such a black swan of statesman should
have been elected unanimously; and we
are sorely puzzled to understand how anybody
in Indiana had the heart to vote against
him. There was a perfect old gentle
man once in Greece, but his fellowcirizens
grew tired of hearing him forever called The
Just. and so they OsraciSed him. which is a
polite way of saving that they kicked him out
of Athens. We hope that the pure and most
economical Williams may not be sent spinning
ont of Indiana in the same way; but 1t may
happcn to him, unless Gov. Hendricks stops
making him out to be a creature too dainty
for Indiana's daily food. man may be re-
garled as altogether too lovely, and of re-
port quite too good, especially when Gov.
Hendricks is the reporter.