Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-07-28
From the New York Independent.
Thomas 4. Hendricks.
GLANCE AT HIS RECORD.

Thomas 4. Hendricks.
A GLANCE AT HIS RECORD.
The nomination Of Mr.. Hendricks by
the Democratic party as its candidate for
Nice-President. furnishes good illus
tration of the fitness of things. The
party Just fits tine candidate, and the
candidate as well fits the party. There
would lave been no incongruity in placing
him at the head of the ticket; and this
would most likely have been done if he had
not been Outgeneraled bv Gov. Tilden. Owing
10 the manner in which our Presidential
elections are conducted, the ticket Is unit
and both candidates must be voted for or
against at the same time Those who take
Tilden. must take Hendricks. 1t is TIlden
and Hendricks or neither and If the former
should happen to be elected, and should die
during his term of service, or should for
any reason vacate the office, then it would
be Hendricks fer President.
1t may be well, therefore, to inquire who
this Mr.. Thomas A. Hendricks is; and for
this purpose we do not propose to go back
of 1862. when he was elected to the Senate
of the United States by the Legislature of
Indiana. He took his seat in the Senate on
the 4th of March, 1868, and retained it till
March, 1869 lie was consequently mem
Der of the Senate during part of the war
and nearly the whole of the reconstruction
period. His general attitude during the
war was one of persistent opposition to the
measures Of the Government for its prosecu-
| ton, and also to the reconstruction meas
ures of Congress after the close of the war.
| In this respect be was ." Copperhead OF
the worst type, not being a whit better than
Nallandlgham In June, 1864, Congress
passed the bill for the repeal of the FHgi-
| tive Slave Law. and Mr.. Hendricks earnestly
| spoke against it and then managed to dodge
when the final vote was taken.
In the month of February, 1865, Congress
adopted the concurrent resolution proposing
| the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing
slavery throughout the United States : and
| Mr. Thomas \. Hendricks recorded his vote
in the negative at the time, and in the mega
tive in all the preceding votes of the Senate
on the subject In June, 1866, the Fourteenth
Amendment was proposed, and Mr.. Hen
bricks, true to his antecedents, opposed it
and voted against it. In February 1869 Con-
gress proposed the Fifteenth Amendment,
and we find Mr. Hendricks among those
who voted against il. His record during the
whole period Of his Senatorial career shows
not only that he had no sympathy with
the Government in its doath-struggle with
the Rebellion, but also that lie was opposed
to the constitutional abolition Of slavery, to
the granting Of civil rights 10 the colored
man and to his eniranchisement, as was pro-
posed in the Fifteenth Amendment.
In February, 1866, Congress passed the
first Civil Rights bill for the parpose Of Sc
curing to the Negro the rights guaranteed
hv the Thirteenth Amendment, bill whose
cJnstiiutionality l. uuqucstioned, and Mr..
Hendricks, true % his Democratic instincts,
voted against it. President johnson vetoed
the bill and when the question came be-
fore the Senate whether It would be passed
over the Presidents veto, Mr.. Hendricks re-
peated his adverse vote.
4 bill passed by Congress amending the
charter Of city railroad at Washington, so
as TO forbid the company to exclude persons
from the cars On account of race or color, was
confronted By the strong opposition Of Mr..
Hendricks lie denounced the bill and voted
against it
Take. then, Mr. Hendricks in relation to
the Rebellion, in relation TO reconstruction,
and IN relation 10 equal rights. a. shown by
these antecedents, and we do him no iniuS-
tee IN saying 'Lat ne was Oollefhead
during me war ana may WhAe Inc uoSern-
ment' after Inc e,o'e OIL me "ar' was seeking
permanently 10 destroy slavery and secure to
all the people equality Of civil and political
rights he IeIsi,tcrtly opposed every measure
boxing to this end such i his record during
the most critical uerl0d Of our couptrv'-
history anJ' moreover, the iacts are not 30
ior back IN time d 10 he iIreieVent 10 the
present. Inc record makes MN eminenuy
suitable candidate to represent the Depo-
cratic party lie represented 1t when
Tie lae'> were trlnNpifins anu lie rep
res MS IL now W -etAeG he i silulIe
candidate ioT l-e Ieole Z, elect i q1lie
another question. We Elli mat no man
WHO Wa false 10 fills country during the war
ana whose c3nll1' proves MN 10 Ne t.e en-
envy % equal Ii-uiS ought 20 ne 'rnstel WIN
me power ana duties Oh me ' iee-i fesIien-
ey- o1e- u i'-4i recon- ~ 'iat oi M
lenir-'A, ought 10 'ecu'e ms feleciln.
A. o. '-e currency question 'He lAA4e>'
l"-nS '"al can DC '4'4 o' nun Is 'Hat he Is
t"o-'4eel trimmer. Inst al he wa snap
in- H. course u WIZ the lrILe winch Tower
nor Illlcn' a more aftiIl Actician, mas
siA'lAeI ron his grasp Ihere is no Gouot
iiA' He AaI h1lA'h4te4 himself Tor the fres- |
,-ehey' ana was on-g waiting To have the |
Democratic party rainy the nomination.
Inc party however mas concluded to give |
MN tAe second ana not inc hFst ace on me /
litAtl- hoping 70 "ih Inc INST pace ne /
Iayed ia~' year on Tie ONO election Nhui-
ling ana 'reacAerllS game on the currency |
question. ne diI wat ne could 10 eject /
Alien an 'u'-anl-'ai lnlAiionl't' who has
Whatever mcrit there is IN beng honestly
hntncal tool.
Ny Ienlri Ks, on ine other hand, pro
IcSsed TO mold To the doctrine ihat god aud
silver are the real Siatlari OF value uniyer-
sal anu permanent ana al the same time
he gave the Whole weight OF hi- influence IN
llvor Of the theory OF the 'nhat.onistS. BE
ing bidder ior the Presidential nomination,
he had no principles which he would not
tlTDN To the dogs IN order TO MaIl MS end
iHt FoAcy ui tAc ~. LOUIS Convention IN
the vote OF the Western intlationists, cspe-
emily in Indiana and Ohio. Hendricks Is
their man. lie practically agrees with
then VIev dernar1 q r1raai ,f tho 70 !