The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-03

not allowed to remain idle during the
canvass. Against his earnest protest he
was again nominated for the goyernorship
The campaign was a bitter one, and almost
disastrous to the Democracy throughout
the country. The result in Indiana was
bad, but far better than in most other
localities. The Republicans carried the
legislature and elected all of their state
| ticket except the governor and SUI
perintendent of public instruction. The
majorities were very small but they were
enough. The personal popularity of lGov
ernor Hendricks carried him through.
As a man, courteous in social intercourse,
an influential member of an influential
church, clean and respectable in all his
walks and ways, he was fortunate in hay
ing for an opponent General Tom Browne,
man who had served creditably in the
war. but who had brought into civil life
the recklessness and dissipation which are
forgiven to the soldier, but make the
statesman distrusted. 1t was to Brownies
further disadvantage that the temperance
sentiment was at that time, as it has since
been, very strong in Indiana, and the first
stirring of that spirit which afterwards
broke out in the temperance crusade was
then felt. As the fanatics on this subject are
mostly Republicans, it was a severe trial
to their allegiance to be compelled to vote
| for a man whom, had he been Democrat,
| they would have described as a drunkard.
Browne hardly mended the matter by say
ing, in his speech before the convention
which nominated him, that if by eating
meat he had hitherto offended his brother,
| he would eat meat no more. Eating
meat became a cruel piece Of campaign
slang. With these circumstances in his
favor, Governor Hendricks won by ma
jority of l Jas. The result was not known
for three or four days, as the election pre-
cints in the state are very large, and when
| the ticket is long returns are delayed, even
where there is an honest effort to forward
them. Sometimes they are delayed for
fraudulent purposes At the Democratic
headquarters the politicians sat counting
up majorities and making estimates hour
after hour, and even the most experienced
arithmetic men were puzzled. Joe Bing-
ham, the editor of the Indianapolis Senti-
mel, was the only one who predicted the
actual result from the beginning, and
stuck to his opinion. During the long sus.
pense Mr.. Hendricks listened to an
anxious friends estimate, based on the
very latest returns, and throwing him out
by half q dozen votes, and said with a
laugh, wonder ii | am always to just
miss being governor of Indiana" The
fact that Republican lieutenant governor
would succeed him in case of a vacancy kept
Mr., Hendricks from any thought Of the
senatorship two years afterwards, and
chains him to his post until the end of his
term. In general terms it may be said OF
his administration that it has been able,
conscientious, high-mnded. He has aimed
fairly to do his duty, and his official con
duet cannot be criticised. His course or
| the liquor question has been most frequent.
| ly assalled, and the matter may be worthy
of few words Of explanation, as it is sale
that his action has alenated the German
vote. 1t is we'll TO receive with caution all
the stories that are told about the German
vote, east or west. Briefly, the facts are
these: The Republican legislature chosen
in the fall of 1872 passed the following
, winter what was called the Baxter bill
after the author Of it, an English Quaker
! and earnest temperance agitator, now
| settled in Indiana. The principle of the
7 measure is what is known elsewhere a
E local option, and the effect of it seems L
: be to give drinking communities an oppOr
/ tunity to get all the liquor they want, an,
D to prevent temperance communities from
e getting anything to drink. This bill Gov
). ernor Hendricks signed. He did so pro
5 tessedy in obedience to the will of tn
,. majority in the legislature and the will O
] the people. His approval was merely
J. matter OF form, as his veto could be over
D ridden by simple majority vote, Lii
5 own convictions were in favor of a rigi
e license system, and in the state conyentio
s Of 1874, at which he presided, he set fol
d ward the Democratic doctrine on that sui
q ject in a clear argument. Public opiniG
II had so far veered around in the NEAR
K while that the legislature chosen that yea
h repealed the Baxter bill during the follow
n ing winter, the senate, which was Repul
o ican, voting with the Democratic houst
e Thus Mr.. Hendricks course on the liquC
J. question may be summed up by sayin
Ie that he concurred IN popular temperate
Il legislation. which he could not proven
D and after fair test urged the substitute
n OF better system tor the Baxter LAY
le The whole legislative session OF 1875 was
~ struggle between the house and the seDa
a. fer partisan advantage and, the decisly
$. stroke by which the governor, who ha
he watched the contest impartially, stepped
1t in behalf Of the public good and put q
of end to the strife, was admirable. I'll
re session was limited by law and the RepuI
to llcan senate adopting the tactics which Il
ir senate at Washington is now pursuing, n
Is fused concurrence in the measures urge
lie by the house, and, although conferenC
&c committees had agreed upon all yit
G. questions, delayed action until after mic
D. night on the last day, hoping in tn
,e way to block the business OF the state
l. force the Democrats into long and el
t. pensive extra session, which would col
n demn the party in a granger community
The session closed on Saturday nigh
ID and the governor issued his procla
te nation on Monday reassemblin
le the legislature on Tuesday, withou
st giving the members a chance to sea-
ut ter. and politely suggesting that, althoug
le they had right to stay forty days,
r would be much healthier for them to d
l. their work and 90 home before the close
W the week. They gathered together lik
r, little lambs. The whole scheme of maxim
Is party capital, one way or other, wa
At abandoned. They took I'D their wor
IS where they had laid it down, finished i
,r and we're gone by Saturday, much to tn
IL qualification of all good citizens.
n- Since the action of the Cincinnati cor
At vention refusing toindorse the resumptio
le act. the financial issue will not be likely
ID play an important part in the campaign
ir but it may be well to give some facts
1t regard to Governor Hendricks's cour;
i during the great currency agitation of tn