The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-22
CURTIS ON HENDRIcKs.
Shameless Hypocrisy of the "8eforinn Cry
with Such Man on the Ticket

Shameless Hypocrisy of the "Ieforln" Cry
with Sucha Man the Ticket.
Harper's Weekly OF September 2, 1876.
As the letter of Mr.. Tilden in its effort to
please the repudiating element Of his party
shows how powerful he believes it to be, it is
worth while to see what kind Of public man
his associate, the representative of that senti-
ment is, since, in case of Democratic success,
the government might fall into his hands Mr.
Hendricks has made no distinctly favorable i'm
preston whatever upon the country, although he
has been Governor and senator, and long en-
gagged in public affairs. Trained, like Mr.. Til
den, in the school of pro-slayery politicians, he
was the inconsderate ally of the aggres ssions of
slavery and the debauchery of the national
mind and conscience. He was faithful sup
porter Of the degrading Democratic effort to
stife freedom in Kansas and 10 dishonor the
national name.
During the war he was copperhead Gov
ernor Morton, in his heroic contest with the
rebel Legislature of Indiana, had no support
from Mr. Hendricks, who was elected by that
Legislature to the Senate of the United States
He left his church when his minister preached
loyal sermon, exhorting his people to sustain
their government And early in the war he
said in a speech
'If the war being prosecuted shall have the
effect of abollshlng our market IN the South by
destroying the peculiar system Of labor in that
section, then would advise the Northwest to
look out for itself.H
1t was just at the time that Mr. Tilden was en-
gagged in publishing tracts to discredit and de-
nounce Mr. Lincolns conduct of the war Mr.
Hendricks zealously aided this work by address
ing meetings. the calls of which summoned ''all
who are in favor of peace, all who desire to be
free from the death grip of this wicked tyran-
nical and imbecile administra tion its arbitrary
and Illegal arrests, and its drafts and conscrip-
tion laws, by which peaceable citizens are
dragged from their homes and all the endcar-
rnents of domestic life, to butcher and be butch
cred, to come out and hear this advocate of peace
and reunion And in this vein he spoke. In
FcbTuary, 1868, at such meeting he denounced
Mrs Liaeoln for making an Abolition war. 1t
was the anti-savery men who were guilty:
sf Congress would take a bundle of switches,
and switch them all out of the White House, it
done it will not be we'll. You may hear the
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 resurfected." y"
Colored regiments had been authorized and he
exclaimed;
.sThe crcwning act Of injustice has bcen com
pleted They have passed a bill in the House of
representatives 10 arm an army OF negroes.
Every man who voted for that bill, and
the President when he shall have signed it, will
have offered direct insult to every white man
and woman in the United States-an insult
that every proud man will rescntn
Naturally the audience responded Kill the
niggersm and Mr.. Hendricks would be. of course,
a jealous guardian of the equal rights of both
races! He advised his hearers, if anybody came
into their neighborhood without law to arrest
deserters to Aattend to that gentleman at once;
and the response was, 'sWe1l attend to them, old
fellow" he did not advise enlisting, for he said
what he did not mean to do himself And he
continued:
II am ready to compromise at any time l
am ready to say to the people of the South,
Come III again and we will secure to you your
constitutional rights, and If you desire them,
additional guarantees If there is any man
who desires to continue lighting and spending
the peoples money and lives, do not sympa-
thize with him. Congress will not meet until
next December. and until that time the govern