The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-12-03

| The successor of Vice President Hen
bricks will be a Republican, as that part
has majority in the Senate. Senate
George +. Edmunds was the last presiden
pro tenn, and can, if he desires, obtail
that post Of honor again. He is under
stood, however, to be opposed to accept
ing it, and there is a disposition to cleo
Senator John A. Logan to fill the position
Senator Logan having been the Republi
can candidate for the Vice Presidency. I
would be fitting tribute to elect him t.
the position, which he narrowly missed
getting by popular vote. Senator Logan
has a strong following. and there is bu
little doubt expressed as to his election
SKETCH OF ms lice.
Thomas Andrews Hendricks was born il
Muskingnm county, Ohio, near tile city O.
GAINESVILLE. Sept. 7, 1919. His father, Maj
| John Hendricks, with his family, left Ohio
the spring after Thomas was born. and set
tied at Madison. Ind. Maj. Hendricks re-
manned at Madison until 1922, when he re-
moved to Shelby county, thenvery sparsely
settled. and opened up q farm. 1t was To-
Gated near the center Of the county, an6
Shelbyyille, The county seat. was after
ward partly laid out upon it. It was here
that Hendricks. grew to manhood. After
the completion Of his education at Hano
yer College, one of the pioneer education
al constitutions Of the West, he studied
law, and i'll due time was admitted to the
bar.
Mr. Hendricks public life has been long
ard varied. In 1s4S he was elected to the
State Legislature from his county. In
1850 he was chosen delegate to the con
vention which made the present constitu-
tionsofzthe State, and was an active par
ticipator in the proceedings of that body
In 1851 .he.was elected to Congress, and in
1852 was. reelected to the same Office. In
1855 he was appointed commissioner Of the
general land office. and held the position
until he resigned it in, 1859. In 1862 he
was elected a Senator Of the United States
and served full term Of six years.
In 1872 he was elected Governor of In
diana, and served as such until January,
1877, when he was succeeded by Gov. Viii
liams, since which time he was private
citizen until his election in November
To show the estimation in which Mr..
Hendricks was held by the people of In
diana and his great personal popularity
it is proper to speak briefly Of his three
races forsgoyernor. In 1860 he ran against
Henry S. Lane, and was defeated by 8, 957
votes. The same year Mr.. Lincoln 50 ma
jority. in Indiana. over Judge Douglas was
%, 525. In 1868 Conrad Baker defeated
him by 1,l6l votes, The same year GEN
eral Grants majority over Gov. Hora-
ito Seymour in Indiana was 1915. In 1872
his majority over Gen. Thomas s. Browne
was. / las. The same. year. Gen. Grants
majority in the State over Mr.. Greeley
was q, 924 Gov. Hendrick IS was the only
man elected Oh his ticket that year, ex-
cepting Pref.s Hopkins, who was chosen
to a non-political Office.
In 1876 he was.a conspicuous candidate
for the Presidency. and had the wishes of
the Democracy been consulted. it is posi-
bic he would have beer. nominated. The
East, however, in this instance, proved
too strong for the West, and Mr.. Tilden
became the. choice of the convention. To
placate his disappointed friends, Mr.. Hen
bricks was given the second place on the
ticket, and it is but fair. to state that he
materially increased its strength in all the
Western Statee.
In 1877, Mr.. Hendricks term of office as
governor expiring, he went into private
life, and resumed the practice of law in
his own State. Asa lawyer he was uni
yersally regarded as great.
He studied the law. AT .Chambersburg,
Pa, in the effice of his uncle, Judge
Thompson, an eminent jurist Of that State.
He thoroughly mastered its elementary
principles, ssand the minutia Of its prac-
tice. With this foundation, and with
natural legalsmind, he was never at a loss
and was always strong in any cause with
out special book preparation. Before
court or jury he was equally at home. In
a trial he was never off his guard, nor dis
concerted by any unlocked for turn in the
fortune Of a case. He encountered any
such crisis with as much promptness, for
titude, and address as if had been antici-
pated and prepared for.
Mr.. Hendricks was remarkable for the
readiness with which he gathered up and
got well in hand the questions. both of
law and fact, in an. case in which he was
engaged. In his readiness no advo-
cate in the countryssexcelled him, and very
few equalled him, He had no specially
as anadvocate, being alike efficient in the
civil and the criminal court and in all
kinds and forms of actions.
Although out of Office after his retire
ment from the gubernatorial chair, Mr..
Hendricks was not out of politics. His
voice was heard in every Important cam
paign in his. State, and he retained the
liyeliest interest in all political ques-
tions of the day. Indiana always re-
garded him with pride, and among a large
class he was looked upon as the leader of
the Democracy. Of the West. His adhe-
rents rallied around him again in 1880,
and his name was once more prominentfo
the presidential determination.
A bitter fight sprang up among the
western leaders, however, and a strong OPP
position was formed against him. Senator
Mcdonald at that time disputed his pres
tige with the Democray Of his state, and
had attained considerable popularity in
other parts of the west. He became con
spicuous as a possible presidential nomi-
nee, and with the aid of the Hendricks
faction it is possible that he might have
been the choice of the Cincinnati conxen-
ton. It has always been claimed that
Hendricks was the only obstacle to his
nomination. 1t is certain that Hendricks
fought his pretentions with bitter zeal, be-
ing determined, if beaten at all, not to bu
beaten by a political rival from his own
state. As the convention was thus pre-
vented from uniting on a western can
didate, it nominated the choice Of the
east-Ger. Hancock
Mr.. Hendricks has been q orominant