The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-26
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL.
Mr.. Hendricks Gives the Story of His Life In
His Own Words.

His Own Words.
| George Alfred Townsend published al enter
tanning interview with Mr.. Hendricks. had at
| Saratoga in August, 1881, in the course of
which he said:
| my father was a farmer, and, also. tanner.
| In former days the farmer tanned skins for the
neighborhood as source of additional income.
My fathers family came from extreme western
| Pennsylvania and Westmoreand county. They
were, perhaps, Germans originally, though I
have heard it said that my name is Holland
| Dutch. My mothers family came from Frank
lin county, Pennsylvania, around Shippensburg.
| Her mind was filled with beautiful impressions
of that fertile valley among the Blue mountains,
| and, when had gone to school near Madison,
Ind, was determined to send me to study law a
| Chambersburg Penn. where there small
experimental law school kept by uncle of
mine named Thomson. 1t was connected with
the German college at Gettysburg, Pa, and
! was an ambitious attempt, perhaps to
| found law department of that college in
| some neighborng larger town | never
was In Gettysburg, and therefore never
saw the original college. 1 renamed in Cham
bersburg only eight months, but to me 1t was
very great event in my life. Brought up on the
fiat prairie and woods of Indiana, l had never
streams were IN that old Cum bertrand valley
To this day it seems to a vision of beauty
| There were numerous large towns right about
US. There was Hagerstown amid the blue and
| golden scenery of Maryland; ard Shppensburg,
| which was bright. active young place; and Car
| Isle, which was of the old forts in the val
| ley, and military post. Our law studies were
examinations chiefly not lectures on the law.
| The land possessed to me a sort of patriotism.
The Thomsons. Agnews, Wylies and other Scotch
| families there were blood connections of my
mother / suppose this DR.. Agnew now attend
| ing on poor President Garfield is of that general
| family. Before l went back to Indiana l visited
Philadelphia. and saw Forrest play at the theater,
and looked at various objects connected with our
independence and with phian thropy."
Were you born in Indiana Governors"
mo | was born in Ohio, and was taken by
my parents to Indiana when was baby. Nearly
my whole life VAS passed in the metropolitan
county of Indiana. Our home was at Shelby
vile, not many miles southeast of Indianapolis
There l lived and kept my citizenship until not
many years ago, when went up to Indianapolis
My'people were Presbyterians and my fathers
house in Indiana the resort of the clergy
men of that church. l think l derived some of
the most valuable influences OF my life from
contact with those ministers who were generally
wise men. with worldly experience and strong
convictions. Their conversation was always in
fiuential upon the young people when they came
| to the house."
| Here the conversation turned on preachers
a black sheep here and there among preachers
| sons, they very often took professional posi-
| ton somewhere between ethics and the profess
| sions and became teachers, authors and editors.
He intmated that where men of this breeding
became worthless 1t may have arisen from their
| want of business training, by which they did not
learn thrifty habits, and yet lacked the religious
stimulation of their parents.
Did you not have uncle of the same name
as yours Governor of lndianaV
m " q m q
| constitutional convention which made Indiana
State. He became Governor of the State, and
| filled various positions in indiana
''What was your next labor, Governor Hen
dricksl"
We'll, finished the study of the law in In
diana, and opened an Office in Shelbyvile. It was
town of perhaps l,200 people. and is now
place of 1000 put out my sign and waited for
| clients, and they were very slow in coming. 1t
| seemed to me that / should never get into prac
| tice. Perhaps that arose from my settling in the
town where | was raised. People are not very
| apt to think the boys who have grown up among
| them are very well equipped for mans work.
Fl owever, after year or two clients began to
| come, and my business became good enough to
1 warrant me in getting married"
"Where did yen marry2"
II married a lady from Ohio, not far north of
| Cincinnati, granddaughter of DR.. Woods who
had a considerable rural reputation, both social
and professional Through my marriage have
| had considerable acquaintance in that part of
| ONO extending as far north as Dayton. l omit
| ted to say to you that my great -great- great
| grandfather my mothers side, in Pennsyl-
vania. wEo was the first settler of her family in
| America. wrote public address to his fellow
| countrymen in Scotland, inviting them to settle
in Am erica, and, in point of breadth of view and
| force of statement, his publication, which we
still possess, IS matter Of great deal of pride
| to us. He told the Scotch people that there was
| higher civilization and happiness awaiting
| them in the new world than in the untoward air
| and confines of Scotland"
| $50 you have been practicing law in your
| native county, Governor Hendricks, more than
| a third of century?"
| Eyes. The law to me has always been a fas-
| cinating business. | never go into a court room
| to try case but it seems picturesque ground to
| me. like to watch begin and expand,
and see the various kinds of characters which
attend it."
| did you 60 early into politics?"
mo; l went in politics without any manage
| ment of my own as candidate fer the Legisla-
ture was nominated because the Democratic
| party desired a candidate who could make
| speeches through the county. l had never made
a political speech when / was nomina ted. Being
rather verdant on the stump resented one of
| the speeches of my competitor, who made
| false statement | said: 1t was false and he
knew it | did not know that it was altogether
| fashionable for political speakers to twist the
| facts, but he did, and l told him So The
issue not mortal. I was elected to
the Legislature, and did not feel at home
there at all. There seemed to me to
| be very little to do compared to the
more consonant occupations at the bar. / was
| so dissatisfied with the Legislature that l re-
turned to my practice, and stayed out of politics
| until was elected to Congress, in 184S The
| first time was nominated for Congress a great
many ballots were taken before could triumph,
| but every occasion since that time / have
| been nominated without balloting-you may say
| by acclamation. Consequently my various cleo
tons have not been embittered by warm strifes
| within the party"
"But you were in the constitutional conven-
| ton of Indiana2"
| "Yes; was elected AS a senatorial representa-
tive to make a new Constitution for Indiana
| while was young lawyer. That labor pleased
me. The matter came up of a system of bank
| ing for Indiana, and there were good many
champions OF free banking. The idea had got
abroad that making promissory currency
ought to be opened to competition. and