The Irish standard., 1905-07-22

49, sa{s p
S Hendricks was thrown, and instinc-
lively they saw in him a leader. He
was war Democrat, and voted to the
administration men and money, but he
never hesitated to criticise the policy
of the government and to denounce
/ the unconstitutional and arbitrary ar
rest of citizens by the military. He
condemned the arrest, Imprisonment
and Punishment of Vallandigham, who
was prosecuted, not for disloyalty to
the government, for that he never
was, but for his opposition to the Re-
4 publican party. That party found out,
as early as in 1856, that it was i'm
moral to disagree with it, and by 1868
\ it was convinced that it was treason
able to disagree with it. With the
Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln in
1861 it began to think the Republican
party was the same as the Union, and
pye1S63 it was convinced that the Re-
publican party was great deal saner
than the Union, hallucination that
has affected it from that day to this.
The constitution never had any bind
ing force on the party, and it and the
laws made in pursuance of it were
nullified by the Republican party time
and again, even before the election of
nj
that he Republican party never pur-
suet Hendricks with the insatiate
NAL .e with which it harrassed VAL
landigham and Voorhees,, and it is
not too much to say that the govern
ment of George III. never visited a
greater. outrage on an American
patriot than the administration OF
Abraham Lincoln perpetrated on
Clement L. Vallandigham.
When he retired from the Senate in
1869 Hendricks was one of the most
distinguished men in the country.
The year before he had narrowly es-
capped the nomination of his party for
the presidency, and perhaps it was
fortunate for him, for defeat was in
evitable, the platform being what it
was Chase might have been elected
even on that platform. His election
would have been certain if the Demo-
Gratis had been loyal to him. just as
Greeley's would, four years later, had
he party that took him for candidate
voted for him solidly. There was a
story that Samuel j. Tilden prevented
the, nomination of Chase, which Val
landigham strove to bring about, and
the story was supplemented with an
other to the effect that it was Mrs.
Kate Chase Sprague who brought
about the defeat of Tilden in the win.
ter of 1S76.77.
In 1872 the Democrats nominated
Hendricks for governor, and he was
elected, Notwithstanding it was the
year Greeley was so disasterously de-
feated for president. Hendricks had
been twice defeated for the Office of
governor-1S60 and 1S6S-and now he
was elected after one of the most ex-
citing canvasses Indiana ever knew.
He was now the pronounced leader of
the party at the West, with more in
fluence than Thurman or Morrison. 1t
is altogether probable that had there
been no Greeley movement he would
have been the nominee of his party In
1872, and he would have carried In
diana that year for president, as he
did carry it for governor.
In 1876 Hendricks was formidable
candidate for the nomination, but the
demand for Tilden was resistless, and
Hendricks was dragooned into accept
ing second place. No doubt his name
was tower of strength to the party
and nobody was surprised when In
diana went Democratic In October.
When the office to which he had been
elected was given to another, he threw
away his only chance for the presi-
dency by announcing that he would
not again accept second place. He
might have known that rejection Of
the head of the old ticket meant the
rejection of it's tail, and so it did.
In 1884 Hendricks was a delegate
to the national convention, and pledg-
ed for the nomination of Joseph E..
Mcdonald At one time it looked as
though Hendricks himself would be
nominated. Finally, in a fit of In
spiration, Cleveland was named, and
Hendricks was again dragooned into
accepting second place. Again he was
elected vice president, and this time
he was inaugurated.
He died not long afterward, and
died as he had lived-Indiana's great
est Democrat.
OVER THE NORTHWEST.