396 I1ENDRICKS, THOMAS A. 



HONDURAS. 



In 1851, and again in 1853, he was a mem- 

 ber of Congress from the Fifth District of In- 

 diana. At the close of his second term he 

 intended to return to his law practice, but 

 President Pierce appointed him Commissioner 

 of the General Land-Office, and he served in 

 that capacity for four years, administering the 

 affairs of the office with great ability. In 1860 

 he was nominated as Democratic candidate for 

 the governorship of Indiana, but was defeated 

 by the Republican candidate, Henry S. Lane, 

 who became Governor by 9,757 majority. In 

 the same year Mr. Hendricks removed from 

 Shelbyville to Indianapolis, where, in 1862, he 

 formed a law partnership with Oscar B. Hord, 

 extended in 1866 to Mr. Hendricks's cousin, 

 Col. A. W. Hendricks, under the firm title of 

 Hendricks, Hord, & Hendricks. 



From 1863 to March, 1869, Mr. Hendricks 

 was a member of the United States Senate 

 from Indiana, and was regarded as a Demo- 

 cratic leader in that body. He served effi- 

 ciently on the Committees on Claims, the Ju- 

 diciary, Public Lands, and Naval Affairs. He 

 strongly opposed the Republican plan of recon- 

 struction, and opposed the amendments to the 

 Constitution as being hasty. He did not wish 

 to hinder the progress of rational settlements 

 of great difficulties, but wanted to make haste 

 slowly. In 1864 he advocated and voted for 

 large appropriations to bring the war to a 

 close, and spoke eloquently in favor of an 

 a'nendment to increase the pay of the soldiers 

 50 per cent., because of the depreciation of the 

 currency. 



In the Democratic National Convention of 

 1868, in New York, on the twenty-first ballot, 

 he received 132 votes as can lidate for the 

 presidency, standing next to Gen. Hancock, 

 who received 135J-; but on the final ballot 

 Horatio Seymour was nominated. In the 

 autumn of that year he was again a candidate 

 for the governorship of Indiana, but was de- 

 feated by 941 majority by the Republican 

 candidate, Conrad Baker, who afterward be- 

 came a law partner of Mr. Hen Iricks. At the 

 close of his senatorial term he returned to In- 

 dianapolis, and resumed the practice of his 

 profession. 



In 1872 he was elected Governor of Indiana, 

 defeating the Republican candidate, Thomas 

 M. Brown, by a majority of 1,148. In July, 

 1874, ha was permanent chairman of the State 

 Democratic Convention, at Indianapolis. In 

 the National Democratic Convention at St. 

 Louis in June, 1876, he received 133 votes 

 for the presidential nomination, and, when 

 Samuel J. Tilden was nominated, he received 

 730 out of 738 votes as candidate for the vice- 

 presidency. 



In 1877, and again in ^883, accompanied by 

 Mrs. Hendricks, he made a brief tour in Eu- 

 rope as a relaxation from his arduous profes- 

 sional pursuits. He was a member of the Na- 

 tional Democratic Convention at Chicago in 

 July, 1884, and in behalf of the Indiana dele- 



gation nominated Joseph E. McDonald, of that 

 State, for the presidency. After the nomina- 

 tion of Grover Cleveland, William A. Wallace, 

 of Pennsylvania, nominated Thomas A. Hen- 

 dricks for the vice-presidency, and the entire 

 816 votes cast for him made him the unani- 

 mous nominee of the convention. He was at 

 Saratoga when he was officially notified of his 

 nomination, and subsequently made formal 

 acceptance in a brief letter. (For the result 

 of the election, see CLEVELAND, GEOVER, and 

 UNITED STATES. ) 



Mr. Hendricks is five feet nine inches tall, 

 weighing one hundred and eighty-five pounds, 

 and, from his irreproachable habits through 

 life, is still strong and vigorous. He is a con- 

 sistent member of the Protestant Episcopal 

 Church, and his private life is without a stain. 



HONDURAS, a republic of Central America. 

 Area, 39,600 square miles; population, 400,- 

 000, of whom fewer than 10,000 are pure 

 whites, the remainder being mestizos and In- 

 dians. It has a coast-line of 60 miles on the 

 Pacific and 400 on the Atlantic. The Cordil- 

 leras mountains traverse the republic 60 miles 

 from the Pacific, in a northwest and southeast 

 direction, and contain many rich veins of sil- 

 ver, gold, and other minerals. 



The climate, twenty miles from the coast and 

 in the mining districts, is exceptionally health- 

 ful, the temperature seldom falling below 60 or 

 exceeding 85. 



Government. The presidential term is four 

 years. The legislative department consists of 

 a Senate and Chamber of Deputies composed 

 of members elected from the thirteen depart- 

 ments into which the republic is divided. 



The President, Gen. Luis Bogran, was elect- 

 ed on Nov. 27, 1883. The Cabinet was com- 

 posed as follows : Minister of War, Education, 

 and Justice, Dr. Rafael Alvarado; Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs, Sefior Jeronirno Zelaya; Min- 

 ister of the Interior, SeHor Cresencio Gomez; 

 Minister of Finance, Seftor Abelardo Zelaya; 

 and Minister of Public Works, Sefior Francisco 

 Planas. 



The United Spates Consul at Ruatan and 

 Trujillo is Mr. W. C. Burchard. 



The Consul-Gene ral of Honduras at New 

 York is Mr. J. Baiz ; at San Francisco, Mr. 

 W. V. Wells; the Consul at New York, Mr. 

 E. G. Marsh, and at New Orleans, Mr. L. M. 

 de Avendaflo. 



Finance. The budget estimate for 1884 

 placed the income at $1,100,000, and the 

 outlay at $1,004,567. 



The home indebtedness consists of $700,- 

 000 bonds, while the floating debt amounts to 

 $50,000. 



Railroads, etc. The line between Puerto Cor- 

 tez and San Pedro, 60 miles, is in operation. 



There were, in 1883, 63 telegraph-offices, with 

 230 operators. Length of lines, 1,360 miles: 

 number of messages, 107,730. Receipts, $12,- 

 620; expenses, $11,784. 



In 1883 there were 28 post-offices, forward- 





