Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-11-22
THE REASON WHY
THE LATE ELECTIONS WENT
STRONGLY REPUBLICAN.
The Chairman of the Illinois Dem.
Ocraitc Central Committee Tells
the Chicago Postmaster Some
Wholesome Truths National
Administration Clearly to Blame.

"nOiesOlne y RUINS ne NatlOna
Administration Clearly to Blam
Interesting and somewhat acrimon:
ious correspondence has sprung uI
since last election between Postmaster
Washington Hesing, of Chicago, and
William H. Hinrichsen, Secretary oI
State and Chairman of the Demo
cratic State Central Committee. II
was begun by Hesing, who in an ef
fort TO harmonize the factions OF the
Democratic party in Illinois invited
Hinrichsen to abandon the so-called
l6 to l heresy, and bring his crowd
back into the fold Of orthodox Democ.
racy, and sound money. Hinrichsen
did not take kindly to the insinuation
that the 1G to | doctrine was heresy
lie said in part:
You ascribe the defeat of the party
in the Eighteenth Congressional Dis
trict to the adoption of the free silver
plank. This is absurd, and / can say
to you as one who is thoroughly &C.
acquainted with the district that with
out this silver plank, the Democrats
could not have carried single voting
precinct. The causes which brought
about our defeat were the same as
those which produced such enormous
Republican maiorilies in all the States
where elections were held, except in
Mississippi, where they had a free sill
yer platform. / will enumerate the
cases briefly:
Failures of the national admins.
tration and Congress to carry out the
promises made by the Democracy in
1892; the evident intention of the
President to force gold monometalism
upon the country by Encouragement
of public patronage by the President ;
a feeling that either right or wrong, a
clique of New York and London bank
ers are controlling the financial policy
OF this country; the unpopular foreign
policy of the administration the use
of courts in case of strikes; general
hard times, which many insist are the
result of the Presidents policy and the
evident intention of the followers OF
Grover Cleveland to force him upon
the country as the Democratic nomi-
nee for President in 1896.
"In the eighteenth Congressiona al
district the Republicans received aid
and comfort from Democrats in high
places. Men like President Cleveland
and Senator Palmer rejoiced openly
over Lanes defeat and that the gold
men in the party were pleased over
this Republican victory is shown by
the tone of your letter.
"You make the suggestion that we
bury the past and get together. That
would, perhaps, be easy for you, if We
would get together on your platform,
but you have never indicated what
that platform should be. You say
you are for honest money Every
man is for honest money. But what
do you mean by the term? President
Cleveland has shown clearly that he is
in favor of gold monometallism and it
is presumed you agree with him, al
though some members of your faction
call themselves bi-metalists.
1--WE have defined our position.
You should define yours. 1 believe in
the free and unlimited coinage of sill
yer at the ratio of l6 to l, and shall
maintain my belief to the best of my
ability, but should the Democratic
convention decide am wrong l shall
support the Democratic ticket just the
same. Can you say as muchY
81 have pretty fair acquaintance
among German-born American citi.
zens and ! find them as q rule much
the same. barring professional Ger.
mans, as other American citizens
Your attempt to separate them into
classes with interests at variance with
these other citizens is undemocratic
and ridiculous. In trying to build up
a class within the party you forget
that half million Democrats in the
State of Illinois will not surrender
principle in order to placate any class.
1t is not true as you say, that the
Germans are opposed to free silver
but if they were, would it be good
politics 20 surrender principle and
thereby lose half of our vote in order
to satisfy small faction OF the party?