The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-15
IS ACRIMONIOUS.
THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN
HEINRICHsEN AND HEsING.
Former Does Not Like to Have the
Silver Question Referred to as
"16 to 1 Heresy''-Germans ana
the White Metal.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill, Nov. 14.-An
interesting and somewhat acrimonious
correspondence has sprung up since
last election between Postmaster
Washington Hesing, Of Chicago, and
William h Heinrichsen, secretary OF
state and the chairman of the Demo-
cratic state central committee. 1t was
begun by Hesing, who in an effort to
harmonic the factions of the Demo-
cratic party of Illinois invited Helm
richsen to abandon the so-called Id TO
I heresy" and bring his crowd back
into the fold of orthodox Democracy
and sound money. Heinrichsen did
not take kindly to the insinuation that
the 16 to / doctrine was heresy. He
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 ac-
| ouainted with the district, that with
out this silver plank the Democrats
could not have carried a single voting
! precinct The causes which brought
about our defeat were the same as
those which produced such enormous
Republican majorities IN all the states
where elections were held, except
Mississippi, where they had a free sill
yer platform. 1 will enumerate the
! causes briefly: The failure of the
national administration and Congress
! to carry out the promises made by the
| Democracy in 1892: the evident inten-
ton of the president to force gold mo-
nometallism upon the country; the
misniana cement of the pEblic patron
age by the president and the feeling.
either right or wrong, that a clique of
/ New York and London bankers We're
controlling the financial policy of this
country; the unpopular foreign policy
| of the administration; the use of the
courts in the case of strikes, and the
general hard times. which many In
sist are a result of the presidents pol
icy, and the evident intention of the
followers of Grover Cleveland to force
him upon the country as Democratic
nominee for the president in 1895.
In the Eighteenth the Republicans
received aid and comfort from the
Democrats in high places. Men like
President Cleveland and Senator Pal
| mer rejoiced openly over Lanes defeat,
and that 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 per-
haps be easy for you. if we could get
/ together on your platform. But YOU
have never indicated what that plat
form should be- You say you are for
honest money Every man is for hon
est money but whatever do you mean
by that term. President Cleveland has
shown clearly that he is in favor OF
gold monometallism. and it is pre-
sumed you agree with him, although
some members Of your faction call
themselves bimetallists. We have de-
fined our position: you should define
yours. I believe in the free and I'M
limited coinage of silver at the ratio of
Is to I, and shall maintain my belief
to the best Of my ability: but should
the Democratic convention decide
that / am wrong I shall support the
Democratic ticket just the same Can
you say as much? I have pretty fair
acquaintance among German-born
American citizens, and I find them as
a rule much the same. barring pro-
fessional Germans, as other American
citizens Your attempt to separate
them into q class with interests al
variance with those of other citizens is
un-Democratic and is ridiculous In
/ trying to build a class within q party
you forget that the half million
Democrats in the state of Illinois will
not surrender principle in order &c
placate class. 1t is not true, as you
say, that the Germans are opposed tc
free silver: but if they were. would II
be good politics to surrender principle
and thereby lose half our votes in or.
der to satisfy a small faction of the
party?'