Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-11-14
HESING And HINRICHSEN
Acrimonious Correspondence Between
the Chicago Postmaster and the
Illinois Secretary Of State.
WHITE METAL THE BONE OF CONTENTION
Hinrichsen Does Not Take Kindly to
Insinuation that Silver at 16 to
is Heresy-Causes of Recent
Democratic Disasters.

I Springfield, ILL.,, Nov. l4.-An interes,
ing and somewhat acrimonious CORE
spondence has sprung up since the last
election between Postmaster Washington
Hesing, of Chicago, an, William H. Hin.
rlchsen, secretary of stare and chairman
of the Dem ocratic state central commit
tee.
It was begun by Hesing, who, in an
effort to harmoni the factions of the
Democratic party in Illinois, invited Hin.
richsen to abandon the so.called l6 to l
heresy and bring his crowd back into the
fold of orthodox Democracy and sound
money.
Hinrichsen did not take kindly to the
insinuation that the l6 to l doctrine was
heresy. He said in part: "You ascribe
the defeat of the party in the 18th con-
gressional district to the adoption of the
free silver plank. This is absurd, and
can say to You, as one who is thoroughly
acquainted with the district, that without
this silver plank the Democrats could not
have carried a single voting precinct.
The causes which brought about our de-
feat were the same as those which pro-
duced such enormous Republican ma
jorities IN all the states where elections
were held, except Mississippi, where they
had free silver platform.
CAUSES ENUMERATED.
II 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 intention of the president to
force gold monometalism upon the coun-
try by the mismanagement of public
patronage; the feeling. either right or
wrong, that clique of New York and
London bankers are controlling the fnan-
cial policy of this country the unpopular
foreign policy of the administration; the
use of the courts in the case of strikes;
the general hard times, which many in
sist are the result of the presidents
policy, and the evident intention OF the
followers of Grover Cleveland to force
him upon tho country as the Democratic
nominee for president in 1896.
"In the 18th district the Republicans
received aid and comfort from the Demo-
Gratis 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 nan is for honest
money, but what do You mean by the
term? President Cleveland has shown
clearly that he is in favor of gold mono
metallism and it is presumed that you
agree with him, although some members
of your faction define themselves bimet-
allists. We have defined our position; you
should define yours"
~ believe in the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to l,
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?
II have a pretty fair acquaintance
among German born American citizens
and find them as rule much the same,
barring professional Germans, as other
American citizens. Your attempt to sep
arate them into class with interests at
varience with those of other citizens is
undem ocratic and ridiculous. In trying
to build mp GLASS within the party, you
forget that half million Democrats in
the state of Illinois will not surrender
their principles in order to follow any
GLASS. 1t is not true, as you say, that the
Germans are opposed to free silver, but, if
they we're, would it be good politics to
principle and thereby lose half
of our vote in order to satisfy small
faction of the party"