New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-19
MR.. BELDEN HITS BACK.
REPLY TO EX-COLLECToR HEN
BRICKS.

A CHAPTER IN ONONDAGA COUNTY POLITICS.
Congressman Beldsn sat in the lobby Of his new
hotel yesterday. contemplating with renewed salts
faction the effort of Turner the main-office wall
Of the Manhattan. that massive three-mlion-doilar
structure. occasionally referred 10 by Its democratic
proprietor his tavern in Forty-second-st" Con-
tentment was reflected from every feature. He
seemed 20 be reveling in the Easter sunshine that
flooded The big room. No suggestion OF factlonal
strife visible; not echo to be heard OF these
troublous latter-day politics and unseenly conen-
tens patronage The most careful observers
would have written him down as one man at peace
with the world
Such was his condition and surroundings when
Tribune reporter drew near and inquired:
Mr. Belden, are you Republican,
The change was instantaneous. All mildness
vanished. Every trace OF studous reflection and
day dream sped with lightning rapidly. The heavy
brows fairly ran together over the high Roman
nose only to relax quickly. when with flashing
ewes he turned upon the visitor TO hurl forth
laundering "W-h-a-t?
We'll, Frank Hendricks says you're not
Then Frank Hendricks is an unmitigated liar.
and he knows IL. and so does every intelligent man
In this state and the United States that knows
me-"
And saying this his manner changed again. This
time he leaned back in the richly upholstered chair
ana laughed
oh pshaw. How absurd II is for me to get r!led
at anything Hendricks might say, II is too ridcu-
lous altogether! Yes. yes / saw that interview
with him in The sun TO which you refer; 1t was
published the day in Syracuse. But what
does II all amount TO. anyway? When II Il not
string of falsehoods It Is rehash of exploded
yarns that Johnny Kenyon has been retailing IN
the Fifth Avenue Hotel for the last five years
Why. It has become his chief stock in trade now
and don't deprive him of it,
You must not expect 10 so into any defence
Of my record as a member Of our grand old party.
My Repubicansm was passed upon by my col
leagues IN National affairs when they elected me
chairman Of the Republican Congressional Commit
tee years ago. and by the members of the present
delegation from this state when was chosen as
member of the Executive Committee Immediately
after taking my seat in the House. My record is
a wide-open book. 1t has been read by the RepuD-
leans of my district great many times, and ep-
parently to their satisfaction. for they have five
times elected me to Congress
THAT DEMOCRATIC ENDORSEMENT
"But there are some errors in Mr.. Hendrickss
Interview which ought to be corrected in justice 10
the independent Republicans OF my district. no.
tee that he says my Endorsement by the Demo-
Gratis was due 10 a promise ] had made 10 Mayor
Mcclure that if the Democrats Endorsed me
would have four boiling Republican members OF
Assembly nominated in Onondaga county, ~ Dc "
insure the election of four Democrats TO the As
sembly. That he should make such statenentt -
the Mckinley League Republican Candidates IoI
The Assembly. whom he describes as the poltinS
TenoIbTcans were nominated on July % and %,
I,Siic was no; nominated for Congress until Sep
,cmber = following. How my Endorsement by the he
Democrats in the middle Of September could have
brought about the nomination of four independehI
candidates for the Assembly SIX weeks peIole
leave 10 Mr.. Hendricks TO explain. or
"NVhy al the time the Assembly candidates were
nominated il was not even known tnat tneie
would be an independent candidate Tor EongI ';
There certainly would have been no independent
candidates az an. II Mr.. Hendricks and ms ass3-
leans of Orondaga County with common courtesy
ead fairness. But when the nacnia~ iPnnblican
VINO voted for Mr. Baldwin. mat Republican sol sol
der the independent c2nd.date ior n1 S ~, boI5
there was nothing left for them TO 90 Dui 20 , oc
thoir own primaries and conventions and protect
their rights as Republicans ana MAINTAIN ''i'"
u onr hefore the St Louis Convention it became
eiden, that the PEOPLE OF my GiSi1 vas shown by
Il popular poll of that district But the macnlne
rnent from being recognized. and 50 the rule was
passed that shut out the Antl-MachH hep .,i
rating i'm The primaries that were 20 seitcl uS S.
gates 10 ST Louis. That Is how IL happeXXGv Hin
District when the RePHSleafR Tor ss Td1I9v Oh 'A
'.'To show how far the machine men carried thelr
hostility TO Mckinley let me cite you one lnstance'
T0,k atfcn,nted TO array the financial interests of
Inc country against Mckinley and TO create me
impression that he could not be trustee ara r
that sort Of campaigning, ana II Vas siHneu ps ,t
Mr Hendricks's own bank and another bank in
which he is the dominauns ngury Who had first
signed the protest came and asked 10 nave ms
IN. "a
mention this TO show how bitterly Mr.. Hendricks
and The other machine leaders in Syracuse OPP
posed o fnf litter "againsi the Mckinley League
Republicans who were working Tor ms nomination. on
Having been kept out of Republican primaries Tor
Gear that they might send Mckinley delegates TO
ST Louis. and having the bars put up against
were obliged in self-respect TO 20 ahead ana MAKE
t Assdn I% nomnatng four Mckinley League Re
publicans as candidates in the latter par o. ouS
and also a county ticket. Some SIX weeks 1ter l.
was nominated for Congress by the Mckinney
League Congressional Convention. and my nomiha'
zion was ndOrsed by the Democrats The nomlna-
ton was made against my wish ana over my
protest as / did not desire 70 re-enter pubic ne
and felt that | was entitled TO a little rest ana
quiet after many years spent In active pOiilcs;
After the nomination was forced upon mo had
10 accent or seem TO desert my Republican friends
who had long stood by me ana their 1lght lot llei
thoroughly believed
HIS BIG MAJORITY.
or-nder those circumstances. I reluctantly
cepted made the best fight could and was elected
Iy over 5000 majority. l might say right here that
I accented the Democratic nomination absolutely
unhampered without indorsing single Demo
cratic policy or principle. without single pIeuge
az any nature or description TO the DEMOCRATIC
party and with the express understanding that, IL
elected | should continue TO be kepuPnccah a.
The time made my position clear that there can
b. misstating it, As far as the De mocrats were
concerned they knew that the district was over
whamingy Republican. and. as between two Re
publican candidates, they preferred TO ndorse me-
] certainly should not have run If there had been
regular Democratic candidate In the field. Tor
would take chances or the eIccllOn oI ii
frec-silycr Demo rat to Congress- end in three
cornered AFht that might have happened. After
the nomination was made l received the support OF
q GOOD mari 81 the Democrats i'm the district. bat
the ma chine organization was constantly working
TO get Democratic votes for Major Poole ana ora
vas hcafen in Hendricks's and IIisCock's own dis
trjcts II is estimated that ] received about as
many Republican votes IN inc dEulcI as Ma!o-