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Hank Smith's Ready Pen

Hank Smith's Ready Pen image
Parent Issue
Day
16
Month
May
Year
1902
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

HANK SMITH'S READY PEN

Indites Strange Letters to Editors Eugene Helber

They Now Appear

To Confound Him in His Anxiety for Renomination

The Epistles as They Were Written

   The following from the last issue of Editor Helber's paper, the Washtenaw Post, gives some of the correspondence that passed between Helber and Hank Smith, relative to the postoffice. This is the first installment of Smith's letters to Helber that have been published.  Others are to follow:

   Seeing our military record has fallen so flat on the ears of the public the "Adrian Times", congressman Smith's organ, has started the cry of incompetency on our part to perform the duties of postmaster.  We will therefore give a few letters from Smith showing how he regarded our ability to extricate him from the difficulties his duplicity was continually getting him into. We prefer to let the public judge our ability to extricate him from the difficulties his duplicity was continually getting him into.   We prefer to let the public judge of our ability rather than some young man such as the "Times" can afford to hire, who does not even know us.                  We predicted last week that congressman Smith's committee would call the congressional convention for some time in May.  As we predicted, the call has been made by his special committee for May 28th.  That necessitates calling the county convention for the 19th which will force the caucuses for the wards and townships to be called sometime before the 19th which leaves only about a week or less for the public to give any consideration whatever the investigation of Mr. Smith's record or to the qualifications of the other candidates for congressional honors.  This is Mr. Smith's own personal committee who by his personal direction have committed fraud upon the people of his district.  Yet, true to his nature and instincts he publishes an article in the Detroit Evening News and other papers in which was called thus early without his knowledge and he expresses great regret that it has been done.  In fact, Mr. Smith has never, in his whole official life, been frank and sincere with his constituents. His propensity for blundering and double dealing has constantly gotten him into trouble and when the storm of indignation, which he created, escaped beyond his control he called upon me to pour oil upon the troubled waters and save him from the fate he richly deserved.  A few of these instances now, at the request of the "Adrian Times", we publish.  They may be of service to the people even now.

MANY PROMISES.                                                                                Shortly before I resigned as his committeeman, he wrote me to go to Wayne, learned the situation there, and help him out.  I found that he had promised the post office to three different men in hope that he might hold the friends of each candidate in line until after his renomination but they had all gotten a hold of the fact and each faction was sharpening their knives.  I spent some time in studying the situation and there was but one way out of the trouble which course I advised and Mr. Smith followed the course I pointed out.  Again, when Mr. Loennecker was making a canvass of the Lutheran ministers in this district occasioned by the fact that Mr. Smith's flirtation with the Catholics has called down upon him the fact that the German Lutherans might permit him to look to the Catholics for his votes.  In great distress, he wrote me the following letter:                   Adrian, Mich., Oct. 23, 1900,                                                                  Mr. E.J. Helber, Ann Arbor, Mich.                                                                    My Dear Friend:                                                                                        I believe that the best thing that could go around the district and see the German ministers and get them in line.  I am going to ask Treasury Priddy to send you a check for $100.  If you can do this, this week, it will be just the time, and while you are out, you can see those people at Ida.                              Yours sincerely, Henry C. Smith.                                     I performed the service as far as I was able and the result at the polls showed that the Lutherans were true to Mr. Smith, but at the very first opportunity Mr. Smith appointed two Catholics and the German Lutherans are still waiting for Mr. Smith to take care of them. We wish to add that the above mentioned hundred dollars, were never forwarded to or received by Mr. Helber.                                                       

AFTER THE GERMANS.                                                                     Again, when Mr. Loennecker, Mayor of Jackson, was nominated by the democrats, Mr. Smith suddenly remembered that he was always very glad to receive the German votes but had forgotten to show them in any way after election that he remembered that they had voted for him, and now the dissatisfaction was spreading and there was great dander that the German vote of Jackson county would be thrown to their own nationality, and in his distress he called upon me to go to Jackson and save his defeat and said I might promise them either the postmaster or deputy postmaster. I told Mr. Smith that if he would put that promise in writing then I would go. He promised me that he would, and the next day wrote me as follows: Adrian, Michigan, Sept. 26, '00. Hon. E.J. Helber, Ann Arbor, Michigan.                                                                                My Dear Mr. Helber:-- I feel that something should be done to get the Germans especially with us in Jackson county. Kindly go there and take the matter up at your earliest convenience, using your best judgement which I highly cherish and confide in and I will catty out such arrangements as you in your judgement shall request."  "Yours faithfully, Henry C. Smith."

   Armed with this letter, I went to Jackson and after repeated interviews with the leading Germans of Jackson county, in which I exhibited this letter and stood sponsor for Mr. Smith, I succeeded in inducing some of them to personally call upon Mr. Smith and receive his personal assurances.  I also used my best efforts to get Mr. Loeser to accept the nomination for the state senator and in this way I succeeded in pacifying the discontented Germans to a large extent; but no sooner had Mr. Smith secured his re-election than he deliberately turned his back upon his written promises, broke all his solemn pledges, ignored the claims of the Germans and appointed Mr. Hanna, and when asked to at least permit the Germans to have the assistant postmaster he replied that he did not know that it would please Mr. Hanna and he did not like to interfere in such matters. 

I could fill a book with the narration of like transactions but it is enough to say that by his shortsightedness, his untruthfulness and double dealing Mr. Smith was constantly getting into trouble and whenever the flames got beyond his control he universally called upon me to left him out of his dilemma; and now with the pretense that my military record is bad he refuses to appoint me postmaster, when the real truth is he wants and thinks he must have the Ann Arbor postoffice with which he desires to buy up a dangerous competitor for congressional honors. 

   ACCUSES JUDSON

   When congressman Smith returned to Washington in December, it was agreed that he would ask the president for my appointment, while at the same time he insisted he must also lay the particulars of my military record before him, because he feared the president might have already been put into possession of unfavorable versions of the matter by my rivals here or by their agents.                                                                        I wrote him immediately upon his return, begging him to get me a personal interview with the president and let me tell him my own story.  I said it would be grand to be vindicated by such an appeal was unheeded and after a weeks delay he wrote me as follows: Washington, D.C.,  Dec. 9th. 1901. Mr. E.J. Helber, Ann Arbor Mich.                                                My Dear Friend: I have your of the 5th and will tell you more about it when I see you. The president is all against you and yelled deserter, so you could hear him a long ways.                                                                     I suggested filing a bill to remove the cloud and he said he would not say whether he would sign such a bill or not for any deserter.                                                         I believe some one has been talking to him about this matter.  Did Judson do this? It distresses me beyond measure to write this.. We will talk of it when I see you.  I will be home in a day or two. Cordially yours, Henry C. Smith.                                                                                   I desired to further draw him out and learn his plans, so I wrote in reply, that I saw he had done all in his power to have me recognized, yet if I had no political rights left I would resign from his committee upon his return home and retire from politics.  In reply he wrote as follows: Washington, Dec. 13th, 1901 E.J. Helber, Ann Arbor, Mich.                                                                                    Dear Friend: I have yours of the 11th and of course you know how I have been dreading this sad letter, for your affection is such for me and my regard and esteem is such for you, that the conduct of the president toward me in the matter seemed almost brutal.  If you are not inclined to continue with me, I know not what I can do.  I shall be home soon and we must talk the matter over.  In the meantime believe me Your devoted friend, Henry C. Smith.                                                                                                                     The next letter: Adrian, Dec. 16th, 1901.                          E.J. Helber, Ann Arbor, Mich.

   Dear Friend: I will be at the Wayne Hotel in Detroit the 18th.  If agreeable to you I would be glad to see you.  Cordially yours, Henry C. Smith.  Upon my arrival at the hotel I saw at first glance that Mr. Smith had unpleasant information.  He avoided speaking to me until we were seated to dinner.  He opened the conversation by saying what had we better do about Washtenaw, I can have Wedemeyer a candidate against me over there or not, just as I like, the question now is what I better do.

SMITH HUMILIATED.                                       

I instantly recognized his hand. I saw that he desired to show me my helplessness by this show of servility on the part of his rival and waited eagerly for the next move.  It came after we retired into his private room at the hotel. Here he described minutely and most dramatically the conduct of the president as he approached him with my appointment.  He compared him with a Commauchee Indian.  He said his conduct toward him had been so brutal that he never would take him by the hand again.  What had made the interview doubly painful was the fact that the president had forced him to discuss this matter in a crowded room, before other member in a crowded room, before other members and senators.  Not for $10,000 would he again go through such humiliation.  He said Roosevelt's conduct to other members and even to the aged senators was equally brutal.  He gave no private interviews and treatment was always brusk.  He had no use for anyone but Wild Westerners.  I asked him if he couldn't get me a five minute interview for the purpose of telling my story.  I thought that a man great enough to be president of the United States would not condemn one of his people without first listening to his story.  I would send down the chairman of the county committee, and have him state to the president the character of my case and my standing and backing. Smith however insisted it would make no difference to Roosevelt if all Ann Arbor came. I now asked for the privilege of naming a man for the place and quickly named him half dozen of the best men in the city, yet he said he wanted to offer the office to Wedemeyer and I could be Wedemeyer's deputy or take a money consideration.  He would however not make the appointment until after another election or Wedemeyer could not be a candidate against him.  He said Wedemeyer was there waiting for an interview and he would talk it over with him and come over to Ann Arbor and complete the arrangements between us.            I had an interview with Wedemeyer immediately upon my return so as to compare notes.  He said Smith had immediately upon my return so as to compare notes. He said Smith had practically told him the same.  I felt that this man was seeking to fool two dutchman where he had heretofore only fooled one and told Wedemeyer so and wanted him to unite with me to force him to some immediate action, that I would spurn the deputyship, yet I desired to force Smith to a decision, this Wedemeyer thought we could not succeed in and he could not afford to quarrel with Smith about it, besides he didn't care for the P.O. appointment, he preferred to go to congress.                                                                                       Does the "Adrian Times" desire us to publish the balance of the barrel of Smith's letters of this same kind or does Smith want us to send the fool killer over the call on the "Times?"                                                     E.J. HELBER