The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-09-11


there are, when he Is weary. some
wrinkles in his face and upon his brow;
he has not II serene expression; but whO
could have serene expression, being
"A candidate for the Presidency, with
six millions of dollars?
The Governor said he had seen
Abraham Lincoln before he either ell
countered Douglass or ran for the
Presidency. forget the year, but IL
was in the birth of the Chicogo and
Alton railroad, and the president,
bondhOlders or somebody wanted Til
den to go over the line and critically
examine it. AT Springfield Mr.. Tilden
went to lawyers house Il forget
whose), and there he met Abraham.
He remembers in Lincoln u mild,
quaint, entertaining country lawyer,
not very impressive, but with sweet
kernel. Governor Tilden says he will
always keep place in our history
among greater men, accident and
event and temperament cOnspiring to
make mankind believe him greater
than he believed himself. Tilden liked
him for his philosophic temperament.
Tilden said that he had II
great deal of faith in the people; not
in their spasmodic likes or dislikes,
hut in their "sober second thought"
He said Van Buren, had first used this
phrase. ! inferred that he believed
Martin Van Buren, to be the best man
in combination of qualities that he
had known. He took up IA red-bound
manual of the State of New York, and
picked out the State Governors. At
the fifth or sixth name he said he
knew that person. do not pretend to
remember who it was. 1t wasn't Il
Tompkins, but thereabouts. Said |,
'.Tompkins was drunkardH' He said,
"He drank, but that was exaggerated"
The Governor added, "1[nOwing all
these men who ruled New York, / can
say what you say, that greatness does
not satisfy. Great men leave some
thing to be desired. We must keep
cheerful and philosophic, and not eX-
pect too much. If we expect impossi-
BILE things of human nature, we shall
become soured with the world" That's
the kind of man who takes the tart
when he speaks out in Quaker meet
ing. Why didn't George Washington
say that, instead of barking cherry
trees? Said /, "Governor Tilden, tell
me who was the weakest President"
He said, Immediately, Harrison"
"Well," said |, "that was to have been
expected, but the next?" He replied,
"Taylor was Il good soldier, but
no civil ruler" "Wasn't Pierce small
shakes ?" "Yes, rather" "Gover-
nor" said ], "who was the greatest
president?n Jefferson was great
thinker,n he said. Jefferson was
powerful influence on his countrymen.
One man seldom affects nation as he
did without war. Jackson was u great
personality, hut he owed to Van Buren,
the success of his administration. Van
Buren, had the sagacity, the prudence
and the fidelity to make IA great COM
bination with Jackson. There was
Monroe no wonder of man, but
very happy in his combinations and
his utility. That. was a fortunate ad-
ministratiOn for the country. He
could say with Joe, in Bleak House:
Van Buren, was very good to me, he
wOz'" The Governor added, ''Mr.
Van Buren had qualities not attributed
to him. He was poetical man in his
feelings. While President he was EN-.
thusiastic. 1t was in 1874 that he had
the Presidency dangerously on his
mind not at other times. He was a
laugher, hearty spirit, very accom-
plished man of affairs" / thought to
myself, how mysterious are the awards
of fame, Here is Wan Ruren, the
used up man." so blackly painted by
those respectable limners, the Wings,
now with all the recompense of poiiti-
cal posterity. Perhaps, after all, Hor-
ace Greeley wrote too much, and Clay
and Calhoun were equal bigOts. ]
asked the Governor how Van Buren,
came to live at Kinderhook. He said
"He bought the house there from the
Van Nesses, one of the great families
of our county. 1t was about fifty
feet by . twenty, with
door and hall through the middle-a
brick house. l have seen Mr.. Van
Buren, among his vegetables there, and
heard him say once, You don't take
enough interest in these things. Here
il where freshen my mind the best"
The other great family of the country,
Tilden said, was Livingstone, and re-
minded him that New York State had
sent to Washington, as her selections
of eminent men, statues of George
Clinton and Chancellor Livingstone.
He walked up and down the floor a
minute and said: "a wise choice
They were both great men. 1 think
George Clinton greater man than his
nephew, De Witt. This batch of let |
ters Biglow has just published of De
Witt ClintOn's do not put the best APP
pearance on his caste of character. |
They make him look too much poll |
tician. His SOIL in Buffalo told me |
about 1t the other day. He didn't |
complain of the authenticity of the |
letters, but said that, as thrown to-
gether, they only put the political side
OF his father forward and conveyed q |
wrong impression of his general char |
acter. All our family stock" contin-
ued Tilden, twas brought up at the
feet of George Clinton. He made the |
countryside people believe in him.
My father did. He was not az schol- |
arly as De Witt, but he stands out in |
the origin Of the State North Irish, |
distinct, patriotic. Chancellor Living
stone was also a great man. He |
administered the oath of Office |
TO Washington. His family |
rather looked down on the |
Clintons. His son was Edward Liv- |
ingstone, of Louisiana, one of the great
spirits of the middle age. Edward al |
so moved to Columbia county, and be- |
came neighbor Of ours in his later
life, The two statues are well chosen.n
/ asked the Governor about Seward as
compared to Wright and Marcy. "Sew- |
ard" said Tilden, Twas a man of ac-
cOmplishments, but rhetorican. !
Weed was his purveyor. He made a
figure in our State. He beat Marcy af- |
ter awhile, and yet panics and disaster
were his assistants TO power. The pam |
ic of 1887 gave him his start; anti-Ma-
sonry boosted him some. Still he was
a man of State ambition; he was not |
picked up by Weed without knowl- |
edge. Silas Wright and Marcy were
able men. Marcy had more admins
trative force and was a better writer. /
Wright was the best orator, with the /
best heart for friendship. That took
him off with Van Buren, and follow
ed; but Van Buren, was greater than |
either" Governor Tilden asked me
about the Western press, and particu-
larry about the Chicago Tribune. He