Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-10-19
Gov. TILDEN's WAR RECORD.

@ 49, 49, HE8# = So.
"A Complete Refutation of the Charge of
Disloyalty-The. Testimony of One Of
President Lfncoin's Assistant Secreta-
ries OF War.
tfFronn a Speech by the Hon. Peter H. Watson,
delivered in Ashtabula, Ohio, Sept. 23.1
]. FELLOW -CTTIZENs OF AsHTABULA: / APP
pear before you in compliance with the re-
quest of several OF your number, to tell what
I know personally having a bearing upon
the infamous ehargesmade against,the char
acter of Samuel j. Tiiden. -
I ave known Mr.. Tilden for more than
twenty years, and up to two years ago,
when he became q candidate for election to
the office of Governor of Now York, be was
generally recognized, without distinction OF
party, IS n OF the most estinlable citlzsns,
as one Of the ablest and most trusted LAZY
yers, and as a scholar of exceptionally thor-
ough and broad culture in political science
and administration.
When the war broke out, as many OF YOU
know, i was residing in Washington City,
where, for fifteen years, / had been dill
gently practising my profession, uncon-
nected with political parties or office, but
not altogether an unobservant or an I'M
interested spectator of public events, and it
SO happened that Twas among the nrst to
realize that rebellion was organizing ana
would surely break out; and it fell to nay
lot, in an humble way, to cooperate with
men Of ability and eminence to ascertain
"DdE pIODdD1N "OulO UO DnC u1d5OSA III Go
first attempted by the rebels, and then to
organize the most effective means available
for defeating them.
Mr.. Stanton went into office as Secretary
of Wa in January, 1862, and his
ment was received with the greatest favor
by the Democratic as We'll as the Republic
can press, as the evidence Of a cordial union
of all parties in the great work of sustaining
the national Government, and because he
was then generally believed to possess those
thigh qualities which afterwards made him
such a gigantic figure in the history Of the
times. Before and after his period Mr..
Tlden was called to Washington to counsel
with both the President and the Secretary
of War; and to the latter. at that time, he
was especially welcome, because, although
he had opposed the war, as long as it seemed
possible to avert it, and until it had actually
gone beyond recall, in which he was in full
sympathy with the President and many
other distinguished Republicans; yet, now
that there was no escape from it, he urged
earnestly its most vigorous prosecution, as
the most effective means of bringing 1t to a
speedy end, and so restricting its unavoid-
able woes and enormous expenditures to the
narr0West practicable compass. 81
When, in 1862, the Government cOnclud-
ed that a Prudent precaution against possi-
BILE wal with England required that the iron
manufacturers of our country should be
able to supply US with gun barrel iron, it
asked them to essay its production expert
mentally, and to supply as it was wanted,
5000 tons, at a price that could not yield
much profit. This onerous, but patriotic
duty was undertaken by an establishrnentin.
which Mr.. Tilden was then a director and a
large stakeholder, and to accomplish it they
stopped other highly remuneratiye work,
thereby sacrificing hundreds of thousands OF
dollars, the price, as it turned out being
too low to cover the cost OF production. But
neither he nor any Of his associates have ever
,A 49, -,,,x~ -.a - - 1911.
any claim for Indemnity, as l learned in
Washington last winter. Neither has he or
they asked the Government to receive ths
balance of iron undeliyered under the con
tract, although not more than two-thirds OF
it had been called for when the war closed,
at which time, owing TO the sudden fall of
prices, tile profits on the residue would
have been very large; but the Government
no longer needed the iron, and its credit
was stretched to the utmost to provide for
war debts. Mr.. Tilden and mis- friends
therefore forbere to make any claim TO TING
large amount they might Justly have asked
in this matter.
On a previous occasion, when q great
arose, the Government called
upon the same gentlemen for aid; il asked
them TO construct a large number OF ponder
Gus wrought iron machines each weighing
many tons, "andknown in military engineer
ing as mortar beds, and to accomplish the
object in less than One-quarter of the time
which the Ordnance Department and en9i-
neers of eminence had declared indispensa-
Bile. Reposing confidence in the patriotism Of
these gentlemen, it was explained to them,
that a large number of these huge, unwieldy
structures had suddenly been called for by
Gen. Grant, and not one was to be found in
Il arsenals; that they were necessary to
complete the armament of gunboats, requir-
ed for the most important military campaign
to be made in the West that winter QS62).
4 hn al Nab NO mr. thn Tatnnasao md tho ~. -
berland rivers, to capture Fort Henry and
Donaldson, and TO destroy the Confederate
there gathering, and that a failure to
supply these beds promptly, would greatly
embarrass the expedition, and might defeat
it altogether, by delaying until the waters
OF these rivers fell too low for navigation by
gunboats.
. Nobly did these gentlemen respond to the
confidence repOsed in them by their Gov
eminent. Money to carry on this work
could not then be advanced for the Treasury
had none to spare, it was so far in arrears
for soldiers pay, and the expenses of en-
listing and organizing troops. But these
gentlemen did not hesitate. They opened
their own purses, and, as if by magic, sum
moned into instant activity a multitude of
skilled wOrkmen in different shops and
towns, situate in three different States, no
single establishment or city being able t.
support the number of artisans and tools,
and the different kinds of material with the
promptness and CELEBRITY necessary to meet
the emergency. 1t will crafty you to learn
that this, under the circumstances, almost
impossible task was accomplished considera-
bly, within the time limited, and so enabled
Gen. Grant to complete the armament
of the expedition before the day appointed.
This wonderful performance was only
through the matchless executive
skill of Abram S. Hewitt, who organized
and directed the work, and who was one of
Mr.. Tilden's associates in the Trenton Iron
Company, and like Mr.. Tilden, has in many
ways, and at different times rendered great
and loving service to his country, but never
paraded his well-doing, or sought to make
OF it political or other merchandise.
The account made out against the Govern
ment for performing this great feat of me-
construction, embraced no charge
for profit, interest, agency, personal SER
vice, use of shops, tools, or any thing else,
actual money disbursed for materials
and labor.
After the account was approved and a
voucherissued they had to wait many months
before the Treasury could pay them; green
backs, meanwhile, were depreciating every
daV. so that the money in which thev yuara