National Republican., 1876-09-16
MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY.

In 1S4S the FreeISoilers of Kane county,
Illinois, held meeting at Elgin, which
was addressed by William B. Ogden, John
F. Farnsworth and others in favor of Van
Buren and Adams for President and Vice
President The movement defeated Cass
and elected Taylor. This was twenty
eight years ago, and Ogden was then and
has ever since been the friend Of Tilden.
But their business relations have been
closer ever since that time than they had
ever been before. Ogden was then just
beginning the Galena and Chicago Union
railway, which he built and managed
honestly for some years. Itwas the cheap
est road in the country, It's average cost
was only about $4,000 per mile, and
every land holder on the line almost held
stock in it. They looked upon the road
with pride and said, at is our road" The
road prospered and paid good dividends to
the stockholders, besides carrying their
produce to market cheaply, until in an evil
hour Samuel J. Tilden persuaded Ogden to
consolidate this line with some worthless
lines which Tilden had bought in for
song at mortgage sale, under the title of
the Chicago, St. Paul's and Fon Du Lac
road. Then the stock of the Galena and
Chicago Union fell down and its cost per
mile ran up, and the dividends stopped
and the rates of freight were advanced 73
per cent, and last of all, the consolidated
road failed and had to be sold to pay its first
mortgage, and thus the farmers lost their
stock. But Tilden and Ogden bought in the
road for the bondholders (''s part OF whom
they was which and reorganized it as the
Chicago and Northwestern railway. By
these ira sactions TildeR and Ogden
cleared some fifteen or twenty millions for
themselves and their associates. Of course,
the "Grangers" got nothing but advanced
rates of freights taxed upon their farm
produce, and they scratched their headsa and
said "D-n the road !" Ogden was an old
New Yorker of the Van Buren stripe, and,
like Tilden, was in his youth pet of the
Van Buren family. 1t is little singular
that these fellows should all turn up Demo
Gratis after thirty years, when they have
become old and selfish and conservative,
and nearly all on the Democratic ticket.
Charles Francis Adams, always deemed an
eligible candidate, has never been elected
TO anything but Congress, and then only as
a straight-out Republican. Tilden has
generally adhered to the Copperhead Dem
ocratic organization. Ogden, though nomi-
nally Free Soil Democrat, has taken but
little active part in politics. He has been
kept busy looking after his immense rail
way and landed interests. The advance in
real estate in Chicago alone during the last
twenty five years should have made him
worth little less than twenty-five millions.
His railway interests have not impoverished
him. Like TildeD, he has lived an old
most of his life, and very hand
some one he was John T. Farnsworth
has for years been trusted by the Republi-
cans and kept in Congress by them six or
seven terms. He got sore-headed one
day, because the party failed to
hurrah for Greeley when he did, and now
We see that he, too, like Mr.. Adams, has re-
Joined his old Free Soil friends in the Demo
cratic fold. Farnsworth' has been nomi-
mated by the Democrats of his district for
Congress. He will accept, and will be
badly beaten, for General Hurl5ut is far
superior TO him in all respects.
Thirty years ago these men were men Of
progress. The Democratic party was too
slow for them, and they split it because
that its leaders would not take their advice
and make them or their friends its leaders.
In short, they wanted to rule. Because
they could not within the party they
turned around and defeated the party.
Just so now, Adams and Farnsworth, af-
ter having been loaded with honors by the
party, turn to rend it because
they cannot rule it. And in doing so re-
join their old companions of 1s4S. Well,
it is trite old saying that cold fools are
the worst FOOLS" and it is as true In poll
tics as it is in love.