Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-07-12
Tilden.

GATE LOT frcSluenL Oh tne UD1tcu STATES:
Samuel j. Tilden is the outcome Of st.
Louis If the Convention had searched
the country with a drag-ne il could not
have secured candidate whom the Re
publican party can more willingly ana
unitedly confront, and more easily dis
pose Of His one element OF strength is
the power which has won for him this
nomination in face of the opposition from
his own State, more bitter and determined
than ever before confronted Il candidate in
a National Convention. 1t is his power as
an organizer In that regard Samuel j.
Tiden has few equals in this country.
He has been trained from boyhood up in
the school of the most adroit and cunning
politicians the country has ever known.
Never until he was Governor had he been
anything but manager of the machine, a
manipulation Of the wires, "A concoctor OF
the plots, an adept at all the small, low
arts which have made various political
cpochs in this country Infamous. Since
he became Governor, 1'ilden has put to
good service all the arts he learned in this
school. He has bent every energy in the
achievement of yesterday. He conceived
a policy of remarkable cleverness with
that end in view. He has concentrated
his energies upon the creation Of senti-
mcnt upon which to float his canvass He
has made constant and violent demonstra-
tions for reform; and while his messages
on the Canal frauds were not yet dry from
his pen, he was using them to complete
some link in the chain of the st. Louis
consummation
Before this canvass has long proceeded,
it will be made to appear that the senti.
mcnt and the reform which Tildcn has
converted into crutches for this race are
fictitious and sham. Something over
year ago, when he began a movement
which appeared then to be solely in the
interest of economy and good government,
Mr. Tilden received the warm commcnda-
ton OF the better portion of the Repubi-
can press. On every hand sympathy and
succor were extended to him from sources
whence he had right to expect nothing
but partisan detraction and belittlement
The Utica Herald was prompt to attribute
sincere motives to him, and to promise
sincere Republican support, Its files bear
witness, To It's original intention to cordial
ly sustain him in every right and honest
movement But the campaign against the
Canal thieves had not fairly opened before
ii became evident that Mr.. Tilden cared
nothing for the State and the people, and
was fighting only for himself and his own
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Immediately he turned
Canal reform into an immense partisan
machine. Immediately he made of the
Canal Commission an inquisition, whose
first sole object was to break down the
men not friendly to Tidens ambition, and
to shield from n righteous exposure and
judgment the men who promised him their
aid Immediately he conspired with
Canal thieves whom he could manipulate,
and sought to destroy honest men who re
tanned personal independence with their
honesty He lavished upon the people
report after report from his Commission
during the political campaign, which re-
ports were mere partisan campaign docu-
mcnts prepared AZ The expense Of the
State. Early in that canvass it was com
mon to hear men describe themselves as
"Tildcn Republicans, so general was
desire for new departure in the direction
of honest politics, But rs time passed, rs
motives began to develop, as reform be.
came distorted into a hideous intrigue,
such expressions grew rare. and the end of
the canvass SAW the Republican party sol.
idly united against the adroit intriguer,
and almost wrestling the victory from his
hands.
Gov. Tilden has overreachcd himself
The Clovcn foot has been too i'll concealed
The whole previous character of the manip-
uatOr of Tweed's fraudulent campaigns
in this State shines out in all that Illden
has done since he became Governor With
all his shrcwdneSs he has not enough to
conceal his monsIrous hypocrisy. II is n
sorry hurlesque upon the American system
of popular government, when a National
Convention of great party will thrust
such candidate upon a platform like
that adopted ut ST. Louis, and appeal Ia
the people for his support on such
grounds.
Thus, that cause by which Tildcn hoped
to create IA fictitious capital for the Presi-
dontial campaign becomes, in fact, his
greatest weakness, Honest men, no mat
ter what their political convictions, shrink
from the mockery of false pretense in the
interest of personal aggrandizement But
Tilden has many other elements of posi-
tive weakness In the union of all these
elements, he is probably the weakest can
djdate that 81, Louis could have selected.
lie cannot carry single Western State
that is fairly above the Mason and Dixon
line. The Ohio Democrats hate him with
An abiding hatred. When they threw
their votes for him in the Convention they
gave him the nomination; but they boil
stored him in that emergency TO create the
opportunity to stab him Indiana sympa-
thi2es with Ohio in financial hereSy and
in Tildon hostility These two facts, the
only two in the West where there was Il
glim.acr of hope for the Democracy, are
thus surrendered Weak in the West.
Tldcn's chief weakness is in the Empire
State. The ahlcst and pureSt men of his
party here were opposed ohi> nomination
Many of them viii openly oppose his cleo.
ton. The rank and file of the party has
been aljcnaled by his constant and
Offensive lictalinn i'm lnnnl nmlitics which