The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-08-19
TILDEN'S WAR RECORD. F.,

The ablest speech made in Congress during
the late session is admitted TO have been that
of Mr.. Hewitt OF the 10th district, New York,
in reply to a brutal attack on Gov. Tilden by
kasson, Of Iowa. 1t was almost Mr.. Hewltts
first speech during the session, and while it
took the House by surprise, it utterly oyer
whelned and COMPOUNDED Kasson. The dis.
patches say:
| HE met and disproved every one of the
charges affecting Gov Tildens integrity, of
his union sentiments, his course during the
war, his position with reference to the Tweed
ring, his connection with railroad corpora
tons, in fact, his whole political history He
spoke IN emphatic terms generating Tilden
from every charge against him. Mr.. Hewitt
makes no pretense as an orator. He is plain,
business man, but on this occasion he seemed
| to speak IN a manner unaccOuntable to his
friends and surprising to himself. He knew
Gov. Tilden. He was his personal and init
mate friend and associate. His record was
perfectly familiar IN all Its particulars, and
he was prepared to speak with a full knowl.
edge of what he was talking about. His
whitening sarcasm and invective as addressed
to kasson have had no parallel in this excit-
| ing session of congress. The days of Blaine
and Hill were tame in comparison to this
philippe which was uttered by Mr.. Hewitt"
In the course of the speech Mr. Hewitt
read the following dispatch from Manton
Marble, former editor Of the New York
IVorLd, aud a man Of spotless purity and in
tegrty, in reference to Tildea's war record:
NEW LEBANON, N. Y, Aug. l5.-To Hon.
A. G. Hewitt, House of Representatives,
oh in ptn rod md
shown me. Although Mr. Tilden was for 10
years previous to the war and during the war
| in private life his position in respect to the
war was never open to the slightest doubt.
He had been early educated to c. ndemn the
doctrine of notification and secession. He
had foreseen the danger of the civil war when
many derided it, and did all he could to
avoid it, but when it arrived he took an open
and decided support IN favor of the govern
nents enforcing its jurisdiction and averting
a ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the country. He attend
ed the meeting of the Goth of April, 1861, and
again on the 22d Of April the meeting of the
members of the New York bar. He soon af-
ter addressed a regiment setting out for the
front. He attended the presentation of colors
to the 10Th Highlanders and afterwards af-
| fOrded that regiment special aid and service,
to say nothilg of frequent contributions else
where. His attitude throughout the war was
that of man disapprovlng of the military
management and the initiation financial poll
cy adopted by the administration, because
they tended to prolong the war and increase
| its sacrifices. Nevertheless he sustained the
arm of the government Every utteranCe of
his during the whole war was IN accord with
this position. Every statement to the contrary
about any single act or expression is totally
false. Some of his speeches | heard myself
particularly a great speech which he made
before the New York delegation at the Chi
cago democratic convention OF 1864 | was
the bearer of a message from him to Gen. Nc
Clelan advising him to discard the objection
able words In the platform which were also
discarded IN the subsequent platform OF the
New York democratic convention. l have
possession of the original manuscript OF
declaration which was prepared in October,
1862, to be used to define the position of the
New York Democracy, the position which
he thought it ought to take and which he did
take. l select this from among many express
sons for its brevlty: 1t is as follows: And
now If my voice could reach the southern
people through the journals of our metropo-
| lis, | would say to them that Ia no event can
the triumph of the conservative sentiment OF
New York IN the election mean consent to
disunion either now or hereafter. Its true
import is the restoration, north and south, of
| that constitution which nad secured every
right under whose shelter all had been happy
and prosperous until you madly fed from its
protection. 1t was your act which began this
calamltous civil war. 1t was your act which
disabled us, as we are now disabled, from
shaping the policy or limiting the objects of
that war. Loyalty as we maintained your
rights we will maintain the rights of the gov
ernment. We will not strike down its arm
as long as yours IS lifted against it. That
noblest and greatest work of our wise ances.
tors is not destined to perish. We intend to
rear once more upon the old and firm founda-
ton its shattered columns and to carry them
higher toward the eternal skies. If the old
flag waves in the nerveless grasp OF frantic
but feeble faction to whom you and not we
abandoned it; if we whose courage you had
tried when we stood unmoved between fana.
ticism and folly from the north and south
alike will once more bear it onward and aloft
until it is again planted upon the towers of
the constitution; invincible by domestic as
by foreign enemies, within the union we will
give you the constitution you profess to revere
renewed with fresh guarantees OF equal rights
and equal safety. We will give you every
thing that local selfgOvernment demands,
everything that common ancestry of glory,
everything that national fraternity or Chris
tian fellowship requires; but to dissolve the
federal bond between those states, to dismem-
Der our country, whoever else consents We
will not. No! never! never! never!'
MANToN MARBLE.