The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-09-14
An" Independent" View of the Charges
Against Tilden.
[springHeld (hlass.) Republican,

A man like Mr.. Tilden is not to be
convicted except upon that sort of evi-
dence. He is not new man. He has
lived over sixty years among his neigh
bors. During nearly forty of these years
his life has been one of unusual activity
and publicity, He has been in the front
rank of professional and political strife,
a conspicuous figure visible to all. How
does it happen that these charges are not
heard of until he is nominated for the
Presidency, and it has become the duty
of one set of party organs to blacken him
How does it happen that he has passed all
these years, even with the austerely vir-
tuous New York Tines, for an honest,
clean-handed gentlemen? How did he
chance to get such a testimonial as this
from Horace Greeley at moment when
the latter was profoundly angry with
him at that: "But this 1 will say for
you, that l am confident that you have
never sought to enrich yourself by poll
tics, or at the expense of the public
that whatever of wealth you may have
acquired or enjoyed was earned in your
profession as lawyer-and that your in
stincts and influences, partisanshipapart,
have generally been felt on the side of
economy in public expenditure and up
rightness in the conduct of public af.
fairs" How came General Dix, only
year before last, to publicly speak of Mr..
Tilden's proved aptitude and capacity
for reform work? How does it happen
that Republican lawyers, merchants, and
capitalists in different parts of the coun-
try, who have had dealings with Mr..
Tilden, come forward of their
own motion to testify that they have
found him the impersonation of recti-
tude and honor? In his pro-
fession Mr.. Tiiden has been classed with
the OConors and Evartses; not with the
Fields, Spencers and Shealmans. A man
of this sort, of this record, of these as
sociations, is not to be convicted on
campaign assertion or even er-parte evil
dence. He is entitled to his character,
just as Mr.. Morgan and Governor Hayes
are entitled to theirs, as specific charges
have been made against both these gen.
tlemen. Prima facie cases have been
made out. Governor Hayes is charged
with appropriating S400, the property of
dead bounty-jumper. Nobody, not
even the most demonstratively scandal
lied Democratic journalist, believes a
word of it. Mr.. Morgan is already ac-
cused of buying a 100000 railroad
the Troy and Schenectady-for S75, 900 ;
of taking advantage of the Legal-tender
Act to cheat a worthy ship master, etc.,
etc. He has made good deal of money
in railroads, and he has the name of
spending it literally in politics-quite as
literally as Mr.. Tilden. No doubt old,
unpleasant stories will be raked up
again. If Mr.. Morgan is entitled to his
character, then Mr.. Tilden is entitled to
his. If it had been blown upon, as
Blaine's was, that would be another af-
fair. Common report and common sus-
picion had long been busy with Mr..
James G.. Blaine; when the disclosures
came, they merely confirmed, they didn't
startle. The case stands very differently
with Mr. Tilden. He has not been under
moral surveillance.
We shall continue to note the Repub-
lican discoveries about him as they are
made; that is our business as a news
paper. We don't regard those already
made as furnishing reasons why anybody
who feels $50 disposed should refrain
from voting for him. There are good
and sufficient reasons, as it seems to us
We don't doubt that Tilden would try to
do the work that needs doing; but il
will be against more formidable obstacles
with less help, under more unpropitious
conditions, than Mr.. Hayes. We desire
the latter's election, accordingly. But
we intend to treat Mr.. TIlden as fairly
in this canvass as we do Mr.. Hayes, and
we don't propose to do any hitting under
the belt. If Mr.. Hayes wants any such
dirty work done for him, the organs will
no doubt, be happy to oblige But the
Republican is not that sort of paper