The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-07-01

chase the various forms of indebtedness under
which the road labored. and to pay for them in
new issues OF stock, &c. When this had been
done, 1t was found that some three hundred
Thousand dollars of stock in excess of the
amount authorized had been issued. The COM
hittee were called upon to account for this ex-
ira issue, and to tell where the extra stock was.
Ihey referred the inquirers to Mr.. Tilden, who
went away to Europe about this time, and he
has never answered the question SINCE always
putting Off the inquirers to some future day,
which has not yet come. There are lar ge
number of other equally doubtful transactions
with Western roads in which Mr.. Tilden ap-
pears as the prime actor, but they will be
spoken of another day.
When the war threatened, Mr.. Tilden was
found as one of the advocates of compromise.
Everything would be right if only the North
ana south would patch up their differences.
when the war came Mr. Tilden followed his
usual policy of extreme caution, and kept dis
creetly In the back ground. He, however, adj
vlsed that the President should call not for 75-
600 troops, but for 100000 half for immediate
service and half to put into camps of construc.
tlon, tor he foresaw that the war would be of
the most vast dimensions. Beyond this we do
not md MIN doing anything, while the struggle
lind Mr.. Tilden turning up as the friend and
companion of William M. Tweed in the run
ming OF the Democratic party in this State, he
being elected Chirman of the Democratic State
Committee, succeeding Dean Richmond. Mr..
Tilden acted in close union with Tweed until
the war on the Ring was fairly under way.
Then he drew out little; but not all the per-
suasons of the leading men in the famous
Committee of Seventy could induce him to
take hand in the fight against Tweed. He
watched and waited until he saw Tweed and
his crew tottering to their fall and then, when
the final result was no longer doubtful, he
stepped in and lent his undoubtedly able and
powerful assistance to give his old associate a
push toward that State institution to which he
was ultimately brought. When Tweed es-
capped, Gov. Tilden threatened horrible things
against the sheriff who was responsible for il,
but the sheriff still remains in Office, unmo-
Tested, though the Governor could remove him
at any time.
In 1874 Mr.. Tilden was the Democratic can
dictate for Governor of this State, and the "tidal
wave" which in the fall of that year swept
over the country, carried him into Office over
Gov. Dix, the Republican nominee. In the
Legislature his famous Canal Message, which
he had been preparing since the time Of his
election in the previous November. 1t was the
Goverror's fond hope that this Message would
capture 10000 Republican votes, and disin-
tegrate the Republican Party of New York"
These views he expressed repeatedly to num-
Der OF leading Democrats, before the Message
was made public; but, it should be said, be
found very few to agree with him. The main
facts in this celebrated "war on the Canal
Ring" are too fresh in the public mind to need
recapitulation here.
In addition to the offices which have else
where been mentioned as held by Mr.. Tildep,
1T may be added that he was member of the
Constitutional Convention of 1867, and thus sat
as one of the body to remodel the Constitution
which he had assisted to frame in 1916.