The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-10-14
TILDEN'S WAR RECORD.

| Geter II. watson, assistant secretary VI war
under Lincoln, in speech delivered the 9th.
er day at Ashtabula, O., said:
| When war broke out, as many OF you know,
| was residing in Washington City. Two
capital moves contemplated by the rebels, to
be made in March, 1861, would never have
been defeated but for the patriotic efforts OF
| great and good men who had always been
active members Of the democratic party.
Many of these men who voluntarily rendered
the highest service to the government neither
sought reward or acknowledge their high
sense of the duties of citizenship forblddlng
| Yet most of these men have since been UP
PANTY denounced as traitors, or sympathizers
with treason, by persons who never rendered
to their country any service not enforced.
Among these praiseworthy men, whose merl-
torious actions came more particularly under
| my notice and who have been specially out
ragged and DETAINED by charges of unf4lthtul,
| ness to their country, | will mention three OF
| the most eminent-Samuel }. Tlden, j. w.
Garrett, and Abram 5. Hewitt.
WHAT MR. LINCOLN REJoICED OVER.
Assurances of loyalty were given to Mr..
Lincoln by leading northern democrats,
among whom was Mr.. Tilden. But, while
Loyalty supporting the government, 1t was
not their purpose to abandon the organiza-
ton OF the democratic party, but to maintain
liz, and to contest all elections with the repsb,
Leans, whose party measures, 70 maintain
party ascendency, any good citizens might OPP
pose or support while II was the highest du-
ty of every citizen to uphold the government
in its measures to put down the rebellion.
Mr.. Lincoln in more OF spirit of exultation
than was usual with that great and magnani-
nous but sad and melancholy man, remarked
that he felt assured that in the great duty of
defending the nation he would be supported
BY substantially the unanimous bayonet OF
the whole people of the north, without dis
tinction Of party. ........
He then playfully remarked that if the
democrats should continue to behave as hand
somely as they had begun, he could not an
swer for it that he would not himself become
as good democrat as Mr. Stanton.
Mr.. Stanton went into office as secretary of
war in January, 1862 Before and after this
period Mr.. Tllden was called to Washington
TO counsel with both the president ard secre-
tary of war, and to the latter at that time he
was especially welcome, because he urged
earnestly the more vigorous prosecution of the
war as the most effective means OF bringing it
TO a speedy end, and so restricting It's una
voidable woes and the enormous expenditures
to the narrowest practicable compass.
HOW TILDEN GAVE UP HONEST PROFIT to-
HELP THE WAR.
When in 1862 the government concluded
that a prudent precaution against possible
war with England required that the iron
of our country should be able |
to supply us with gun.barrel iron, it caused
them to essay its production experimentally,
and to supply, as was wanted 5000 tons at "A
price that could not yield much profit. This
onerous but patriotic duty was undertaken
by an establishment in which Mr.. Tilden was
then director and large stockholder and
to accomplish it they stopped other highly |
work, thereby sacrificing hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, the price, as It !
turned out, being too low to cover the cost of
production
But neither he nor any CT his associates
have ever set up or even intlmated a desire
to make any claim for ldemnity. as l learned
in Washington last winter. Neither has he
or they asked the government to receive the
balance of iron undelivercd under the con. |
tract, although not more than two-thirds of
it had been called for when the war closed,
at which time, owing to the sudden fall In
prices, the profit on the residue would have
been very large; but the government no long
er needed the iron, and its credit was stretch
ed to the utmost to provide for war debts.
MI. llutn uuu HlS lOTDOTc
to make any claim to the large amount they
might justly have asked In this matter.
GRANT OWING HIS FIRST VICTORY TO TILDRN.
On previous occasion, when great emer.
gency arose, the government called upon the
same gentlemen for aid II asked them to con.
struct Il large number of ponderous wrought
iron machines, each weighing many tons,
and known IN military engineering as mortar
.,In auI 10 ,.,l H.. -. Lee.
than one.quarter of the time which the ord.
nance department and engineers Of eminence
had declared Indispensable. Reposing conf
ience In the patriotism OF these gentlemen, it
was explained 10 them that a large number of
these huge unwieldy structures had sudden
Iy been called for by Gen. Grant, and not one
was to be found In our arsenals; that they
were necessary to complete the armament of
gunbOats required for the most Important
military campaign to be made in the west
that winter lSG2l, the advance up the Ten.
nessee aud Cumberland rivers TO capture
Forts Henry and Donelson, and to destroy the
confederate army there gathering, and that "A
failure to supply these beds would greatly
embarrass the expedition and might defeat it
altogether, by delaying until the waters of
these rivers fell too low for navigation by
Cunboats.
Ill'DEN AND HEWITT GIVING THEIR CREDIT 1
TO THE GOVERNMENT
Nobly did these gentleman respond la the
reposed in them by their govern.
ment Money To carry on this work could
not then be advanced. But these gentleman
opened their own purses, and summoned into
instant activity multitude of skilled work
men in different shops and towns, situate in
three different states. II will crafty you 10
learn that this almost impossible task was
accomplished considerably within the time,
and enabled Gen. Grant TO complete the arm
lment of the expedition. This wonderful per
Iormancc was only achieved through the
matchless executive skill OF Abram s Hewitt.
VINO was one of Mr.. Tilden' associates in the
Trenton Iron Company, aud, like Mr.. Tilden,
has in many ways and at different times ren
lered great and loving service 10 his counlry,
but never paradcd his well doing
The account made out against TIE govern.
ment for performing this great fea, of mech.
4