The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-15
Mr. TILDEN'S WAR RECORD.
,xIuruoRITATTvE SETTLEMENT By
MN. JOHN BIGELOW


NY DEAR SIN: | have an hDiu'uE i"
\ chat a faisehood never hurts any Out tnosc WV
, ,,opagste IT, II Ia also my convicuou t"H' Nv
an pav a much greater homage to another
Nan TO deliberately misrepresent ulm' -
.,,dIy confession OF weakness and OF IN
60, WIN this sort Of homage no public
- I'm this country, so far as know, mas ever
u so literally favored as MIR. 1iden but
short We r. ago and there was no American
:, ,,uL political prominence who cOuid 10
...,ter extent DO said to receive the praises OF
=. countrymen, without distinction OF party
W no n,-baps, who had euloved fewer Of the
ant. ees Of adverse criticism. From the
ament. however, that he doomed above tho
s,,,on IA a probable niidlte Tor tho Presl-
,ncy until now, the invention OF his political
Assr.arcs has been taxed to the utmost to
,.sd Nhltcycr appetite remained unsatis0ed for
..,mny and scandal. Most of these Inventors
,,.soirprobable aud monstrous that they per
.n IN coming to tho birth. As, however. YOU
,eem to think the charge of disIoyaty during
HE war has been raised to the dignity Of an ex-
,epiion by the recent letter Of Gen. Dix. which
,ou inclose, checrfhlly COMPLY VITA your re-
uuest to furnish what I trust you and those
sner Republican friends In Maine, with
rhom 1t has been my privilege Ia
times past to cooperate. Will regard
s a satisfactory answer. not only To tue
lpsinuation Of Gen. DIX, but to any ana
very other charge or insiauation that mas bcen
er,ny be made IN Impeachment Of the loyalty
or patriotic devotion OF Mr.. ridden To tho Union,
vhather before, during, or since the war % the
repelhon. 10 make this perfectly clear may
be o0lig to task your PATIENCE out l Will Try
lei me first dispose Of the statement OF Gen.
pI. tina Mr.. liiden did not unite In the call
for the great Union meeting ~ New York, after
Ine att lck and surrender ~ Fort Sumter; hut
be refused to attend 1t, though urgently So
bciied to by one Of his own political friends"
The most cha liable constitution To- be put
ppnu tins statement Il that the writer had been
nj informed he certainly could h We had
ptrs,n MI know edge upon the subject. IL VS.
publicly con rtdicted when IL first appeared In
print: IL IA not true I'm point OF fact and. II 1t
bid been, II would ut follow Dy any means that
hr. Tilden did not sympatnize In tile objects VI
the meeting
Mr. III ,eu received formal written invita-
ton, bearing date the 1874 Of April, inviting HIM
10 act as al oricer OF the meeting IN question.
As soon as lie found hin se,f at liberty tie went
10 the proper quarter To ascertain what rcsOiu-
tons we're tn be proposed. aud, on being salts
Bed ia regard to them. then ana there scented
TO tue use his ma Us cue OF the officers II
the meeting. lie not only a-seuted TO such use
Of his name, but himself III actual at
tendance "a ON the meeting and not unls did
be tt-ud this meeting, tut Ouly two days Later
he attended another meeting OF the New iurk
bar. leu $ called for a similar .urpose, and
tonk part On iis deio rtti1n-.
SOW, LEI in- state To NOu rcclsely the attitude
which Mr.. lllden occupied during the war, and
why lie manifested So much eau lon IN any ac-
INl NNltN NilEhA iN Ite~lulllNN lnuNthtt TIE
course of events at tn.t critical moment
IL nas teen NV ptiyileee To know Mr. ri,den
familiAfly bot TO 81, Intimately, during his en-
nrr punIC HE, embracing ueilod OF nearly VI
quite forty years. Du1ng that time. though we
htquenty uttered ABOUT processes. and were
often enlisted under opposing poi .tcil urs1nilt-
nons. and though We took widely different
views Of tue ntiest wa, to meet Iae storm whica
had been atusiing since Tue rete Of Inc Mis-
pouri Comrruni-e, 70 never occurred 10 me for
one moment TO suppose there va. any man in
the country less tolerant tnal h- u The dOc,rine
or latlf IN
hCes To preserve our L lon ana toe republican
Institutions whicn nad been beqde thed ~ as.
A. tue comp ratlYelN Npuflfui aee uf eighteen
year Mr.. lldeu had acquired settled opinions
upon aud shared IA The puzzle discussions "
the subject u secession. In speech At Union
me- etllg ED ~ mon square. u wnich Gen.
DIX PRESIDED. aud IA nil on fish. William Il.
AstinwaIl. james Brown. Andrew Carrisan. aud
many other ltepuO.tcans. "ere Nics-Pfesideuts.
OIL the lstu of SEPTEMBER. lsd5. Mr. lildeu, 10
vndic .tion Of President JOnnsln. Incidentally
hluued L. hrs cary investig ,tion u the subject
OF 800 sstJu, ami the contlusiUns to when he
bben arrived lie sad
The Constitution Of tie TINT ed states is, by Its own
errAsel ~ II act. vit.ln ne sphere u It's powers
norEed, III ANY ntn. n,y, 60 suspend or oOs'rue,
o1 acton ,d ~ Sg s@S fg ls
or secession Nhtfely such ,nect i 81 euptvd To Ur
tlansi cltizrn ,uiatn- III avfi authority OF lie
tsndeu authority ever exl ted.
On the subject Of slavery Mr.. Tllden's opinions
we're no less liked. Though never what used 10
be known ms an AOOltionist, neither was he
tver me advOc tie or apo ogist OF servile labor.
In toe controversy which grew out Of our terri
lOral ecquisitions from Mexico IN lSil. he vas
Tor doing everything To secure those territories
tue benefit Of tue -Ocial and industrial institute
tons OF the North. In IN 4 sense he actsd in
1913 IN opuusiug the extension Of slavery into
any III tue fee territories d, the act VI tue Fed-
brsI Cove nuenti aud sgaiu, IN le1i. When tne
repeal Of the Missouri COMPROMISE VS. at der
consideration ia Congress, aud the na,n q Sec
uonaI controversy urok- out afresh. Mr. iilden
We open ard deemed IN his opposltIon to tie
repeel, In re Ell nee 10 Which hc stated IA let
ter To Mlliaui Kent ia 1850:
nsed an ny Ahae.c a! ~heieyer sacrIaec Of Ia
t uu ~ ~ ~, ~, "a - ue,alse .,ous
purchased Nv aele< ~" ir-dlt,on OF sncen, p,cld.
t-tiOU Vn such quest. 40 .ctNeen sueh parlIos
Accustomed as | was TO converse with Mr..
Iilden freely upon All public questions. even
wnen our views were most at variance. having
always teen in the nd IL OF rradlus evsrytutD,,
wnicn | knew 70 come FROM MS pcu. feel lat
may solely challenge any one ~ pruuuDe par
ticle ~ efiIvnce, eItGrr oral OF IA pfiut. u .ny
win Il very, or auY ,yilencs til4t ia tue course
he felt /. IN cutN 10 oar Ne Ia " 70 not ctualeI
BY lbs usst lad-ueut as 10 Nu.t wa, Wise ,tui
tkht lri t"o nvtt tiinent dhd Tor tue well re
Of ms cou" - Alter the TIRE ,ch witn he sou u
~ io'i, 80 ~ J. am eoI neteht 10 ahirm that
pc hau NJ partisan relations whatever wltn
the siayebO ing states. In letter to the
koenin0 Post, written IN February, 1853, he
,peaNs Ol utin2 tainted by Senator lreston
hlnR as an object Uf IrOscrit ton ~ the
eOuth, aud o. Deng asked II he thOught
Btates
"lsnswercd" said Mr.. Tnden. that u asamattu
~ very hiue co4acque.ce 70 me wnctier Il cO.II or
bOti OUT Al 10 AIt % grtAt CInsfqus4re
ihoula 10 VIII thought Uest iur tlr O.. unlr,."
Every act and every exuressio on of bis during
the war 81 lnr IA ~ IA, come under my cosnl-
rance, was ~ iuil accordance WITH tlis position,
and, what - mUIt. 20 enI4e harmony with tue
whole tenor uf ula lite.
Better than ail person hat knew he com.
pTehvuded Tue iutcouCIabIlIty OF I4s forces
That we're airajlug themselves against eacu
other IA We country. kNa-ecritlu., Ielhap.
tbe danger oi attempting 20 rue tur country "
AsectIoh. phit, he drc.aed II The pant ui vi
ttaIe-in hsttp - posi- pOue is long us pt 50 b o
Va TIE noe, tntDu-n TIE meuiaturial ufnec, 81
nr ana ls Inevitable changes, " 4. olAlus
boilisi ~.
No one contested the force OF bis reasoning
81 TINS hhiJ hul lncy dcrideI his apLreuenr
hohH 81 cNi Ntr 30 pfeHo-teiuti ulI the,
tpptdr u lhr Iinpasatuned multitude IA, I'M
NoIth' thht rrr stnu~r ulys-if to nave be ~
asked ~ uhr co. uis ..isou.l lrleh4s whether ut
Was quite III hia il-ht mud on tie subject
Ia 1850, altrt Tue tatluru vi line DctDcrati,
party at ChdilthtUn-thl uEu he wa thrn al,
bad teen iol sever lhtara wItn4r .Wu II I'm w.,
hical he Gtd not hesitate openly to pro
claim his CONVECTION tuat tue di,sol44luu f tut
DenOcratc partt aud tho atteApL to Rlyer.
The country by uaftY Ike HE Republican, b '
lag no fiatlUn III the southern states. Nuul,
Inevitably result "a ciyiI war. lie Vac asked &,
oil a vacancy In tie delegation from New You
~ the duJuuineu meeting " tus DsmocTati
Convention Ot tnat year Ia baltimore. la tha
bOdY he made Two speeches, Ia wHlCh ni