Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-07-08
SAMUEL. TILDEN.
The Democratic Nominee for the Pres.
idency Of the United States.
New York World.

/ AuCAC3 va Aut OUtttU StAttNs
New York World.
Gov Tilden was born at New Leb-
anon, iii thescounty of Columbia and
State of New York, Ia the year 1914
the year which ruined the fortunes
of the great Napoleon. One of his
ancestors, Nathaniel Tilden, was
Mayor of the city of Tendterden, Kent.
England, in 1923.
From his father Gov. Tilden inher-
tied taste for political inquiries, and
in his companionship enjoyed peculiar
opportunities for acquiring an early
familiarity with the bearings of the
various questions which agitated our
| country in his youth.
Young Tilden entered college in his
eighteenth year. The fall of 1892,
when he was to enter college, was rem
.dered memorable by the second cleo
tion of Gen. jackson to the Presiden-
cy and Martin Van Buren to the Vice
Presidency of the United States, and
of William i. Marcy to the Governor
ship of the State of New York. In
that contest an effort was made to ef-
feet a coalition between the National
Republicans and the Anti Masons.
The success of the Democracy depend
ed upon the defeat of that coalition.
Samuel heard the subject discussed in
the family, and was especially i'm
pressed by what fell from the lips of
an uncle who deplored his inability to
"wreak his thoughts upon expression"
Samuel disappeared for two or three
days, and in the seclusion of his cham
Der proceeded to set down the views
he had gathered upon the subject, and
in due time brought the result to his
father, at once the most appreciative
and the least indulgent critic of his
acquaintance. The father was so
highly pleased with the paper that he
took his son to see Mr.. Van Buren,
then at Lebanon Springs, to read it to
him. They found so much merit in
the performance that they decided it
should be published with the sigma
lures ofa dozen or more leading Dem
Gratis, and it shortly after appeared In |
the Albany Argus as an address, oc-
cupying about half a page of that |
print, and from which it was copied /
into most of the Democratic papers in |
the State. The Eevening Journal
it to the pen of Mr.. Van Buren,. and |
the Albany Argus paid it the greater |
compliment of stating "by authority"
that Mr.. Van Buren was not the au-
thor.
Mr.. Tilden had not been long at
Yale College before his health gave
way, and obliged him to leave. After
some rest he was enabled to resume 1
his studies, and IN 1884 entered the |
University of New York, where he
completed his academic education. |
He then entered the law Office of the |
late John w. Edmunds, in the city of
New York, where he enjoyed peculiar
facilities for the prosecution of his fa- |
vorite studies of law and politics.
Upon his admission to the bar, Mr.. I
Tilden opened an Office in Pine street,
in the city of New York.
In 1874, in anticipation and prepa-
ration for the election which resulted
in making James X. Polk President,
and Silas Wright Governor of the
State of New York, Mr.. Tilden, in
connection with John L. O'Sullivan,
founded the newspaper called the
Daily News.
In the fall of 1916, he was sent to
the Assembly from the city of New
York, and while a member of that
body was elected to the convention for
the remodeling of the constitution of /
the State, which was to commence its
sessions few weeks after the Legis-
lature adjourned. In both of these
bodies Mr.. Tilden was conspicuous
authority, and left a permanent i'm
preston upon the legislation of the /
year. and especially upon all the new
constitutional provisions affecting the
finances of the State and the manage
ment of its system of canals.
The defeat of Mr.. Wright In the
fall of 1916, and the GOODNESS which
had grown up between the friends of
President Polk and the friends of the
late President Van Buren, resulted
fortunately for Mr.. Tilden, if not for
the country, in withdrawing his atten-
ton from politics and concentrating it
upon his profession. He inherited no
fortune, but depended upon his own
exertions for livelihood.
During the winter Of 1860-61 he at.
tended meeting of the leading men
of both parties in the city of New |,
Y York, to consider what measures were
necessary and practicable to avert an
armed collision between what were
then termed the free and the slave /
States. To the North he urged recon
ciliation and forbearance, appreciatiDg /
as he did more clearly than most of |
those around him the fearful and dis |
astrous consequences of a civil war,
whatever might prove its ultimate re-
suit. To the South he urged defer !
ence to the will of the majority and a |
respect for the provisions of the Fed !
eral Constitution, within which they
would be sure of adequate protection |
for themselves and for their property |
but he warned them that outside of |
the Constitution they could expect |
protection for neither.
When the war did come, Mr.. Tilden |
associated himself with and was the |
private adviser Of Mr.. Dean Rich
mond, then at the head of the Demo-
cratic party of this State, and who was |
accustomed on all important questions
to visit Mr.. Tilden In his retirement |
and seek his counsel.
At meeting held at the house of |
Gen. Dix, just after the first call of
President Lincoln for 10000 troops,
Mr.. Tilden was present and participa-
ted in the discussions which took |
place. He then and there expressed |
the opinion that they were on the eve |
of a great war, and maintained that |
instead of 10000 troops Mr.. Lincoln |
should have called out at least 800, 900, |
half for immediate service and the |
other half to be put In camps of in
struction and trained for impending
exigencies. Unhappily that genera
.tion had seen so little OF war, and had
Anch limited means of comprehending
the rapidity with which the war spirit,
once lighted, will spread among the
people, that it was not competent to
appreciate the wisdom of this advice,
which, if adopted, would probably
have prevented the necessity of any
further increase of military force.
With his reform record in New
York since the war the reader is
doubtless familiar.
Mr.. Tilden is now in the sixty-third
year of his age. He is FIVE feet ten
inches in height, and he has what
psychologists call the purely nervous
temperament, with its usual accompa-
niment spare figure, blue eyes, and
fair complexion. His hair, originally
chestnut, is now partly silvered with
age.