New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-10-05
TILDEH's WAR. RECORD.

To answer the charges of disloyalty the
Democrats are making laughable efforts to
create war record for Mr.. Tilden that
shall be acceptable to the Union soldier
and Southern Democrat. It has been
shown that the man with the barrel OF
money was opposed to sending troops into
the Southern States for the purpose of
suppressing the rebellion. BE argued
that the States had right to secede from
the Union. He said that officers Of the
army who invaded Southern territory for
the purpose of prosecuting the war against
rebellion were liable to be sued for tres
pass His opinion as leading lawyer, so
expressed, was calculated to retard the
enlistment and equipment of troops in
New York. When spilled to for contri-
buttons to raise regiments, as all rich men
were solicited to give of their means, Mr..
Tilden refused to aid the Union cause in
that way, saying he would sooner give
money to bring soldiers home than send
them forward. His position in the contest
was that ofan anti-war Democrat, known at
the North as the Copperhead. His record
was similar to that of Hendricks, and the
poisonous men who composed the Chicago
peace convention of 1864. While this
may be acceptable to the solid South,
such record does not satisfy the North
ern and Western Democrats who were
honest enough to join the Union army.
The Northern Democrat can overlook all
such little indiscretions as refusing to
make correct income returns, but if he
shouldered his musket in the Union cause
he can not quite stomach the man who
sneered at and opposed his best efforts.
Seeing how the soldiers voted in Maine
and Vermont, and how they are likely to
vote in all free States, it became necessary
for the National Democratic Campaign
Committee to cook up war record for
Samuel They could not show the wounds
in his sides, or print any old speeches
urging young men to join the army, but
they have made record, nevertheless,
which tells how he suffered for his coun-
try in the times that tried mems souls.
The record is found in speech lately de-
livered in Ohio by Mr.. Peter h. Watson.
Mr.. Watson was once Assistant Secretary
Of War under President Lincoln. He
says he appears now on the stump to de-
fend Mr.. Tlden, as if such man needed |
. defender. In the course of his defense
he says:
When in 1862 the government concluded |
that prudent precsuti0n against possible /
war with England required that the iron |
% n, Of orr country should be
urged them to essay ito production expert.
mentally, and to supply ~ it was wanted
six thousand tons ct price that could not
yield much profit. This onerous but pa
triotic duty WAS undertaken by IN estab-
lishment in which Mr.. Tlden WAS then
director and large stakeholder, and to &C.
complish it they stopped other highly re.
dreds of thousands Of dollars, the
price, - it turned out, being too
low to cover the cost of production.
But neither he nor any of his associates
have ever cot up or even intimated q de-
sire to make any claim for indemnity, a.
learned in Washington last winter. Neither
has he or they asked the government to re-
,eive the balance of iron undelivered un-
der the contract although not more than
me war closed, at which time. owing to the
!udden fall of prices, the profits on the resi-
tue would have been very large: but the
government no longer needed the iron, and |
to credit was stretched to the utmost to ,
provide for war debts. Mr.. Tilden and his
riends therefore forebore to make any
lain to the large amount they might
Justly have asked in this matter.
Further on in his defense Mr.. Watson
ellis how the government at one time re- ,
Iuired the construction Of large number {
t pom derous wrought iron machines,
7eighipg many tons, known as mortar ,
eds; the capture of several forts and the
onsequent crippling Of the Confederate
rmy depended on the employment of the 9
lortars. Tilden and the chairman of q
le National Democratic Committee were g
lady to take the mortar contract. Mr.. f
Iatson says:
Nobly did these gentlemen respond to .
10 confidence rep0sed IN them by their :
'vernment. Money to carry on this work \
'uld not then be advanced. But these n
sntlemen opened their own purses and
lmmoned into instant activity q multitude P
skilled workmen in different shops and "
WINS, situated in three different States. It | !;
ill crafty you to learn that this almost IL
apostolic task was accomplished consid- &
ably within the time, and enabled Cen :,
al Grant to complete the armament of :
9 expedition. This wonderful perform.
ice was only achieved through the match. N
ss executive skill of Abram s. Hewitt, -,
no was one of Mr. Tilden's associates in 81
9 Trenton Iron Company, and, like Mr.. C
lden, has in many ways and at different NJ
mes rendered great and loving service to
. country, but mover psraded his we'll m
ing. til
Great and loving service to his coun- b,
=" There was man bowling and smil- to
to Southern Democrats, urging on VI
itors and treason by trying to make it
Confederate appear the better cause pl
Southern eyes, while he at the same nj
le was making frequent journeys to nc
'shington for the purpose of securing an
1tracts to supply the Northern army In
n the terrible weapons used to kill hi
1thern soldiers. It is such record as n.
could expect to read of Samuel Til oa
4; but it is surprising that it should he
found in the columns of the New c.
TX World. Mr.. Watson says his can. of
ate lost money on his iron contract, cr;
that he was still willing to trust the
of the United States so far ~,