Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-10-20
Tildon and the Southern Democracy.


Tilden should be very acceptable can
didate to Southern Democrats, but for
whose reasonable action there would
have been no rebellion and no war.
Those, however, who, like Rutherford b.
Hayes, fought and suffered to save the
Union, and, indeed, all who were true to
the Government when its enemies we're
seeking its destruction, place very diff
ferent estimate upon the character and
conduct of Samuel ]. Tilden Being a
secessionistin theory he was negatively,
If not positively, traitor in practice dur
ing the war. His synipathies were with
the rebels, and not with the Government;
and this one fact, If there was no other
objection to him, ought to settle the
question against him. No man who was
not right in that moment of the nations
peril is fit for the high office to which he
now aspires .-..
The letter Of Mr.. Tilden of Oct. 12,
1860, addressed to the Hon. William
Kent, then Democratic elector in NOM
ination for the State of New York, at a
time when Southern Democrats were
threatening 70 dissolve the Union in the
event OF Mr.. Lincoln's election, contains
distinct avowal of secession doctrine.
He declared in this letter that, while the
trainers of the Constitution did not form
ally recognize or assert the right of Sc
cessions" they left revolution to be or
ganized when il should be demanded by
the public opinion of State" They
" left it la Statel with powerto shape the
tie of the confederation as nation
might break treaty, and to repel coer-
cion as nation might repel invasion"
Especially is this true of a.oompact of
confederation between the States, where
there can beno common arbiter invested
with authorities and powers equally ca
pable with those which courts possess
between individuals for determining and
enforcing just construction and eXecu-
tion OF the instrument" These are Mr..
Tilden's own words. His pen wrote
them and he gave them to the public
when Southern Democrats were declar-
ing the purpose of rebellion in a certain
contingency. John G. Calhoun never
wrote anything worse. He did not claim
that the Constitution in express words
affirmed the right of secession; but he
did claim that il "leftn the right to be
exercised by any State in its discretion.
And this is precisely what Mr.. Tilden
said in 1860, and not word from his
pen or lips has since appeared to show
that he is not of the same opinion still.
This opinion was the basis and is the
explanation of his action when the re-
bellion became an appalling fact. A
conspicuous evidence to this effect we
have in his declinature to sign the call
for the great meeting in Union Square,
IN fhia Cifrr hold Anri1 on 1871 iuot
after the falllof Fort Sumter and when
the City OF Washington was in imminent
peril. Mr.. Samuel Sloan solicited the
use of his name as one of the Vice-Presi
dents of the meeting; and he curtly re-
fused to grant it, saying that he would
do nothing to aid and abet this aboli
tion war" Mr. Sloan finally said to him:
"Mr. Tilden, you will live to regret that
you did not do as I asked" And he re-
piled; 81 think not. have no SYM
pathy with its 1.-THE meetings] object"
Public feeling was stirred to its pro-
foundest depths. Prominent Democrats
at once forgot their partisan feelings and
made common cause with Republicans in
the purpose TO support the Government
and put down the rebellion. Yet Samuel
J. Tilden, as be himself declared, had
"no sympathy" with this movement.
His conduct at this crisis, though not
technically an act of overt treason, rem
dering him liable to punishment, never
theless, had all the moral properties of
the crime. To elevate to the Presidency
one who is stamped with such an inglori-
GUS and infamous record would be dis
grace from which we hope to see the
American people spared.
Nor was Mr.. Tildens course during the
war any improvement upon that which
marked him at the outset. He was the
same man all through-wrong in the be-
ginning and wrong to the end of the
struggle. 1t is well known that he was a
very prominent organizer, member, and
supporter of the "Society for the Diff
fusion of Political Knowledge" and that
this society, month after month, issued
tracts and pamphlets in criticism of the
Government, in finding fault with all its
measures, in seeking to alarm the people,
in attempting to prove that slavery was
right, and that the South had just cause
of offense against, the North, and in en-
deavoring to destroy the public conf
dence in the Administration of Mr.. Lin
coin. Whether the Government would
succeed or fall depended altogether upon
this confidence. MIR. Lincoln was power
less, except as sustained by the people;
and the business to which this society
devoted It's talent and money was to un-
dermine the nations trust in its great
leader aud practically encourage dis
unionists and rebels. Northern men, not
few to their everlasting shame and dis.
aR1or INT htc ht,o
and Samuel j. Tildcn, the man who now
asks Northern people to vote for him, was
one of these unpatriOtic, false-hearted
"Copperheads," deserving the title he
earned as richly Us ever did Vallan-
digham.
The secessionist in theory and the
rebel sympathizer and virtual traitor in
practice was a member of the Demo
cratic committee that drafted the resolu-
tion which proclaimed the war a failure
and demanded that the Government
should seek to negotiate with armed
treason. AS a member. of the Demo.
cratic ConventionSof 1864 he accepted
this resolution. He did not oppose it.
1t expressed the doctrine of the Demo
cratic party at the time, and the doctrine
OF Mr.. Tffden as one Of its prominent
leaders. A more infamous utterance
never camefrom any body of men. The
people puttheir feetanpon the resolution
and stamped it into The dust, as they did
upon those VINO stood upon such an in
famous PLATFORM The soldiers in~the
field resented il an insult and spit
upon It With absolute contempt They
proposed,sto conquer the rebellion, and
not to negotiate with it; and this is Just
what every true andioyal heart proposed,
and Just shat tho Democratic party and
Mr., TildeR did mot propose. ~
So far asAIr. Pilaen has any record at
all during the war, whether positive or
negatives We. find him fundamentally
wrong-wrong In theory and wrong in
practice. There Is. nodiiiicuIty in ascer-
tanning what Gen. Dix, or Daniel s, Dick
inson, ar rutherford b. Hayes, or hun,
dreds .ofs others didsto sustain the Gov
ernmentj but when we come TO the u Re-
form, ~ n IA ~ Ato o. 4aot,l...ag-...