Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-09-29
John Tyler, Jr, on the Situation.



Sir-Your letter and postal-card found
me here, finally, at the residence of my
sister. In Baltimore "Now that the
Presidential nominations are made,"
you saw, T" ] desire TO hear from you on
thc.situationp And you give me to un-
derstand that you wish an answer such
as L would address to thoughtful
miads''in the South, who, like you and
myself, gave all we had to the Southern
Confederacy during the recent war.
You would have me address myself to
Thoughtful minds" win thoughtful
minds" think of these facts associated
with the triumphant Democracy in the
past, when adexterous q New York polit-
ical intFiguant was Presidents And
should this not be enough to engage the
thouphtS- OF thouphffrl minds, let their
cogitations be directed TO the further
fact-that these same New York Demo
Gratis, together with those of Indiana, as
well as those of Pennsylvania and the
balance of the North and West, with
Messrs. Tilden and Hendricks, Seymour
and Blair Randall and the rest of them,
after having, through their alliance
with the South, led the South into
the recent war of secession, basely de-
serted the South IN their peril, and took
up arms aganstthe Southern people, and
in the war became the most destructive
soldiers to Southern property in the field,
In the light of these facts and circnrn-
stances, is it asked of me now, as a
Southern man, and from a Southern
standpoint, to put them in possession of
the Government, so that they may enjoy
all of its chief honors and emoluments,
forthe sake of few crumbs that may
be Scattered to the people of the South
from their rich and abundant official Ia
blds3 As complete and absolute as was
thenegation of all principle, honor and
character on the part of the Democrats
of the South in 1872, when in that foul
greed for Office which has always marked
the Democracy, whether at the South or
North, they indorsed and sustained Ho-
race Greeley for the Presidency, yet even
that was more excusable than their pres
ent support. of the g War Democracy" of
the NORTH and West, through their advo
cacy of Tho ticket of Tilden and Hen
bricks, for in the former case IL may be
said they generously respected an open,
frank and manly enemy, whereas in the
latter case they are sustaining before the
world treachery as a principle, and the
imBefsOnations Of Punied fdes. -
Sooner than sustain Greeley in 1872
sustained Grant. Why? My reasons
were, sci, forth at the time in the speech
sent you, made by me on the Capitol
grounds in Tallahassee. Greeley as a
propagandist, socialist, and an aboli-
zionist, in control of the most widely
disseminated and influential journal in
the United States, had educated the
minds of the Northern agrarian and com
munistic masses into hatred of the
Southern people, and had wrought up in
them the resolution of war against the
South, to overthrow its institutions and
to secure to themselves either mediately
ofI1nfne ediately the landed occupation of
the Sodth, and no man lived in the
United States who was so responsible
for tho Gb1oodshed and ruin occasioned
by the war as Horace Greeley.
Now, again, in 1875, sooner than sus-
tain, Tilden l shall sustain Hayes. AS a
Southernman, / want no second Martin
Van Buren, as President. There are
thousands yet who live and remember
the treacherous conduct of Mr., Van
Buren to the South on the Texas ques-
tion, as well as on other questions no
less vital to the South, and this, too,
after,the Southern people had elevated
him to the Presidential Office For one l
cannot forget the facts of history thus
associated with Mr.. Van Buren, nor can
cease to remember that Samuel j. Til
den in 1851 proved himself equally
treacherous to the South, and as unwor-
thy of Southern confidence in an issue
still more vital to the South than any
that yet had engaged the public councils.
But Mr.. Tilden is an honest man, it is
said, and protiers to the people an honest
and economical administration of the
Government. Economy and reform are
written on his banners, and his war upon
the fsEeed ring and the Canal ring in
New York give assurance, it is also said,
that as President he will purge the Gov
ernment of the United States likewise of
all official corruption. His supporters,
moreover strangely assert that he COM
menced life poor in this worlds goods,
yet through manly energy and industry,
although an honest man, has made him
self enormously rich professionally and
apart from his role as a New York poll
tician. If this be so, then John Ran
dolph should appear with his black
swan, and Diogenes be raised from the
tomb with his lantern. These are, how
ever; all mere partisan cries, and those
who are willingly credulous may believe
them if they please; but with regard to
the idea of ID Kew York politician, from
poverty, becoming honestly enormously
rich, simply say, the thing would be
impossible.
AS to his having purged the Democrat
ic party of some of the usual corrupt
practices and. corrupt men that have pre-
vailed in it'since its first incipiency un-
der Andrew jackson, it cannot be denied
that his war upon the Tweed ring was a
most capital card on his part, in view of
the gubernatorial office, where it landed
him. 4 Nor is it less worthy of note that,
while beating down Tweed, he as siren
uously upheld and maintained as lead
er of the New York Democracy the most
famous professional gambler in the Unit
ed States; and that this gambler, John
Merfissey, as member of the st. Louis
Convention, was chief fugleman in pro-
curing his nomination for the Presiden-
tial office. Nor is it of less interest that
at this very time, throughout the length
and breadth of the land, multitudes of
political journals gratefully acknowledge
mis- bounteous hand and applaud his gen
erosity. Wonderfully honest, unselfish,
apfight, sincere and patriotic, indeed, is
this candidate of the Democracy, through
whotnl they hope once more to possess
themselves of the honors and emoluments
of ,theFGoYernmentl -. a.. 49,.
When, moreover, it is considered that
there are one hundred thousand offices,
State and Federal, involved in the pres
ent struggle of the Democracy to attain
possession of the Government through
Mr. Tilden, and that there is an average
of at least ten aspirants in the Democrats
ie ranks for each Office, making one mill-
ion OF, men actively engaged in the con
testswith no other object whaIever, and
who, together with their family in
fiuences, are thus interested personally,
we can readily understand all their parti-