The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1876-08-24
TiIden at the Outbreak Of the War.


TiIden at the Outbreak Of the War
Mr.. Tilden has n war record which
is now, as it has always been, emil
nently satisfactory to Jefferson Da-
Wis whatever other people may think
about it. It began iu public way
on Saturday, April 20, 1861. On
that day the largest mass meeting
over held on this Continent was con-
vened in Union square, New York
City, to give encouragement to
Abraham Lincoln in the opening OF
the battle for the Union. John A.
Dix was the presiding officer. but
among the Vice Presidents or speak
ers were such Democrats rs Daniel
S. Dickinson, John L. Hoffman, Fer.
nando Wood, Abram s. Hewitt,
Erastus Brooks, Augustus Schell,
and many others, all of whose names
were used with their consent. That
Samuel J. Tilden did not give any
aid to this initial m jvement in favor
Of the Union was the fault OF no one
but himself lie was waited upon
by Mr.. Samuel Sloan, and asked to
allow tho use OF his name as Vice
President, and curtley refused. Mr..
Sloan begged, and still Tilden re-
fused to do anything to aid and abet
an abolition war" Mr.. Sloan at
last lost patience with this obdurate
disloyality and exclaimed, MIR. Til
den, you will live to regret that you
did not do as 1 asked" Tilden,
who already saw Toombs calling the
roll Of his slaves on Bunker Hill,
said, II think not" aud there the in
terview ended.
The speakers at the meeting which
Tilden thus refused to attend were
Rev. DR.. Spring, John A. Dix, Dam
lei s. Dickinson, Senator Baker, oi
Oregon Robert j. Walker, Fer
nanda Wood, ex.Gov. Hunt, William
NJ. Evarts, Henry j. Raymond, Rich
ard O'Gorman, Hamilton Fish, Johr
Cochrane, David Dudley Field, Roya
Phelps and others. A letter was
read from Archbishop Hughes, in
which that now deceased aud greatly
lamented prelate uttered brave, man
~, earnest words for the Union, end
ing by saying: ave know no part!
now" To the meeting to which the
good Archbishop wrote, and to whicl
all these patriots spoke, Samuel j
Tilden said, ~ have no sympath.
with its object
SOME OF HIS PRIVATE UTrERANcEs.
But there is evidence that Tildel
was something worse than merel
negative during the war, and that h
was bitterly opposed to tho war 70
the Union. Shrewd and sly the
as now, his public utterances wer
few aud those few not distinct. Blu
when in private, or when he though
he was, he sometimes allowed hi
real sentiment to appear. As proc
q this extract from a letter of DR.. Rus
sell. correspondent Of the Londo
Times, concerning a dinner party j
this city, in March, 1861, is sufli
cient:
"In the evening, dining again wit
my friend, the banker, had favol
able opportunity of hearing more {
the special pleading which is brougt
to bear on the solution Of the gra,
est political questions. 1t woul
seem as if a council Of physician
were wrangling with each other owe
abstract dogmas respecting life an
health, while their patient was strul
Cling il the ogonies OF death befoi
them. There was not the smalle.
evidence Of uneasiness on account (
circumstances which betokened a
awful crisis, il not the impendin
dissolution OF society itself. Stral
ger still, the acts which are bringin
about such calamity were not r.
garded with disfavor, or at least wei
not considered justifable, Anon
the guests were Hon. Horatio Sc
mour, a former Governor OF the Sta
of New York Mr Tilden, an acu
lawyer. and Mr.. Bancroft. The r,
suit left on my mind by their conve
sation and argument was that, a
cording TO the Constitution, Il
Government could not employ for,
TO prevent accession, or comp
States who had sscssded by Il
voice Of the people TO scknowledl
the Federal power. In fact, accor'
ing 10 thsm, the Federal Cover
ment was the mere machine put 70
ward by . society OF sovereign Stat
- Q common instrument for csrta
ministerial scts. more particular