The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-08-05

penetration and judgement. Professionally,
he has taken rank with Van Buren,, Brady.
O'Conor, Graham, Eyarts, Kirkland, and other
foremost lawyers, and in a peculiar class of
cases-heavy and complicated railroad litiga.
tions-he is admitted to be .facile 11rinceps
His counsel, when important and decisive ae-
ton was involved, has been deemed invalna-
bic. In still higher relations Mr.. TiIden
seems 70 me to combine, more than any man
now before the public, hardly excepting Mr..
Adams OF Massachusetts, the two great kinds
OF quality, theoretic and practical, which form
the true statesman profound understand
ing OF the philosophic grounds of political
opinion, and the sagacious tact aud energy
of the man of business.
This union oftheoretic insight with practical
capacity has been singularly shown in his adj
ministfation Of the affairs Of this State. New
York is the largest commonwealth Of the
Union, the largest in population, in agricul-
tural products, in manufacturing enterprise,
in commercial Captain a word; in the d.
versity and Importance of its business rela-
tions and the Goyernorship there is not II
mere clerical function, confined to the APP
| pointment Of notaries and the signing of
commissions, as in many of the newer Yves.
tern States, but an onerous,. intricate, and re-
sponsible trust. The Governor is invested
with the veto, which makes him part of the
Legislative power. while his executive con
necton with the complicated business of the
quarantine, the salt works, the State prisons
and charities, and an immense system of ca.
mails, imposes upon him the most varied and
difficult duties. Mr.. Tilden in his short ten.
ure of the place has evinced mastery fitness
for all its duties. He has defeated multi
tude of il.considered and improper bills,
reetiied many minor errors of administration,
overthrow fraudulent and gigantic conspir-
acy, and reduced the taxation from over
Sl5,00O,0 900 in 1875 to less than So, 900, 900
in 1876, with an assurance that if the changes
he has suggested are followed the decrease
will be two or three millions more in 1877!
A part of this reduction is due to the extinc-
ton Of the bounty debt, but the rest to Gov.
Tilden' 5 direct efforts and influence.
have said that Mr.. Tilden was more of
partisan than suited my own temperament,
but ought in justice to add that he was never
so much of a partisan as to render him insen-
sible to the higher duties of the citizen. He
separated from the bulk of his own party in
this city with other Free Sellers of this State
when we thought it advisable to protest
against certain encroachments of slave power.
He separated from the bulk of his party in |
this city when he undertook to beat down the |
Infamous Tweed gang, intrenched by the
laws, and possessed of an almost overwhelm-
ing force TWAS against the advice of many of |
the most eminent men Of his own party that |
he assailed the Canal Ring, whose ramifica.
tons extended through nearly every county |
in the State, and whose wealth and influence |
were supposed to be invincible. And it was
against large and well-combined faction of |
his own party that he lifted il at st. Louis |
out of the quagmires of doubt and error in
which it was toundering, and placed It on
the high ground of its ancient traditions. Mr..
Tilden is cautious and wary, aud never acts
until assured of foothold ON truth and right
but then he is as tenacious in pursuit as a
seuth'hound, and absolutely inAexible.
THE ST. LOUIS PLATFORM.
The platform adopted at St. Louis reads to
me, from beginning to end, as an earnest and
vigorous cry for better condition of things.
1t is clear, outspoken and positive, evading
no real issues, and treating those it touches
with refreshing boldness and decision. The
philosophy of politics which peryades its gen.
eral utterances is, to my mind, the soundest.
greatest, truest, that the human mind has yet
attained. 1t is the philosophy on which our
institutions are distinctyely built. The enor-
nous Capitalization which has grown up since
the war-almost imperceptibly perhaps-it
denounces as the most formidable danger in
our existing position; and while it frankly
and manfully accepts the war and the legisla.
tive results of the war, in permanent and
interchangeable settlement of a conflict now
forever past, it demands thorough regener-
alton of essential political practice and doc.
trines. 1t demands a reduction in the public
expenditures it demands REIMBURSEMENT Of
our costly and oppressive modes of taxation;
it demands cessation in the proaigate mis-
use and waste of.the public lands; it demands
a reorganization of the civil service, which is
a fruitful source of the prevailing corruption;
it demands a change in the bad practice which
has rendered appointments 20 office the re-
ward for service to Congressman and Sena-
tors it demands frugality, simplicity, capacity
and honesty in all public Offices and last,
though not least, it demands, in the place of
that mbecile, dilatory inefficient, and decep-
tive policy which has hitherto marked the
of the currency problem, instanta.
neous, active, systematic, and rigorous effort
for the restoration Of sound financial con.
dition.
THE CURRENCY PIANKs.
Let us consider the doings of the late Con- !,
ventions in respect to this most important
point. Here is, first, the resolve passed at
Cincinnati :
In the first act of Congress signed by Pres
dent Grant the National Government assum-
ID to remove any doubts of its purpose TO 9
discharge all just obligations to public credi. n
ors, and solemnly pledged its faith to make t,
provision at the earliest practicable period for
he redemption Of the United States notes in r
,o;n. Commercial prosperity, public morals, =
md national credit demand that this promise :
be fulfilled by continuous and steady pro. :
yress to specie payments. d
When this resolution was reported by Gen. "