The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-07-06
The Candidate.

Nathaniel Tilden married Hannah Bourne, one
of whose sisters married brother OF Governor
WinsloW and another a son of Gov Bradford.
GOV. Tlden's grandfather, John Iillen, settled
| in Columbia county, New York. The Govern
or's mother was descended from William Jones,
Lieutenant-G Governor of the colony of New Ha-
| Ven, who in all the histories Of Connecticut is
| represented to have been the son of Col. John
Jones. one of the regicide Judges of Charles L.,
| who is said to have married Il sister OF Ollyer
| Cromwell and IA cousin of John Hampden
| The Governors father a farmer and merchant
| Of New Lebanon, was a man OF notable JudS-
| ment and practical sense, and the accepted Or
| acle of the country upon all matters OF pubic
| concern, while his opinion was also eagerly
sought and justly valued by all his neighbors,
| but by none more than by the late President
Van buren,, who till his death was one of his
| most cherished, intimate and personal friends.
From his father Gov. Tilden inherited taste
| for political inquiries and in his companionsbip
enjoyed peculiar opportunities for acquiring an
| early familiarity with the bearings of the var
| Gus questions which agitated our country in his
youth. Young Tiden entered Yale College in
| his eighteenth wear. The Fall of 1892 when he
was TO enter college, was rendered memorable
! by the second election of Gen. Jackson to the
| Presidency and Martin Nan-Buren to the Vice
| Presidency OF the United States, and of William
l.. Marcy to the Governorshp of the State of
| New York. In that contest an effort was made
to effect coalition between the National Re-
| publicans and the Anti-Masons. The success
| of the Democracy depended upon the defeat of
that coalition. Samuel heard the subject dis
cussed in the family, and i'll the seclusion of his
| chamber he proceeded to set down the views
> e had gathered upon the subject, and in due
! time brought the result to his father. The IA
| Their was SO highly pleased with the paper that
he took his son to see Mr.. Van Buren, to read
| ii TO him. they found so much merit in the
| performance that they decided 1t should be
| published with the signatures of a dozen or
| more leading Democrats, and it shortly after
appeared in the Albany Argus as an address,
! occupying about half page OF that PRINT, and
| from which it was copied into most of the Dem
| ocratic papers of the State. The Evening Jour
nal paid it the compliment of attributing it to
| the pen OF Mr.. an Buren,, and the Albany Ar
| gus paid it the greater compliment OF stating
''by authority that Mr.. Van Buren, was not
| the author.
Mr. Tilden had not been long at Yale College
| before his health gave way, which obliged him
| to leave. After some rest he was enabled to
resume his studies. and in 1894 entered the
| University of New York, where he completed
| his academic education. He then entered the
| law office of the late John W. Edmunds, i'll the
| city of New York, where he enjoyed peculiar
| facilities for the prosecution OF his favorite
| studies of law and politics. The accession Of
| Mr. Van Buren, to the Presidency in 1887 was
| followed by the most trying financial revusion
| that had yet occurred in our history. During
| that summer appeared the Presidential mes
sage calling for Il special session OF Congress,
and recommending the separation Of the Gov
eminent from the banks and the establishment
of the independent Treasury. This measure
| provoked yolumnOus and acrimonious debate
| throughout the country, even before it engaged
| the attention of Congress Mr.. Tden though
still a student, sprang to the defence of the
| Presidents policy, and wrote a series Of pa
| pers, marked by all the characteristics of ais
! maturity, and advocating the proposed separa-
| ton and the redeemabity of the Government
currency in specie.
| Upon his admission TO the Bar, Mr.. Tilden
| opened an Office i'll Pine street, in the city Of
| New York. In 1S44, in anticipation and pre-
| paration for the election which resulted in
making James X. Polk President and Silas
| Wright Governor of the State of New York,
| Mr. Tilden, in connection with John l.. O'Sul
| Ivan, founded the newspaper called the Daily
| News. In the Fall Of 1915 he was sent TO tie
| Assembly from the city of New York, and
| while Il member OF that body was elected 10
| the Convention for the remOdeiing OF the Con-
| sttution Of the State, which was 10 commence
| its sessions few weeks after the Legislature
| adjourned. In both of these bodies Mr.. Tilden
was conspicuous authority, and left permit
| nent impression upon the legislation of the
| year, and especially upon all the new constitu-
! tional provisions affecting the finances of the
| State and the management of its system of can
ais. The defeat of Mr.. Wright in the Fall of
| 1916, and the GOODNESS which had grown up be-
| tween the friends of President Polk and the
| friends Of the late President ' an Buren, result
| ed fortunately for Mr.. Titen, if not for the
| country, III Withdrawing his attention from
politics and concentrating it upon his profess
| sion. He inherited no fortune, but depended
upon his own eXertions for a livelihood Thus
far his labor for the State, or i'll his profession,
| had not been lucrative, and, despite his strong
| cal life, lie was able TO discern at that early
period the Importance in this country, at least,
| of pecuniary independence for the successful
prosecution Of political career. With an as
siduitv and Il concentration OF energy which
have characterized all the Transactions of his
| life, Mr. Iilden now gave himself up to his
profession. 1t was not many Years before he
became as well known at the Bar as he had be-
fore been known as a politician. His business
developed rapidly, and though he continued to
| take more or less interest i'll poiticaimatters,
! they were not allowed after 1857 to interfere
with his professional duties.
During his career at the Bar Mr.. Tildcn
achieved many notable professional triumphs,
prominent among which are the Flagg contest
| Ell election for the COMPROMISING of New
York city in 1870; tue Burdell heirs against
| Mrs. Cunningham i'll 1857; the Cumberland
| coal case IN 1898, and the Delaware and llud-
son Canal Company against the Pennsylvania
Coal Company in 1868. There is probably no
case in which Mr.. Tilden has been employed
that required the exercise Of SO high range Of
metaphysical powers, or in which his penetra-
ton OF character appeared to greater advan-
| tagc, than III the Burdeil-C Cunningham case.
His defence seemed almost creation, and the
result produced the more profound impression
az it removed whatever doubt existed in the
minds OF the people as to Mrs. Cunnnghams
participation i'll the murder of Burdell. The
conviction took immediate possession Of the
public mind that had Tilden conducted the case
for tue prosecution when she was under indict-
ment she would undoubtedly have been con-
victed. Mr.. Tildens success in eNtricating cor
porations from runous litigation, in re-cstab-
fishing their credit and rendering their resources
available, at length gave him an amount of bust
! ness that was only limited by his time and
strength. Within the last twenty years per-
haps more than half the great railway corpora
tons north of the Hudson and Missouri rivers
have been at one time or another his clients,
and their business he managed ably and honor
ably, acquiring not merely an enyiabe reputa-
ton but also that marvel Gus knowledge Of all
the internal workings and details of corpora
tons that has made him such a determined and
successful retormer of abuses within business
organizations.
Till the war came Mr.. Tilden made every ef-
fort to avert the rebellion. When his efforts,
combined with those of OIher prominent pat
| riots, had proved abortive, his convictions of
duty were perfectly decided and clear. They
were to maintain the integrity Of our territory
and the supremacy of the constitutional au-
thorities. To the North he urged reconciliation
and forbearance, approaching as he did more
clearly than most of those around him the fear
fu and disastrous consequences of Il civil war,
whatever might prove its ultimate result. TO
The South he urged a difference to the will of
the majority and Il respect for the provisions of
the Federal Constitution, within which they
would be sure of adequate protection for them
selves and for their property; but he warned
them that outside of the Constitution they
could expect protection for neither. At a meet
ing held at the house of Gen. Dix. just after the
first call of President Lincoln for - 1000 troops
Mr.. Tilden participated in the discussions, and
maintained that instead of $4,000 troops Mr..
Lincoln should have called out at least 500, 900,
half for immediate service and the other half to
be put in camps of instruction and trained for
impending eXigencies. 10 Seci etary Chase and
his friends Mr.. Tilden insisted that the war
ought to be carried on under a system Of sound
finance, which he did not doubt the people
would cheerfuly sustain if the Government
would have the courage 10 propose it. His adj
vice was not taken, but he had the satisfaction,
within year after it was given, Of hearing the
Secretary of War acknowledge its wisdom and
lament his inability to secure its adoption
Recently Mr.. Tilden was accused of having
been instrumental in introducing the plank in
the Democratic platform of 1864 which declared
the war failure. In relation to this charge
MIR. Manton Marble says, "Gov. Tilden opposed