The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-07-01
SKETCH OF SAMUEL ]. TILDEN.

lllQcn, was merchant ana FARMER Oi NC"
Lebanon--a man of notable judgment and
practical sense, and the accepted oracle oil
the county upon all matters Of public con
Germ.
Young Tilden entered Yale college in 1882,
year memorable for the election of General
Jackson to the Presidency and Martin Van
Buren, to the Vice Presidency. At the time
democratic success In New York was greatly
endangered by threatened coalition be-
tween the National Republicans (after'
wards Whigs) and the anti-Masons. Young
Tildtn wrote paper against this coalition,
which was shown to Van Buren,, who saw
so much merit in 1t that he procured lis pub
LEGATION, in the form OF an address, signed by
dozen of leading democrats, IN the Albany
argus The EpeniRg Journal paid it the
compliment of attributing the authorship to
Martin Van Buren, The paper had power,
full effect in averting the threatened coall'
ton
In 1888, while Tllden was still law stu,
dent, President Van Buren, had proposed his
memorable scheme to separate the govern.
ment from the banks, known as the sub
treasury plan, and Nathanial p Talmadge,
a L. S. Senator from New York, had deserted
the democratic party to oppose this plan. A
meeting had been arranged by the Wings in
Columbia county to be addressed by Tai
madge Men of all parties attended, and al
the close of the speech, one of the Wing
leaders confident of the impregnabilIty OF
Talmadges arguments, offered resolution
inviting any democrat in the Asse mbly to
reply TO it. Young Tilden took up the gaunt-
let and made speech, the effect of which
was electric 1t thrilled the assembly, and
completely defeated the objects which the
Wings hoped to gain by the meeting"
Though but 20 years of age, Tilden took a
prominent part in the great campaign of
1870 and especially at New Lebanon, n. y,
on the Sd OF October of that year, made a
speech which was published as the ablest of
the campaign, and to this day is referred to
as master piece IN the treatment of the cur
rency question.
About the same year Tilden was admitted
to the bar, and opened an Office in Pine street,
in the city of New York. In 1874, during
the campaign which resulted in the election
to the Presidency of James X. Polk and Silas
Wright as Governor of New York, Tilden
and John o. Sullivan founded the news paper
called the Daily Ners, which, during their
connection with it, was the leading demo
cratic organ of the city
From 1915 to 1866 young Tilden seems to
have measurably withdrawn his attention
from politics, and devoted himself to his pro-
fession. He had inherited no fortune, and
was dependent upon his own eXertionS Tor a
livelihood His business developed rapidly,
and in very few years his reputation as a
lawyer eclipsed that which he had won as
politician.
1t was in 1855 that Tilden made his first
assault upon the treasury thieves and bum
mer politicians OF New York City-a war
he has unremittingly waged from that day
to this, and on account of which the corrupt
Tammanyitcs sent such formidable delega.
ton to ST. Louis to oppose his nomination on
Tuesday. 1t arose in this way Azariah c.
Flagg, a man of the highest ability and in
corruptible honesty and integrity, had been
Comptroller of the city for several years and
administered its finances with such skill and
scrupulous problty as to be perfect barrier
in the way of the treasury thieves and seekers
after profitable jobs. The latter at the mu'
nicipal election in 1855, determined to defeat
his re election. Setting the example which
the republicans followed in the nomination
of Hayes at Cincinnati, they brought out a
personally popular but weak man, of gen tie
manners, named Giles, whom they expected
to control with the usual persuaslves in case
OF his election, just as the republican leaders
expect to control and use Mr.. Hayes. The
contest was very heated one, and the result
was, that In poll of nearly Al 600 votes,
Flagg had a majority of but H. His oppon.
euts contested the election, and the case was
taken before Judge Emott, of the Supreme
Court, and a special jury. The contestants
seemed to have monopolized all the proof at.
and to have left little or nothing for
the defense. They had stolen part of the
tally lists leaving only such rs correspondent
with their oral testimony. But Mr.. Tllden
had undertaken the defense, and by the mas.
.erly manner in which he unmasked and ex-
posed the deep and deviish cunning of the
adversary, gained complete victory, the
Jury returning verdict in his favor.
A similar victory, in which rascality and
greed were again batiled, was won two years
later by Mr.. TIlden IN the famous Burdell-
Cunningham contested will case, but as 1t
had no political bearing, the details are omit
ted But there is probably not once in a
century a case that requires the exercise offs
high an order of metaphysical powers or a pen
etraton of character equal to that displayed
by Mr. Tilden in this case. His defense Of the
rightful heirs seemed almost creation, and