Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-09-08
Mr.. Tilden's Patriotism Above Dollars
and Cents"

The Democratic party is still COM
posed of the men who hug the old de-
lusions, and who are utterly incapably
of realizing that the country has out
grown the restraints of its evil policy
and repudiated its control. The strong
hold of the Democratic party has always
been its belief in the ignorance of the
masses. And it has entered upon the
work of the Presidential campaign by
resorting to its stale tricks of bold asser-
tion of downright, absolute falsehood.
Mr.. Tilden himself knows that he has
not the faintest claim to be considered
reformer. He is one of that very old
school of Democrats wh6 have survived
to the centennial year. He never had q
thought in advance of the Democratic
party. He commenced his political
youth in finding out the party
ruts, and he has been all his life
running in those ruts, through pools
of corruption and chicanery, until he
has reached the office of Governor of
New York. But it has been said that if
before taking the oath of Office he had
been required to take an oath that he
had not been counted in" he might
have hesitated briefly while he asked
himself some questions. At all events,
as he looks down the tortuous path
through which he has travelled, his long
and early connection with Tammany,
his offensive and unpatriotic conduct
during the war for the Union, and his
close intimacy with Tweed till he sup
planted him, let him say when it was he
first yearned for reform, and what he
has done for the good of the country.
When Mr.. Tilden placed himself in
the hands of the " cIaquers" of the Dem
ocratic party as Presidential aspirant he
thought the people would forget his po-
litical career. He should know that a
Copperhead always puts himself upon
record in such manner that his subse-
quent deeds must needs be challenged
Mr.. Tilden and patriotism were never
related; and even Mr.. Hewitt's impudent
contradiction of Mr. Kagson in the House
of Representatives will not serve his
purpose. Mr.. Tilden never contributed
one cent toward the Tammany regiment
The expenses of the regiment were de-
frayed from the funds of the Union De-
fense Committee. Mr.. Kasson was right,
therefore, in the assertion. 1t was hard
ly possible for Mr.. Kasson to be wrong
in saying that Mr.. Tilden never said a
word and never performed an act that
showed he was in sympathy with the
Union cause; while it was notorious that
his sympathies were all the other way.
Mr. Hewitt's disdain must have been
something magnificent as he piped out
in reply to the inquiry how much Mr..
Tilden gave to the regiment" Patriot
ism is above dollars and centsm When
the Democratic party went into the re-
bellion of the South Mr.. Tilden clung to
its skirts in the North, and roared out
Justify that the war was an outrage.
How much money would such a man
give to equip soldiers to go to the front2
Not much, Mr.. Hewitt. Mr.. Tilden
knows he gave nothing-simply nothing
And the people know that Mr.. Tilden
deserves nothing at their hands, and will
get it.
Mr.. Tilden and the Democratic party
are behind the age. When steam print
ing and the telegraph came into use the
party began to decay. Slavery was
doomed directly the electric wire touched
Southern soil. For it was not possible
that the doings Of the slave power could
be flashed through the world without
awakening a response that must destroy
it root and branch. But Mr.. 1ilden was
at the Northern end of the wire and
avoided being shocked by crying that it
was an outrage to send the grand armies
of the Republic to put down the rebellion.
And Mr.. Tilden's Democratic rebel
friends thought that he had sufficient oc-
cupation thus to lift up his voice and
cry out in their favor. But they did not
understand Mr.. Tilden-Mr. Samuel
j. Tilden-who had little bust
ness Of his own to attend to in Mich-
igan. 1t will be remembered that the
gold and silver of the country disap-
peared shortly after the war commenced,
and the greenback was necessary to car
ry on the war. Then national banks
were established in the hope of assist
ing the Government, whose circulation
was made safe by the deposit of bonds.
Perhaps Mr.. Tilden did not like to invest
in United States bonds. Perhaps Mr..
Tilden thought bank tax unjust, and
he did not like to pay it. But he did
this; He said he was hard-money
man, that the Government had no right
to promise to pay and not keep its prom
Use; II was dishonest. "Gold and silver
for me, said Mr.. Tilden; "they are the
birds that sing all the year round"
No doubt Mr.. Tilden heard those birds
sing. No doubt he often talked of "the
purchasing power Of the greenbaek and
the purchasing power of the gold dollar"
" Yes, gentlemen, am a hard-mOney
man, said Mr.. Tilden. Then Mr. Tilden
hicd him to North Michigan, where there
were iron and copper industries, and
many workmen with large families.
There he had mills-iron-mills-and
money mills, out Of which he turned out