Wilmington journal., 1876-07-14
Democratic Nominee for President
of the United States.

The democratic nominee for the presi-
denev was born i'll 1914 at New Lebanon,
Columbia county, New York. HIS ances-
Try is traced back to 1885, when a John
Tilden was mayor of Tenterden, England.
A branch of tue family moved to Scituate,
Massachusetts, in 1854, anu Joseph Til
den was Ole of the London IN arehants Who
fitted out the Mayflower. Gov. riIden's
mother was descended of VIM. Zones, Lieu
tenant Governor of the colony of New
Haven, who is said to have been a son Of
Col. John Jones, a regicide judge of
Charles l, who married Oliver Cromwell's
sister. The Governors father was far
mer and merchant, much esteemed for his
Judgment and strong common sense, and
who was an ultimate and cherished friend
of President Van Buren.
Gov. Tilden entered Yale College when
he was eighteen years old, after at that
early age, having written disquisitiOn on
the efforts to make coalition between the
national republicans and the anti i-Masons,
the defeat of which was necessary to demo-
cratic success. This disquisition was shown
to Van Buren,, who highly approved it,
and caused it to be published as cam
paign document. After his collegiate
course he studied law i'll the office of the
late John w. .Edmunds, New York city,
and while there published a series of pa
pers in advocacy of Van Buren's recon-
mendation of a separation of the govern
ment from the banks, the establishment of
an independent treasury and the redeema-
oility OF government currency i'll specie.
ENTRANCE INTO POLITICS.
Upon his admission to the bar he opened
an office in Pine street, New York. In
1S44, in connection with John l.. O'Sulli-
van, he founded the Daily News newspa-
per. In 1916 he was elected member of
the Assembly for New York city, and a
member of the convention to remodel the
State constitution. In both of those bod
les he was conspicuous authority.
n THE BAR.
In 1916 he withdrew from active poll
tics and devoted himself TO his profession,
and soon became as pre-eminent theI Elm as
he had been i'll the political arena. One
of his most notable legal triumphs was as
counsel for the heirs of DR.. Burdell, who
was murdered, and whose property was
claimed by Mrs. Cunningham, who was
charged with his murder and acquitted,
but who claimed DR.. Burdell's property as
his alledged wife. The case passed into
legal history as most notable trial, and
tire defeat of the iniquitouS claim was due
mainly to. Mr.. Tlldens able. handling of it.
Among his other prominent successes at
The bar was his defense of the Penusyl-
vania Coal Company in its suit with the
Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, in
which immense interests were involved.
Another was that of the Cumberland Coal
Company against its directors, tried in
Maryland i'll 1888. In that case he applied
for tbe.first time to the directors of corpo-
rations the familiar doctrine that trust
cOnnOt be purchaser of property confided
to him for sale, and he successfully illus
trated and settled the eutIifable Drincinle
on which such sales to directors are set
aside, and also the conditions to give them
validity. These cases brought him into !
great prominence as successful resuscl-
tator OF embarrassed corporations, and gave
him lucrative practice.
MIR. TILDEN AND THE WAR.
He urged that the war should be con-
Quoted upon a system of sound finance, SO
as to prevent the subsequent monetary
which he foresaw. And
when invited by the government at Wash |
ingtonto give his opinion as to the conduct of |
the war, he said: " You have no right to |
expect a great military genius to come to |
your assistance. They only appear once |
in two or three centuries. You will proba-
bly, have to depend upon the average mill
tary talent of the country. Under such J.
your only course is to avail |
yourself of your numerical strength and
your superior military resources resulting
rom your great progress in industrial arts
and your great producing capacities: You
must have reserves and concentrate your |
'Orces ON decisive points, and overwhelm
Tour adversaries by disproportionate num-
,ers and reserves"
Gov. Tilden made every effort in his
,ower to avert the late civil war. But
aitng in this he made no secret that his