The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-11-10
TiLDES's sPEECH.
He Denounces the Political Crimes
of the Republicans.


| of the Republicans.
NEW YORK, Oct. 27.-The Young
Mems Democratic Club serenaCled ex-
Governor TilCen tonight Mt his resi-
dence In Gramercy Park, and the Gov
ernor made a long and carefully pre-
pared speech In response. Dodworth's
band took a position in the park about
nine O'Clock, and the lively music 1t
discourseti, together with the calcium
lights prOfusely scattered about the
neighborhood, attracted a crowd oi
about 5000 or 4, 900 persons. In addi-
tion to the. members OF the Young
Mems Club, a committee of gentlemen
Of the Manhattan Club also attended
the serenade and reception In Governor
Tflden's Parlor, which preceded the
main event of the evening, viz: the
speech. 1' -1i:'-sFt.o4 % a' 3.ff1'i.'i l'tE -
About half-past nine the crowd out
side had swelled to the requisite ,limeu-
| sions, and had begun also to grow inn
patient, shouting with vast strength of
| lungs for the appearance Of Governor
Tilden. That gentleman came out and
took his position on the broad, stone
guard to the door-steps. ' 4,'N.s .-
Immense cheers and cries of "Threc
cheers for President Tilden 2" greeted
minutes. MI. Tilden, when the noise
had subsidized, began his speech. He
opened in II low tone, and with little
animation, but when he reached the
subject of his personal grievances his
voice sometimes rose almost to Il shout,
and his manner became very animated.
Speaking of the present State election,
Mr.. Tilden said ''''" .''... ~
The election, although for State off,
GERS, has relation to national politics,
to which I know you will expect me
to allude. The condemnation by the
people of the greatest political crime
in our history, by which the result of
the Presidential election of 1876 was
set aside and reversed, is general and
overw aiming. Her rsister States might
afford to have the voice of New York
frittered away, or its expression defer
red. It could not change history. 1t
could not alter the universal Judgment
of the civilized world. 1t could not
avert the moral retribution that is
pending. But New York herself can
not afford to have her voice unheard.
IA voice, /" It's been heard" An
other voice, "We know that you got
robbed.'' 'i' /. ..
Mr.. Tilden-I did not get robbed /;
the people got robbed. IGreat cheer
ing.1 The Declaration Of Independ-
ence, the dill Of rights, the State con-
|stftutions, all contain assertions of the
right Of the people to govern them
selves, and to change their rulers ut
will. These declarations have ceased
to have any meaning to the American
mind. They seemed a truism which
there was nobody to dispute. The con-
tests known to us were contests between
Ii: nsNt Nlo
significance of these declarations it is
example of human experience, in view
of which our ancestors acted. They
had seen the governmental machine
and a small governmental class, some
times with the aid of the army, able
to rule arbitrarily over millions of un-
organized, isolated atoms of human So
ciety. -E
In forming the government of the
United States they endeavored to take
every precaution against the recurrence
of such evils in this country. They
kept down the standing army to a NOM
inal amount. They Intended to limit
the functions of the Federal govern
lnent 50 as to prevent the growth to
dangerous dimensions of an office-hold
ing class and of corrupt influences.
They preserved the State governments
as cOunterpoise, to act as centers of
opinion, and as organized means of re-
sistance to revolutionary usurpation by
the Federal government. Jefferson,
the leader of liberal opinion, in his
first inaugural, recognized this theory.
Hamilton, the representative of the
extreme conservative sentiment, in the
Federalist, expounded it with elaborate
arguments; the father OF the constitu-
ton enforced these conclusions.
IA voice-ssThere were no Return
ing Boards then."] Mr.. Tilden (exci-
tedly)-No; there were no Returning
Boards in those days. The people
elected their own officers, and there
were no Returning Boards of Florida
and Louisiana. ICheering, and Il cry,
" Go for 'em again !'l
The increase of power in the Federal
government during the last twenty
years, the creation of a vast Office-hold
ing class, with its numerous depend
ents, and the growth of the means Of
corrupt influence, have we'll nigh de-
stroyed the balance of our complex
system. 1t was my judgment in 1876
that public opinion demanding change
of administration needed to embrace
two-thirds of the people at the begin
ming Of the t..anvaSS in order to- cast n