The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-11-07
an HONEST OPINION FROM
A Leading Republican,.

IL
~ A Leading Republican,.
Mr.. Barlow, of New York, a Repub-
lican who was sent by Grant to see an
honest count of the Electoral vote of
Florida, has been interviewed upon
the subject of the cipher dispatches
over which the New York Tribune and
the Republican press and politicians
throughout the country are making
such an ado, and he says of them:
"I have read all the cipher dispatch
es published in the Tribune, as well as
the letters of denial by Manton Marble
and Governor Tilden. I do not see
anything in the dispatches to change
the view 1 have always entertained
with respect to the election in Florida.
l have no donbt that Governor Tilden
was honestly and fairly elected in Flor
ida, and have no doubt he was swim
died out of his election by the Return
ing Board. have no doubt, also, that
the Returning Board would have Civ
en- him the Electoral vote if his friends
had seen fit to pay for it. With res
pect to the dispatches, think that no
one who knows Governor Tilden or
Manton Marble will doubt that they
knew nothing of the dispatches, and +
believe their denials will be accepted
as truth without reservation or evas-
iOn."
To question as to what he thought
the effect of the cipher dispatches
would be on the Democratic party, Mr..
Barlow said: "I do not see that the
publication is likely to have any effect
| at all on the general political situation.
Possibly the unjust charges made
against Governor Tilden may awaken
in his favor some sympathy on the part
of his intimate friends; but since his
failure to take an Office to which he was
elected, never supposed that he would
again be candidate for that place.
His nomination was forced upon the
party by the peculiar situation of af-
fairs, and others, quite as prominent,
| and as well entitled as he to the nomi-
nation, We're forced to fOregO their
claims because many people then be-
iieved Mr.. Tilden to be more available
than any one else. He was looked up
on at that time as model reformer, and
in this State at least he had attracted
great attention by his shrewd and per-
sistent efforts in exposing the ring
frauds. That was no just reason for
giving him nomination for the Pres
| ldency, however, as the ring frauds
were first exposed to the world by the
Young Democracy over year before.
This exposure was in some degree
thwarted by the corrupt legislation
which followed at Albany the next win
ter. If based on this exposure alone, q
Presidential candidate was to be nam
ed, in my judgment Mr.. Marble. as ed
itor of the World, would have been
better entitled than Mr.. Tilden to the
place on the ticket"
/ Referring again to the cipher dis
patches, Mr.. Barlow said am quite
certain that before this publication was
made in the Tribune, many Democrats
in the Western, Middle and Northern
States had much better chance for
the Presidential nomination next time
than Mr.. Tilden and while the peo-
pie are willing quietly to assent to the
assumption of Mr.. Hayes of the Office
to which he was not elected, 1 do not
think that their sensibilities will be SO
seriously awakened, because of these
false charges, as TO induce them TO re-
store Mr.. Tilien to political life. / re-
| gard him as entirely out OF the field as
a Presidential candidate"