The Iola register., 1878-10-26
SAMUEL TILDEN ON TRIAL.

SAMUEL ]. TILDEN ON TRIAL.
From the Chicago Tribune.I
Mr.. Tilden, having entered the plea of
"not guilty" is now on trial. Though ne
wrote letter q column long to say what
could have been expressed in two words, it
Is notable that he hSs not met single point
in the evidence that has already come out
against him. We shall recapitulate some OF
the points that tend to convict Tilden of the
final responsibility for the attempted bribe-
ry, and challenge any one to produce from
his letter phrase or word that is calculated
to impeach the strong circumstantial evil
dence against him.
1. The transmission of the cipher tele-
grams and the correctness ef the transla-
tions are not disputed. They are in evil
dence, and they prove that somebody was
bargaining to purchase Electoral votes in
Florida and South Carolina.
2. The authorship of the most important
of these dispatches has been traced to Pei
ton in New York, MantOn Marble in Fiori-
da, and Smith Weed in South Carolina.
These persons were all singularly near to
Tilden, and still remain in his confidence.
Marble was his "next friend" during the
campaign, and his chosen apologist in the
Hewitt Watterson controversy as the man
most familiar with Tilden's secrets. Smith
Weed has been political and business
agent of Tilden's for MANY years, and even
this fall has been recognized as his active
manager in New York. Pelton is TiIden's
nephew and heir, his private and confiden-
tial Secretary, and as nearly son as q bach.
elor can have legitimately. These were the
chief operators in the business, and Tilden
has neither condemned nor repudiated the
acts of any one of them.
2 The einhqr 6isnafohos that went N NpU
York were addressed to Henry Havemeyer,
an old personal and political friend of Mr..
Tilden's, who had agreed to act as the agent
for their reception. But Havemeyer didnot
possess the key to unlock the cipher, and
sent the messages to No 15 Gramercy Park
-Tilden's private residence. There Pelton
was enscOnced in Tilden's private Office and
library, and during afew days received hun.
dreds Of these mysterious messages in his
capacity as secretary. Is it conceivable that
Mr.. Tilden should never have asked his own
secretary, his own nephew, his own heir,
what any one of these hundreds Of dispatch
es contained, when he knew they must re.
late to the dearest ambition of his life? 1t
would have given Tilden aneurism of the
heart to restrain his curiosity under such
circumstances.
4. The negotiations for the purchase of
Returning Boards and Electors in South
Carolina and Florida involved the outlay of
enormous sums of money. The Florida gang
started out by demanding 500, 900, and, when
beaten down, still exacted $4,000; the terms
finally agreed upon in South Carolina were
$50 600 cash. 1t is notorious fact that Pei
ton, who undertook to supply all.funds and
pay all expenses, was bankrupt, and had
nothing except what his uncle gave him.
From whom beside Tilden, a man of great
wealth and the chief party in interest,
could Pelton expect to receive such vast
sums! The $4,000 payment was actually
traced to Baltimore, so that much money
at least must have been forth coming; and
even if not one dollar was actually used out
of the bribery fund on hand, still the trans
mission of these hundreds of dispatches and
the expenses of the numerous agents
to thousands Of dollars which
were actually paid out. To whom did Pei
ton, sitting in the same room with Tilden
and receiving all these messages at an adj
interest unless to Tilden himself?
8. The ciphers used for the bribery dis
patches were the same that had been previ-
ously used by Samuel j. Tilden, and in one
case the same as was only recently used by
Tllden in communicating with his lawyer in
regard to the forcible seizure and suppress.
sion of account books in Michigan. 1t is
not every man who is an expert in cryptog-
raphy; Tilden is, and has always had vari-
Gus complicated systems Of cipher at his
command. He has been engaged for many
yearsln transactions which demanded the
secrecy of communications in cipher. Isn't
it strange that Tilden should have loaned his
nephew PeltOn, his intimate friend Marble,
and his political factotum Weed, all his
ciphers and keys thereto without SO much as
asking what use was to be made Of them?
Is it comprehensive that these cipher-d
patches should come into Tilden's private
door during several days, and by the hun
dreds, while he had in his head the solution
Of which he was the inventor, without his
ever seeking to know what they contained,
even though he was more concerned in them
than any other man on earth?
q. But If all these seemingly impossible
conditions be admitted, and it still be main
tanned that Tilden remained in pro-
found ignorance of what was 60
ing on, then it can not be denied that he
became fully informed of his nephew's ope-
rations when translations Of the dispatches
were first printed. 1t was then the duty of
Samuel j. Tilden, assuming him to be an
honest man, to turn upon Pelton and say:
s. Sir, you are credited with the authorship
Of propositions of an infamous character
that have involved me and my good name;
unless you can show satisfactorily that you
had no connection with this bribery busi-
you out Of DOORS" 1t does not appear that
Tilden has given his nephew this alterna.
tive; in fact there is not a word in Tilden's
public letter which reflects upon PeIton,
Marble, Weed, or any one of the others who
sent and received the dispatches. He has
never yet intimated any intention Of visiting
any Of the guilty parties with his displeas.
plain where the bribery money was to come
from, or who paid the expenses of the ne
y0tiations, though it is only in this way that
rilden's skirts can be cleared.
Z. Tllden admits in his open letter that he
lid hear something about bribery, but it
vas not still after Dec. 6, 1876" That was
nearly two years ago. II he heard any thing
me Of the parties. Why is it that he failed
o demand from Pelton an elucidation of
he whole project? Why is it that, if he re-
;eived such an elucidatiOn, he did not make |
t public? Why is it that, if Pelton showed |
lis Innocence Of all corruption, Tilden does |
lot now produce that evidence: Why is it |
hat, il Pelton confessed to having conduct |
len still permitted him to act as his conf
lential secretary and agent?
=. Tilden's spasm of virtue, which seems |
o have come upon him. after two years of |
'ullty knowledge to which he cOnfesses, has |
induced him to denounce as scOundrels the
louisiana and Florida Republicans who, as
members of the Returning Boards and Elect
rs, cast the votes of these States against
i'm. He bases this denunciation on the
heory that the Republicans were influence
d by hopes of reward. That is not unlike
=; most men in politics are Influenced by
uch considerations; it is the office and
polls which they are after. The Republic
ap members of the Returning Boards and
he Republican Electors would naturally
avor their own candidate, if they could do
o fairly, just as Democrats in similar posi-.
ions would favor the Democratic candidate.