The daily gazette., 1878-08-07

become President de .fdcto too, through
any act or omission of his own, it was
not by means of his untried plan for the
defeat of the republican conspiracy. 1t
must have been, II ever by his Judgment,
action or advice upon the electoral com
missi on plan, during the three days from
his first knowledge of 1t, January IA, to
the day, January II, when, by concur
renee of the leading dem ,cratic men,
bers of the Senate al d FL )use upon the
two conference colnmitLees, the safe
chart of the House privileges committee
was rolled up and flung away, and the
democratic party were embarked upon
unsounded and shipwrecking seas.
"Before he read the new bill Mr.. Til
den was told by Mr.. Hewitt that the
democratic members of the Senote COM
mittee were already absolutely commit
ted to it and would concur with their re-
publican associates in reporting 1t to the
Senate, whether the House committee
should concur or not, and whether Mr..
Tilden approved it or not"
go Is it not rather late, then,'" said Mr..
Tiiden "'to consult me"
"'They do not consult you," replied
Hewitt. "'They are public men, and
have their own duties and responsibil-
ties. Iconsult you."
CATER possessing himself of the poll
cy and provisions of the bill Mr.. Tildens
perception Of their character was prompt
ank decided. His disapproval of the
electoral commission scheme, as might
have been inferred by any political neo-
phyte, from its contrast at all points with
his own plan, was inherent and incura-
ble."
The scheme which Mr.. Hewitt had
brought contained In its first draft a pro-
vision by which six judges were to be
described in the act, one of them then to
be eliminated by lot. To this Mr.. Til
den's objection was peremptory. Said
he,
III may lose the Presidency, but I will
not rattle for it,"
TILDEN's ADVICE TO NEGOTIATIONS.
When Mr.. Hewitt pressed upon Mr..
Tilden the difficulty laid in the way OF
! the House to carry out any independent
/ policy without the support OF the demo
| cratic Senators, as a reason for advising
acquiescence, neither argument nor per-
suasion could extort it. But he gave his
interlocutor this significant counsel, OF
! which the force will be appreciated best
by those negotiators who in privacy and
haste accept the main burden of work
| ing out an or ,ement, and of making all
the sacrific necessary to obtain agree
ment, and OF feeling necessity for com.
promise, where every advantage of fact
law and right is wholly theirs, and sufh
cient power, and who thus may be driven
to surrender one by one every advantage
and every essential condition Of just
agreement. Said he:
"If you go into conference with your
adversary and can't break off because
YOU feel you must agree to something
you cannot negotiate at all. Unless you
are able to break off you are not fit to
negotiate, You will be beaten upon
every detail" a -.
Mr. Tilden pronounced "the six judge
plan" proposed by the Senate committee
| jfnadmissible. AS to ''the four judge
plan,n upon which his immediate advice
was asksl, he telegrap ed, .Be firm
aud cool. Four judge plan will not do
Perhaps worse than six. Complains
likely to arise of haste and want Of con
sultaiion with members, and embarrass
ment in exercise of their judgment aftel
plan is disclosed by premature committa
of their representatives. There should
be more opportunity for deliberatior
and consultation. Secrecy dangerous
Probably mistake in itself, and If it re
suits in disaster would involve grea
blame and infinite mischief"
On the same night (January 16) Mr.
Tilden dictated the following compre
hensive dispatch
"No need of hot taste, but much dan
ger in it. Some days interval should b
taken. The risk of publicity isl harm
less.
"No information here, or any opportu
nifty to get information which coul,
Justify abstinence from condemning sucl
an abandonment of the constitution ant
practice of the government, and OF tn
rights of the two houses and OF the peo
pie.
"Nothing but great and certain public
danger, not to be escaped in any othe
way, could excuse such measure. WI
are overpressed by exaggerated rear
and forget that the other side Will nav,
greater troubles than we, unless rellevet
by some agreement.
"They have no way but by usurpation
[they1 are bullying us with what the.
dare not do, or will break down In al
tempting.
ton and settled practice, we know
where we are. Consequence OF new ex
pedient not enough considered.
"Only way of getting accesslons In th'
Senate is by House standing firm. AM
iudicious friends believe in that case W
will 90 safely through. Opportunity tt
consult such friends should be gwen be
fore even tacit acquiescence 10y aouss
committee), if that is contemplated
| Though 0etaS may Do pIopcliy NiScus
ed, final committal by House committe
should be firmly withheld"
EVERY ERROR FoREsEEN BY TILDEN
Mr.. Marbles letter concludes with tn
following in commendation OF Mr.. I'll
den's prescience and sagacity:
"Although every error to which tim
has given proof was thus foreseen, an.
then in season pointed out by him will
such forbearing admonition in confiden
, tial advice to friends whose motives ant
| purposes he trusted, the inauspicious &C
. G,liescence and committal of the Hous
Committee to the Senate committee
, scheme, first broached upon the 18th
18th, substantially reached, as the journ
ais show, on the 10Th, was finally vote'
by II o'clock on the morning of the 17tf
The democratic line was then broken
The rest is history.
"While no we'll informed and compe
r tent critic of that compromise can eve
question the high patriotic purpose o
! the pure, the able, the admired demo
Gratis who were its parents or sponsors
vet it is submitted that these proofs Q
fhe contemporaneous judgment, attitud
and advice thereon of the elected demo
cratlc leader coHld not lin the presen
, currency of a false belief aud Of partisa
misrepresentations) be withheld iron
| I; .orty m