The New York herald., 1879-03-20
ut was the Cat ."

Every householder is familiar with the
active agency of 'the harmless, necessary
cat" in certain classes Of domestic occur
rences The breakage OF o window in the
garret, of O water bottle or soap dish in one
of the bed chambers, Of vase in the par
lor. or. of a trayful of crockery in the
kitchen is certain to be the work OF that
ubiquitous animal. So also is the mysteri-
Gus disappearance OF pitcherfuls Of milk,
cuts of fish and tender lamb chops, and
one remarkable case is related of o cook
who, Immediately after the disappearance
of her married sister through the basement
door with bundle under her cloak,
rushed to her mistress with the startling
announcement that the cat (then an ire
sponsible kitten) had just run away with
two-thirds of leg Of mutton, a loaf of
bread and all the tea in the caddy. Scarcely
head Of a family in New York who has
had occasion to exclaim, Goodness me
What was that?" can have failed to hear the
familiar response. .'Silent belt was the
cat y 'r'.
Mr.. Samuel j. Tilden ia the cat of the
political household. No political breakascs
can take place without the destruction
being laid at his door; no political tidbits
can be slyly snatched from IN official larder
without the larceny being attributed to him.
When the Tammany pudding basin was
smashed last November Tilden did it. The
County Clerks soup dish is suddenly bro
ken to pieces. and Tilden is said to have
knocked it off the shelf The Police Com
mission punch bowl is badly cracked, and
Tilden is the offender. 1t is Tilden who
has stolen the Tammauy Mayoralty pud-
ding, Tilden who has Tapped up the spilled
county clerkship soup, and Tilden who will
drink success to the campaign of 1880 in
the contents of the damaged Police Com
mission punch bowl. The new House of
Representatives re-elects capable, upright
Speaker, but Tilden's manipulation and not
RandalI's merit secures the result. Cover
nor Robinson vetoes an Objectionable law,
but Tilden guides the pen. The Register
Of New York is found to have performed
his duties faithfully and is kept in Office,
but Tilden has first won him over and made
bargain with him as the price of his saliva
ton. From Mnine to California every town
election.is controlled by Tilden's influence.
and his barrel of money plays as important
part in all political performances as Solon
Shingles "bar'l Of apple sass does in the
drama.
According to the stories told by his oppo-
nents Mr.. Nlaen. insteaa Of bsing in .
dilapidated condition Of health, must be
more active and vigorous than ever; and
when it is considered that in addition to oil
this political work he builds rapid transit
roads in New York. wrecks railroads in the
West, attends concerts, operas. dinners,
balls and cable celebrations, rides in the
Pork and looks in on the pedestrians at
Gilmores Garden, he may be regarded as a
very lively corpse for the campaign Of 1880.
To be sure. there is reason to suspect that,
like the Papists in Europe, he gets more
credit than he deserves for cunning and
activity. Mr.. Tilden is known to be an
intriguer, and so is made to father every
political movement, just as President Lin
coin was compelled to bear the putative
fraternity of every vagrant joke that had
been tramping over the world for half q
century. We incline to the belief that Mr..
Tilden, like the cat, is much less harmless
than his enemies, with great lack Of dis
erection, represent him to be.