The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1879-05-15
THE CASE Of MR.. TILDEN.


scene of intense dramatic interest was wit
messed at the Fifth Avenue Hotel on Saturday. In
low, dark room, excessively hot and densely
packed. the whole world sat the reporters tables,
OF crowded close with notebook in hand, to catch
the faint whispers that fell from a worn and hag-
gard old man. With the look of a corpse except in
moments of excitement. with slow, far-away voice
and slow, painful movements, dropping left eyelid,
parchment-like checks, and ouivering hand. Mr.,
1Ilden repeated his statement, evidently prepared
with great care. in voice much of the time hardly
audi BILE four feet away. His manner showed intense
and increasing nervous excitement, by great EFFORT
restrained the body and fell in the seat inces-
sanity, If he were irving in vain to rse and the
seemingly half useless left arm shook like leaf
Then the excitement burst restraint. the face
flushed almost purple the l,p aalyered the night
passion and the voice rang through the room with
painful intensity. like the shrek of drowning
man. After every such effort, the sentence died
away, as if the voice were stopped by closing
waters. The effect almost that of death-bcd
declaration Had the matter thereof equalled in
would have had great effect. Not indeed that the
people would have been more ready to lift To the
Presidency man so broken, and manifestly liv-
ing only in bitter and torturing memories. But the
matter was by no means equal to the manner i'm
avoid contrasti D thn decsraanns of NJ T;idep
with his own admitted conduct toward men whose
deeds fill dark page in the history of the country.
Mr.. Iildens testimony was doubtless strong as,
after four months of preparation and consultation,
it was possible to make it,. That 1t was not exceed
ingly strong was due to the inherent and INSURER
able difficulties of his position. 1t was not possible
for hun to state that, respect to Weed, Marble.
Wooey, Coyle or Pelton, either in watching their
doings knowing their character as he did, or
reprobating their acts when they became known 10
him, his conduct was consistent with the spotless
II was not possbie for him wholly to conceal that
low moral tone which half excused Pelton for try
ing to buy votes, because he was swift to believe
without evidence that others had done attempted
the same thing. His only intense feeling not
wrath because of crimes committed, but wrath be-
cause of Oss sustained. PeltOn tolerated and
kept when he was known to have done wrong
Years afterward he was disowned with Indignation
only when the public had found him out.
Mr.. Tilden's declaration of his ignorance of cor
rupt negotiations seems broad, full and emphatic
as it could be. If there were mental reservations
as il now appears there were in his published card
of October last, of such character that an exact
statement of truth had the public effect of
claims to have had no knowledge that Pelton was
communicating in cipher with the Democratic
agents at the South no knowledge that Weed had
gone to South Carolina, until he returned no
knowledge that Woolley had gone TO Florida.
or Patrick to Oregon; no knowledge of
until il was arrested by Mayor Cooners
refusal to provide money for it, and knowledge
even then or afterward of the true nature of the
negotiations in that State or the Others. These
assertions If fully believed acquit Mr. Tlden of one
charge only convict him of another quite as fatal
to his position Presidential candidate. For they
are to he compared with certain facts now fully
/. Mr.. IIden knew W. L. PeltOn thoroughly
Democratic newspapers, by way of preparing the
scapegoat for the wilderness, accommodating
proof that Peltons conduct especially in regard TO
money matters. had been such that no confidence
could be placed in his integrity, and these dongs
were bes. known to Governor Iilden, who had suf-
fered by them. Yet at most critical and delicate
time, when the air full of rumors of corrup-
tlon" MIR. Tilden himself testifies, he did suffer
PeltOn to conduct the confidential communication
between New-iOrk and the Democratic agents at
the South. He knew that corrupt proposals must
reach such man. word from him to Mr.. Hewitt
Mr.. Cooper. or Mr.. Pelton himself, would have
stopped such communication. and caused all proper
agents of the party at the South To be warned to
communicate only with Mr.. Hewitt. III he had ever
said, "Pelton is ndiscreet, and may make scandal
or Pelton is corrupt. and may buy or promise TO
admits. and the world knows that he did not speak
that word Why mott
Ill. Mr.. Tilden knew Weed Woolley Coyle and
Marble. He had seen under the yeneerlng and
knew Marble for the Joseph Surface of the age He
had been the chairman of the Democratic State
Committee in 1865, and necessarily knew of MIR
Woolley's part in the impeachment of johnson, He
clvIties the most skilled lobbyist at Albany IL
was ms duty to know whether such men repre-
sented the Democratic National Committee at the
very points where corruption most probable.
Ill. 1t is absolutely impossible that Samuel j.
Tilden ignorant of all the cipher kilograms
which came from the South, unless he made an eff
fort to be ignorant Ii was his habit and his very
nature to give extraordinary attention TO the details
of political contests. III it is true that he did not
get constant reports from the men sent South il
can only be because he suddenly made. extraor-
binary effort to suppress natural anxiety and I'M
patience, and to put behind hun the habits of