Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-09-03
Tilden's Adroitness.
FROM the Milwaukee Evening Wiscon

Gramercy park. Now and then news
paper which opposes his denomination
blows out, out Mr.. Tilden is gradually
laying his wires in every direction, so
that all his opponents will be slowly but
surely throttled. The resources from his
immense "bar'l" Of money will enable
him to control a large majority of the
southern delegation in the national con-
vention. The south is so very poor that
1t looks with uncommon respect upon a
rich candidate. 1t is recognized all
over the south, that there is not man
in either party who is prepared to spend
as much money as Mr.. Tilden. They
say ne 10 the only man who
has the wealth to compete with
the power Of the national admin
istrat5on, and, therefore, they ac-
cept his candidature as their only safe
refuge. They know his adroitness, his
wealth, and his ability. They are sure
that he himself Will supervise the whole
canvass and that he will leave nothing
undone to- Win success in 1880. Among
the northern Democracy Mr.. Tilden is
also growing in favor, because they per-
ceive that he can pat down more obsta-
cles in his own party than any other
man. He has had long feud with the
Tammany leaders in New York city.
They have az. especial dislike for Cover
nor Robinson, Mr.. Tilden's intimate
friend, whom they declare they will not
support for reelection. Under these
critical circumstances Tilden does not
press Governor Robinson, but has
expressed the conviction that
chosen, and that man may be Clarkson
n. Potter. What matters it to Mr.. Til
den whether Robinson or Potter be
chosen? They are both his active servi-
tors and he can properly say to Robinson,
!" If [ am inaugurated president you
shall be honorably taken care of-there
are seven members Of the presidents
cabinet, and why should you not be one
of them?" So we have come to the con-
clusion that Robinson will be persuaded
to voluntarily withdraw in order to
the presidential chances of
Samuel J. Tilden..
Carrying New York this fall for the
Democracy will be very difficult job,
but Mr.. Tilden will probably undertake
it, as he perceives the vital necessity Of
coming to the national Democratic con-
vention with New York in his hand.
He knows that Hendricks will make
some trouble, but he intends to squelch
that individual by encouraging Ewing,
and, if the latter should carry Ohio, the
combination will probably be Tilden
and Ewing. Tilden is a hard-money
man, and Ewing is soft-money advo-
cate. "But what matters that?" says
Tilden, eve are all members of the ma
tional Democratic party, and can afford
to indulge different opinions On the cur
rency question, especially as specie pay
ments have already been secured" and
he firmly believes that even if Ewing
carries Ohio he can do nothing to disrupt
that security. Mr.. Tiloen religiously
holds to the principle OF party first and
country afterwards. We knew him as a
young man, and he was the same
obedient Democrat then as now,
and that trait will account for his sup
port of the annexation Of Texas after
the Democratic party had determined
upon the same, though his convictions
were decidedly against it. He edited a
paper in 1914 in support of James K,
Polk for president, though that nomina-
mate friends, Martin Van Buren,. Mr..
Tilden's life has been consistent. He
always was a politician and considered
the behests of his party the voice of God.
Bayard may give him some trouble in
the national convention, because he has
a following of earnest and high-minded
Democrats; but Tilden's Char Z so much
larger than that which Bayard can pro-
duce that the majority Of delegates will
select the New Yorker as the better man.
Nothing could more clearly show the
adroitness of Mr.. Tilden's character and
the perfection of his political discipline
than the organization of his literary
bureau in the city of New York. This
agency he managed in 'z6, and will
manage again in 80 so as to secure the
larger portion of the Democratic press
of the country in his favor. The skill
full workings of this plan are clearly
sketched in the following resume of its
operations in the presidential campaign
of 1875:
In 1875 the move of the bureau was to
provide western Democratic papers with
notices commendatory Of Tilden before the
convention met. These were forwarded
through regular advertising house and
were paid matter. Once inserted, these
papers were committed to Tilden. They
could not go back on him without being
accused of base perfdy, and, as al the
Democratic country papers were wretched-
ly impecunious, they tumbled into the trap
set for them by the Gramarcy park reformer
with cheerful unanimity, where they had to
perform as he directed. II any Of them
kicked, significant threat or a small
douceur silenced them, and they were soon
broken into submission. As soon as Tilden
was nominated, the whole machinery of the
bureau was put into operation, large
clerical force was employed, and the bar1
supplied the funds to pay for wages, and
printing, and buy paper and stamps. The
forwarding of documents of voters
was one of the most important mis-
sions of the bureau. As far as possible,
they obtained through the Democratic state
committees the names Of all the voters in
the county, classified as Democrats, Repub-
licsns and Doubtful, and these names were
copied into books, which were jealousy
watched. A Typewriter company was
kept busy addressing envelopes, and every
hot Of Il 70 cd