New-York tribune., 1879-03-15
TILDEN,H TWLST.

There is queer report from Washington
that the leaders Of the Democratic party are
uncomfortable in the consciousness that the
old man has "got twist upon them" 1t Is
understood that they do not care about run
ming him for President any more. and yet
thev feel that he Is bound to run. lie pro-
poses not only to run himself, but to run
them toO and they do not see how to stop
him. Anybody can carry the Southj that
section would be solid for Beelzebub if he
presented himself with the regular Demo-
cratic nomination; the brunt of the battle
must be borne in New-York; and in view of
this fact Mr.. Tilden becomes the most horrd
embarrass ment political party ever had to
put up WITH For while it is by no means to
be assumed that he could carry his own
State, the party which knows his little ways,
and has had ample opportunity to judge OF his
character, seems to have convinced itself that
he will not allow New-YOrk to be carried by
anv other Democrat. And we suspect that
the party leaders are pretty nearly right.
No doubt Mr. TIlden has "gOt twist upon
them" They committed a sad mistake when
they made Fraud" the rallying cry of the
campaign of 1880, and swOre in front OF the
doOr-steps of No. ID Gramercy Park that they
never would condOne Mr.. Tilden's failure to
get into the White House in 1877. There
was something beautiful in the artful manner
of the old gentleman on that memorable oc-
caSiOn. He came out bare-headed to receive
the congratulations of his friends on his safe
return from Europe. and in the course OF his
unstudied remarks he led on impercephbly
from the contemplation OF our bOundiess nat
ural resources to the topic of Indian corn as
an article of diet, and thence to the broad
subject of reform in general and before the
crowd knew how it had been done they were
marching about the square shaking their fists
and shouting 1--WE never will condone fraud"
That settled the business. From that mo-
ment the Democracy became pledged to the
service of Mr.. Tilden in 1880. The Potter
Committee only ratified the agreement. 1t
spent nearly year listening TO testimony
true and false-and to OpiniOns-fOOllsh and
wise-from all sorts of people, and the Dem
ocratic majority declared as the result of its
inquiries that Mr.. Tilden ought to have been
counted in after the election OF 1876. The
cipher conspiracy was investigated with more
or less care and the Democrats of the COM
mittee uttered their official opinion that
Mr.. Tilden was as innocent as a child Of
all share in that iniquity, and that his be-
havior, when confronted with temptation
was in the highest degree creditable to his
head and his heart. AS Sir Joseph Porter
saws, 1T is one of the happlest character
"istcs of this happy country, that official
"utterances are invariably regarded as I'M
"answerable "-by the party that makes them.
After such vindicatOn at the hands Of bis
party, what less can Mr.. Tilden expect than
to be nominated again
Yes, the old man has got a twist upon them.
But why should they repine9 They have pro-
nounced him such a fine character in every
way. so strict in his virtue. so wise in counsel,
so irreproachable in his past career, and above
all so popular with his countrymen, that the
wry faces with which they submit to his en-
brace are quite unaccOuntable. They ought to
be the happiest politicians alive; but they
don't seem TO be.