Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-02-27
Family Relations.

Governor Tlden complained in his cross
examination, that the Committee had Sin
truded themselves into his domestic and Fam
lily relations" He seemed to take it as al
outrage and indecency that any injury should
be made into the position which Colonel Pei
ton occupied in his household. Mr.. Tilden is
grievously mistaken. He has intrudeG his
domestic and family relations into American
politics-we need hardly remind him with
what result. Col. Pelton was suffered to as
sumo the actual secIetaryship of the National
Democratic Committee because he was Gov
ernor Tilden's nephew. He was intrusted
with the management of the most delicate and
dangerous business of the csmpaign-the ma
nipulation of the count-because he was
Governor Tilden's nephew. He was recog-
nized as the active man of the Committee,
although he had no official connection with
it, because he was Governor Tilden's nephew.
He received and sent the most secret cipher
telegrams because he was Governor Tilden's
nephew. The Southern agents reported to
Colonel PeltoD, took orders from him, asked
duu COucCuI DCSduoSS %
they told us in their testimony, they regarded
him as the confidential representative of his
uncle
Placed in this position of trust and respon-
sibility solely on account of his domestic
and family relations" the confidential nephew
made use of the post to corrupt public officers
and buy the votes of three and perhaps four
States. He directed the schemes of bribery
in Tallahassee, Columbia and Salem. He ap-
proved the venal propositions submitted by
Woolley, Marble, Smith Weed and Patrick;
and the dishonest emisssries accepted his
pledges of large sums of money because they
believed that the nephew of Governor Tilden
could command the thousands of dollars ne
cessary, according to their report, to make
Governor 1ilden President. This was SIN
truding domestic and family relations" into
politics after manner happily unprecedented
in our history; and we are confident that it
will be many generations before the daring
experiment is repeated.
Mr.. Tilden and his friends hardly under
stand the situation of affairs. They began two
years ago to shout "Fraud," and the habit has
become so fixed that even now, when the
fraud attempted in their interest by their near
est associates snd agents has been completely
exposed, they are unable to lay aside the Ian
guage and demeanor of victims. They must be
made to realize that they are in no condition
now to attack anybody. They are like the
pickpocket who is caught with stolen pure
in his hand, crying ''Stop thief" Their only
decent and prudent course is to hide them
selves from sight ano try to be forgotten.
As for Mr.. Tlden personally, if the press hes
itates to accuse him of direct guilty knowl-
edge of the villainy carried on under the shell
ter of his domestic and family privacy, he
must attribute that reticence not to any con-
vincing force in his statement, but to the
charity and moderation of a public which
would not utterly crush and disgrace broken
old man, even in face of the fact that Pelton
was allowed to operate in Florida and Oregon
after the discovery of his rascality in South
Carolina, and that the brazen Smith Weed
continued to be leader of Mr.. Tilden's per-
sonal political forces after he had avowed and
defended his attempts at bribery in Columbia.
IN. Y, Tribune