The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-23
rHE OUTLOOK FOR 1880.
~sICTyNG OPINIONS FOR AND
AGAINST TILDEN.
mr. Eminent Politicians In Albany
or MIS- Chances for the Dems-
...ttc NousInatzon-Tw0 widely Differ
.nt Conclusions.

E-s~ AZ
IT, or MS Chances for the Deme-
tic NorslnatGon-Two Widely Differ
ant Conclusions.
IN. Y. SUM-
rn.rY. Feb. 1.-THE presidential election
,eso begins to engage the attention Of the
.,,,aians here. Passing events are eagerly
rr..reaed with relation to their supposed
s.srng on next year affairs. 1 have talked
an some OF the prominent men in the DEM
.c,atic party, and their opinions are ap-
I s.rded. For obvious reasons their names
y withhold. II they fathered their views
sbloly they would find themselves involved
4 UNPLEASANT controversies.
One leader, whose standing is high, but
.bose hostility to Mr.. Tilden Is pronounced,
aid. ut Is too early to settleon presidential
.s.ndidete at present. But 1t Is not too early to
10 that Tilden does not stand ghost of
.hapce. The nominee will probably be
western man. New York has had the tnomi-
s.tlon four successive times (for McClelland
vas virtually New Yorker, and nothing
\ M come of it. The West Is tired Of surren-
daring Its opinions to the East, and encounter
lue only defeat through the surrender. We
NAnl. Ul GOul5t. III Win buNochID vi lulld-
4 nm. but moderate man like Thurman or
/ Herdricks will serve our purpose. The New
/ York Democracy could make a better fight
Nth Western than with an Eastern candi
date. We should be saved from local dissen-
/ sions, and If we carried what are called the
october States we should get the floating vote
. sure. We might have New Yorker on the
| ticket for Vice President SandfordE Church
4 Or Amasa ]. Parker, for instance"
aBut why do you say that Mr.. Tilden's
chances are hopelessY
ties OF politics for any man to repeat the
rame which Tilden played in 1876. He nom-
| mated himself. From the momentthat he en-
tered the executive chamber at Albany he
worked with a view to capturing the Pres-
dency. He stocked the cards and turned the
trumps from the bottom OF tho pack. He de-
lberately alienated all the leaders of the
party. He called around him O lot OF up
starts, men barren of influence and some Of
them devoid of character; and these shared
bis confidence and pushed his schemes. His
so-caled war on the canal ring was farcical,
trickish and dishonest The amendments to
the constitution forbade the expenditure OF
money for extraordinary repairs, and Tilden,
iorsseeing that there would be reduction In the
cost OF maintaining the public works,
shrewdly took to himself the credit Of effecting
that reduction. Not satisfied with this, he
used his canal ring weapon to strike down
men purer than himself. He charged every
bOuy who refused to echo his shbboleth with
being the apologist OF thieves. He would
have been beaten overwhelmingly In the
convention of 1875, but by sheer strength OF
bis audacity he drove off the representative
men OF the party, leaving Smith Weed, Pei
ton and the rest to work their own sweet will.
In the spring of 1876, when the delegates to
st. Louis wereto be chosen, he sent a thou
sand agents through the State to pack the
caucuses and overcome. the wishes OF the
people, These were the means by which he
carried the New York delegation. He also
sent emissaries to the South and by impress
Ing on the mjnds Of the editors and politi-
clans there the fact that he was very rich
man, and decebving them into the belief that
he would pay all the expenses OF the cam
4 paign out OF bis own pocket, he bagged their
rapport. Then he arranged for the votes In
We convention OF those States where the De-
m0cracy Is In aihopeless minority, and where
the control is left to few men. He neglected
no point, and succeeded In forcing himself on
the party as its candidate when he was not
4But he ran we'll"
mo, 1t was not he who ran, but the Demo-
Gacy. The man was infinitely weaker than
the party. The men whom he had despite
iully used and prosecuted abstained from
saughtering him when they had the chance.
i was not that they hated him less but that
they loved the party more. With true mag
nanimity they forgot their grievances and
worked to make him President"
rDo you think he was fairly elected?"
"0f course he Mas. But he was too much
Of coward to assert his rights and;take the
office. He paltered and hesitated, and sent
cipher dispatches and fooled away his time
with Pelton and Weed and Marble, and let
slip his golden opportunity: The Democratic
party has done with Tilden forever"
The gentleman who thus emphatieelly ex-
pressed his opinion seemed to be perfectly
confident that he was correct IN hiSconclu-
slons; but subsequently he casually confessed
that the Tildentes had captHred the Demo-
cratic organization In his county and would
probably hold it.
Mynext conversation was with mar who
understood the details OF State politics thor
oughly. He also thought that it was too
early TO settle ona presidential candidate.
de continued; "Lf the convention were to be
held tomorrow, Governor Tilden would be
nominated on the first ballot. There Is really
no other available candidate la the field A
Western man Is 0lt of-the question. There
B no real difference, of opinion between Judge
Thurman and Governor Hendricks, but this
makes their personal rivalry all the more in
tense and bitter. Each is strongh enough to
defeat the other, but neither caG carry the
convention. II is admitted that New York
y the pivot OF the campaign, and it Is worse
than useless to carry New York with West
Will be the Republican candidate
In spite IF his record, he possesses
an Influence hard to define, but never
theless apparent III solid business circles. The
bankers and merchants Of New York would
readily raise a million dollars to elect him
against any candidate on the Democratic side
who was infected with the Ohio idea. They
raised more than that in la72 to defeat Horace
Greeley. But in 1876 their faith in Samuel j.
Tlden was so great that, to say the least they
occupied neutral position. They would not
pay out their money to esect Hayes against
him. The Democracy is weaker now than it
was in the last presidential campaign The
decline in it's strength is measured pretty ac-
eprately by its departure from the policy
which Mr.. Tlden embodied. Thednajor part
aofithe politicians are practical men, and, as
they appreciate the situation, they want to
recall him to the leadership OF the party
There will be great fight in Ohio in DC
ttober, with the prospects fav0ring Repuk-
lcan success II the Democrats shouh carry
that State, then they might make comhina-
ton with the South for the Presidency and
leave New York out of their calculations II
they are beaten, and II New York gives a
Democratic majority In November, 1875, there
Will be only four possible candidates for the