Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-10-15
TILDEN ON TAMMANY.
SAMMY PRETEN0S TO LIKE KellrS
BOLT.
Claims He is Using His Enemies to Pro-
mote His Success-His Special Orr
gan Puts Forth Rosy View
of His Prospects,
Sew York sun CTilden's organ }

hNial utASlohNSi oub oaAhPif - wv 'NN
tions and speculations OF an admirer OF
the statesman of Gramercy.
"Gov. Tlden," he said, "seems to be
more deeply interested in the present
campaign than in any other in which he
has ever borne a part. The Democra-
tic position exactly meets his approval.
He would have looked upon any COM
promise at Syracuse as a base, ignoble
surrender. For weeks before the
Convention some of the news
papers discussed the possibility OF Il
rupture between him and Robinson,
and the bringing forward OF some other
name as that of the Tilden candidate.
But Tilden himself never entertained
for a moment the idea OF abandoning
Robinson. His only fear was that Mr..
Kelly would not carry out his threats,
but would yield to persuasion at the
last moment, and would support the
regular ticket"
"Do you mean TO say that Mr.. Illden
wanted Tammany to bOlt?'
"That il precisely what mean To
say. 1t would have been an almost
fatal blow to his policy and TO his hopes
Of party success this year II Kelly had
surrendered.
81 cannot see how a man hopes To
attain success by splitting his pa rty."
"This is not split, but revolt
Tammany accepted the platform before
il left the Convention. BY that act II
virtually conceded that no question OF
principle was involved in its subsequent
work. Mr.. Kelly and his associates VOL
UNFAIRLY enlisted in the Democratic
service, and then mutinied against the
Captain"
"But how is a mutiny going to help
yOu?'
"By the irresistible appeal which it
makes TO every man who remains faith
ful 10 the party. We have hundred
thousand lukewarm voters who might
have STAYED at home il we had patched
up peace at the convention. Now they
will all come out and deposit their bal
lots for Robinson. They are angry at
this unjustitiable bolt, and they are just
enough afraid of the result TO make them
active and energetic. Mr.. Tilden seems
10 have an almost magical influence over
his enemies TO make them do foolish
things. II some of his friends were not
also fools, his authority would bc bound
less. You remember what happen at
st. Louis? Nothing stood between Til
den and s triumphant nomination for
the Presidency but the fear that he Was
allied TO Tammany Hall. Months before
the convention, through the South and
West, this was the stumbling block
10 his success. rammany u in bad odor
not only in the rural regions of this
State, but in all the States. An organl-
Zation is like man; its prominent acts
are remembered, and all the rest is
quickly forgotten. Unfortunately for
Tammany, il gained its greatest nOtoriety
through Tweed's connection with IL. His
ring rule and his rObberies were the
wonder Of the world. The fact that Til
den helped to overthrow Tweed did not
quite quel the suspicion that he belong
cd 10 the same gang, since he hailed
from the same house-Tammany Hall.
But in the very nick of time John Kelly,
the acknowledged leader OF Tammany,
accompanied by host of his untcrri-
fed braves, appeared on the scene,
denOuncing Tilden in terms of ex-
travagant and absurd violence.
Among the Southern delegates, IN par
ticular. this short-sighted policy pro-
duCcd an immediate reaction in Tilden's
favor. One OF the Arkansas delegates
asked Mr.. Kelly if he had laid his case
before the Convention Of his own State.
When he answered that he had, but
that he had been Overborne there, the
man from Arkansas reasoned: III you
were Southerner you would surrcn-
der when you were whipped, and not
come here to parade your grievances.
Mr.. Tilden was more indebted TO John
Kelly for his nomination in 1876 than TO
any other man in the State OF New
York. Kelly furnished the missing
link in the chain of success-the posi-
tive evidence that Tilden was offensive
10 Tammany Hall"
"But what has all that TO do with this
campaign
"Nothing, except that Tilden, who is
held 10 be responsible for ROblnson's
nomination, is receiving even more
effective service from Kelley now than
hc did in 1876. The danger to the De-
mOcraCy in this year was apathy. We
had carried the State 80 many times
that the impression began 10 grow that
we could carry it every time, and almost
without an effort Under ordinary cir
cumstances it would have been very
hard, perhaps impossible, TO arouse the
average voter to a sense of the impor-
tancc of this contest. ROblnsOn's NOM
inatlOn was by no means a certainty,
and Tammany announced that it would
not vote for him il he was the regular
candidate. Then the question was
squarcly raised OF yielding 10 that kind
OF dictation or vindicating the courage
OF the party, and OF course it could end
only in one way. Then came tine bolt,
and because Of the bolt every delegate
and visitor at Syracuse who was not
there as a paid retainer Of Mr.. Kelly
went home firm in the purpose TO elect
the ticket, if it took six weeks Of con-
tnuous work TO do it. repeat that
everything came out just as Mr.. Tlden
and his friends desired to have il"
"But can you elect Robinson with
the $1,000 voters Of Tammany Hall OPP
posing him."
There are not 10000 voters in Tam
many Hall at the present time, nor half
that number while 5000 is liberal
estimate OF those VINO will he there on
election day. No Democratic Organiza-
ton can amount 10 anything in the me-
trOpolis unless il supports the regular
ticket. II must not only recognize the
State Convention, but {" make il con-
spicuously strong, it must receive the
Conventions recognition in return.
Look al last years canvass. The anti
Tammany Democrats supported the
regular State ticket, and formed an ALI
ance with the Republicans on the city
ticket Most Of the leading newspapers
advocated the combination, and some
time before the election its success was
assured. But with all these advantages
the anti-Tammany Democrats, lack
ing the title % regularity,
polled only $4,000 votes, while
Tammany, possessing that title, secured
10000. Now the conditions are re-
yersed. Tammany is more grossly ir-
regular llau anu ldulIhAny was last
year. II admits that its desire is to
make Republican the next Governor
OF New York. 1t is prepOsterou. to
suppose that it can control It's former
voters for such purpose. One object
that Mr. Tilden had, 50 far as he was
concerned in this campaign, was to de-
monstrate that Tammany possessed no
inherent strength. 1t gets its votes
from the Democratic party, while Mr..
Kelly maintains that the Democratic
party gets its votes from Tammany.
There has been no opportunity till now
to determine which proposition is cor
rect, for Tammany and the Democratic
party were united. Now they are pull
ing in opposite directions, and YOU will
see, on the 4th Of November, which goes