New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-04
Ills NdNTLE.N

It is fairly illustrative of tho altered relation
of tho supporters of Mr.. Tilden toward that
gentleman, that whereas q short time ago they
were insisting III the most confident and positive
manner upon the certainty of his nomination
and election the most earnest Of .thcm are now
talking about the contingency ~ his i.ith-
drawal and the need Of letting rundown easy
by the choice Of a candidate whom he faYOrs. In
the Democratic Conventions of New York. Con
necticut aud Pennsylvania, in which Mr.. Til
denis friends havo plumcd themselves upon
having been in the main successful in carrying
off the whole or major part of the dclcGa-
lions, it has been the subject of general remark
that the issue as made up was not so much be-
tween Tildcn and anti-Tildcn as between
different degrees of opposition TO Tilden, and
that the strongest Tllden feeling manifested
anywhere was merely willingness to give
him the nomination if he wants it, tempered
with an uncommon anxiety to have him say he
docs not want 1t. 1t has been difficult TO find
in any of these Conventions any delegate,
either prominent or obscure, who WAS unrrscrv-
edly for Tidcn. In dlmOst: jail cases where they
were Intercepted upon the subject they either
openly opposed him, or avoided answering,
or qualified a hesitating support with an it''
of great emphasis and signiicance-" if lie
"wantrd the nomination."
In the light of the action Of these Convcn-
tons Tdcnsm may now he defined as in its
most pronounced form determined resistance
to anything like kicking the old gentleman out
ANONYMOUSLY, but Willingness that he should
be let down easy. There is no form of it that
goes to the extent of insisting upon or expect
ing his nomination. 1t ought to he conclusive
as to this state Of things that Mr.. Henry Wat
terson Of The Louisville CJurier-JOmmai, who
has been all along the most salwart and un-
compromising of TiIden's supporters, insisting
always that no other candidate had or deserved
the slightest show and never permitting himself
to entertain the thought Of Il second choice
has recently come to consider the possibility Of
TIden's Withdrawal. He now permits himself
to speak in the columns Of his paper Of del
cgatrs who have been chosen and Will appear ut
Cincinnati " not TO make war upon MIR. TI.dcn
CAS- was arranged by the cabal atWdshington
"-but if Mr.. Tilden desires the nomination, to
"suppOrt him. and If he does not, to act with his
" friends in naming n candidate on whom his
"mantlc may rest without crushing him." This
is what Mr.. Wattcrson says Of the pcnnsylya-
MIA delegates favored by Randall, and said TO be
Tldcn men. 1t hardly needs be said, to those
who are ut all familiar with the hcadlong style
in which lie has heretofore supported Tidcn
that this is great letting. down from the UNI
compromising position ho has maintained
The reading between tho lines di5closcs the
situation. When such ardent friends Of Tilden
as Watterson-men, too, .in the most confidential
relations with him-begin to talk about what
shall be done in case he does not desire tho
nomination, and to consider where his man
"tle' shall fall, we arc safe in calling the game
up and counting it question, so far as Tilden is
concerned, simply of dropping the mantle. We
may be sure that the wicked boys who have
been shouting these three years, go up, bald
ahead !"-or words to that cffrct-will not catch
it. They are much more likely to be eaten up
by bears. This is prophet who when he goes
up will take exceeding care to have his mantle
drop on somebody who has stood by him from
Jericho to the Jordan-somebody q on whom It
amay rest" as Watterson says, i" without crush
Ging him." Who shall it BET Step forward,
gentlemen dark horsesl Get nearl Crowd
closet The old gentleman of Gramercy is
about to drop his mantle. It's a good deal
soiled, is Dsdly worn, never was much of q