New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-30
TIE Tagging YETFRAN.

There was something Impressive and meian-
choly in the appearance of Mr.. Tilden the
other evening on the stage of The Academy OF
Music. He moved slowly to the front, while
the masses whose leader he had once been rose
TO receive him, in ceremonious compliment
rather than III personal regard. He was late
in arriving. He trembed ike an old, old man.
He claimed the privilege of being excused from
making a speech and then, in a weak voice.
he repeated the cry which be has uttered on
every public occasion for three years aud a
half and sank into his seat The meeting
went on without further reference to him, e4-
cent in an occasional formal yet unimportant
allusion by speakers whose minds were evidently
on other topics. None of the orators set Their
remarks in The key which he had given them
and as he listened 10 the various addresses, pro
longed until far into the night, and strayihg
more and more away from the line In when
he had tried to direct them, his heart must
have sunk under the conviction that his DAY
was over the effort of his life had failed, ana
the party which for twenty years has had no
leader except when it has been led by him, had
finally discarded HIM without even regret.
In reality Mr. Tilden list The leadership
when he lost the election in 1876. But he din
not know it, and many of his partsans did not
know il; and it is almost certain that the
shrewd policy which he adopted after his defeat
would have reinstated him in his old position
but for the discovery OF the conspiracy of his
agents in the disputed States. Even after that
disclosure Mr. TlIden nearly succeeded IN
regaining what one of his phrase-makers calls
the prmacy of leadership. He did succeed
in compelling the party to commit itself TO the
fraud issue, and placing it In such dilemma
that its only choice lay between reno minatnS
him for the Presidency and cOnfessng itself IN
sincere and ridiculous. At the last moment II
chose the second alternative. 1t rejected Mr.
TIlden. In so doing il abandoned the preteXts
upon which il has been claiming sympathy all
through the present Administration, and 1t sat
isfied all the world that it did not believe in the
principal statements of It's own platform. Inc
clam that the party was cheated in 1876 was
virtually abandoned when Tilden was aban-
doned; and tie proceedings Of the first great
Democratic campaign meeting have made the
abandonment absolutely ostentatious. Mr.. Til
den. having been invited to preside over the
sOlemnities, formally requested the assembly to
consider the one great issue of fraud, and the
assembly with scant courtesy refused to do So
! The fraud issue could hardy have been repu-
dated with greater parade.
| The unanimous refusal of the Democratic
sneakers to make Mr.. Tilden's grievance theil
| own must have been. as we have said, sore
! blow to the poor old man but one can hardly
| blame them 1t has been evident for long
! time that the country does not believe III Mr.
| Tidons grievance, and party which went tc
the polls on that question would be over
whelmngly beaten. So, if they care only foI
success. the persons who now aspire to lead The
party have probably Judged we'll in choosing to
| be ridiculous rather than consistent. Defeat
awaits them in any case; if they clung to the
old pretences along with Mr. Tiden, the por-
tents of sure disaster would stare them in the
face from the very start; but by swallowing
their professions they can mt least save the com
| fort of little hope.