Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-07-23
MANHATTANISMS.
TIE. JOURNALISTIC FORTUNES OF
THIRTY YEARS.
The Selfish Old Man Of Gramercy Park
George RipIey's Literary Remains
Janitorial Complexities.
New York. July Is. 1880


has been made here upon Samuel J. Tilden
since the death of his nephew, Colonel
William Tilden Pelton, made notorious by
his connection with the cipher frauds
There is very little doubt that Pelton's
death was fastened, if not directly caused,
by the treatment he received at the hands
of his uncle, who may well be charged
with the grossest ingratitude. As every
body knows, Pelton was made the scape-
goat for Tilden's sins. When it was discov-
cred that the Reformer had been trying to
buy electoral votes and Returning Boards
through his nephew, acting as his conf
Dental agent, the latter took all the
blame upon himself, fully excuipating his
kinsman. He acted as generously as a
man could in very dishonest cause; but
he could not, of course, prevent the public
from seeing the truth-that the really
guilty person was his avuncular employer.
He certainly deserved well at the hands of
Tilden, who, however, felt deeply aggrieved
at Pelton, not for his corruptness and gen.
eral political rascality, but for his expos
ure The reformer does not care much
what kind of
TRICKERY AND BRIBERY
He resorts to. provided he be not found
out. He could not forgive his nephew for
the crime of being found out. He did not
deal openly with him; but he showed his
resentment in many ways. He turned him
out of his house, where he had long had a
home-he may have been impelled to do
this for outward effect-and completely
altered his demeanor toward him. This
alteration Pelton, who was really much at
tached to his uncle, felt so deeply that it
injured his health, not very strong at best,
and finally carried him off. He may justly
be considered a victim of ingratitude.
Tilden is extremely shrewd-he has dem
onstrated his shrewdness ever since he
became prominent in politics nobody
has ever accused him of possessing an
ounce of heart. He is, and has always
been selfish, through and through he does
not own any downright humanity; he is
the last man whom anybody would trust in
an emergency. He has no genuine friends,
nor does ne deserve any. His treatment
of Pelton is sample of his nature, and a
sample that very few persons, even those
equally mean, would accept. In all New
York, question if more selfish old man,
an old man more intent On his own ends to
the exclusion of everybody and everything
else, can be unearthed. The sordidness,
the narrow egotism of Samuel J. Tilden is
generally understood, and the Democracy
was wise, if they have the least desire to
succeed, in throwing him overheard at
Cincinnati.
THE OLD TRIBUNE ASSOCIATION.
The recent death of George Ripley re-
moves the last member of the old Tribune
Association, except Thomas V. Rocker, for
years foreman of the composing room, and
now cashier of the establishment The
only writer for the paper who was an early
associate of Horace Greeley is Charles P.
Congdon All the other writers, including
Whitelaw Reid, John r. g. Hassard,
William Winter and Clarence Cook, have
gone on the Tribune since the war enGc,.
The journal was thirty nine years old last
year. Ripley had been connected with it
thirty-one years. No present member Of
the staff since Congdon has been in the
office over thirteen or fourteen years at
longest, and most of the members
have not been there beyond six or
eight years. The men VINO made the TIib-
une famous under Greeley are either dead
OF in new walks. William Henry Fry,
the brilliant musical critic, and author of
g Leonora," one of the very few successful
native operas, has long been dead. Richard
Hildreth, historian Of the United States,
| 41,al Loot in Elorayca OF ba oil
of the civil strife Count Adam Cur
owski, the eccentric Pole, who had most
dramatic career abroad, slipped into his
grave in Washington. G. G. Foster, once
city editor, and author of series of
sketches, " New York in Slices, went to
the bad married an adventures, Nine.
! Margeruites forged the name of VIM. E.
Burton, COMEDIAN was thrown into prison
and committed suicide there. John Cleve-
land, financial editor, and maker of the
"Trbune Almanac" is
IN HIS NARROW HOME;
George Snow and S. 7. Clark, also fnan-
cial editors, are in theirs. Chas. A. Dana
has made fortune out of the Sun; Isaac
w. England, formerly of the Tribune, has
prospered as the publisher of the former
paper Edward II. Hcwe, quondam musi-
cal critic, lives in Japan, and is proprietor
of the Toxic Times; George w. Curtis,
who was an ancient Tribune, is perma-
nently with the Harpers. Edmund G..
! Stedman is now stock broker, and yet a
dabbler in ink Franklin j. Ottorson is
drifting around on the journalistic sea
Charles Z. Wilborn got into the Tammany
ring; secured wealth, and finds it con-
venient to remain abroad; James McEl-
wrath, Greeley's old partner, has been for
years in other pursuits Sydney Howard
Cav. out of journalism, is writing Bry-
ants History Of the United States; Samuel
Sinclair, for many years publisher of the
Tribune, ruined himself with country
seat, and is now cheerfully earning his
bread by salaried position in the Custom
house. What diverse fortunes have at
tended the old Tribuae men! How they
/ have been scattered and divided
GEORGE Ripley.
! 1t is said that collection of George
Ripley's writings will soon be made, and
| issued in two octave volumes. He was a
ripe scholar, an original thinker, fine
stylist. He had led literary life from
the beginning He had been more than
thirty years a reviewer OF books; never
theless, he had, oddly enough, never made
a book of his own, the small controversial
volumes, produced while he was a Uni
tartan clergyman, hardly counting as ex-
ceptions. 1t is doubtful if another such
| instance could be mentioned either here or
in Europe. Ripley, who was continually
writing, never put any entire work OF his
own between covers. Hewasfond of authors,
but he disliked mere book makers, and was
determined not to be thought one of them
himself. He would not properly have
come under the head, for though he worked
for daily newspaper, he worked with as
much care and conscientiousness as if he
had been consigning every word to poster
| ity His many admirers would like lit.
erary memorial of the eminent and genial
critic, and it should by all means be fur
nished.
JANIToRs' FAMILIES.
1t is generally thought that lower Broad
way is deserted in the evening, as all the
Offices and stores are closed in the after
noon, and the quarter relinquished to
ouietude and occasional pedestrians. But
since the very hot weather has set in, 1t is
found to be quite fall after dark of men,
women and children, who crowd about the
ax+r,,oa, and How nver the