The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1880-03-23

What Has Mr.. Tilden Done

While ihc masses of the people are
enthusiastic in their adherence 10 The
claims of Tildcn, still there nre those
who oppose him with a bitterness MS
unjust as ills unAcservcd. Mr. TIL.
lpn has enemies: what great man
has not ? Some who were his staunch
friends in '76 are now ready to grasp
with aviditv Mt every campaign lie
put in circulation by his political en-
emics, and strive to pull him down
from that height 10 which few men
of the age can hope to attain. Ger
tain II is that The highest ambitions Of
his dclamcrs, in his own party. ought
TO be graliiled, could they but be ele.
waited TO the positions OF the hum
blest satellites that revolve around
him rs the great poliiicals lnminary
of the Democratic party. One thing
We know. and that they are enemies
TO Mr.. Tilden and the question,arises.
what has he done TO incur their dis
pleasure? Take his record from the
first, and is it.one continued chain of
noble deeds in behalf of right and
justice. His career as governor
brought him into prominence, and
his most violent political enemies
could.fnd nothing in his record
in the heated campaign of nc, calcu.
lated TO damage him in the least, and
he was elected by majority of n
quarter of million votes. Right
here is where he made The enemies
who oppose him so strenuously now.
OF course no man who looks the facts
in the face can censure Mr.. Tilden
for not taking his seat as President.
But there are those who brand him
as a coward because he did not "do
like Wade Hampton and declare BY
the Eternal God lie would be Presi-
dent" They forget the state of af-
affairs at the time. The Republicans
were in power, with a soldier at the
head of the government, with: n ma
jority in tho Senate, with an army
and navy 10 carry out the designs,
infamous though they might
be, ofthe partisan President. Again
it must be remembered that to be
President man must be inaugurated,
and this power was in the hands of
the Republicans. Mr.. Tildeng could
do nothing but await the events that
were added one by one to the dark
catalogue of crime, and which robbed
the people OF an officer whom they
had said by their votes should gov.
ern them. He could do aught to
avert tho inevitable outrage. The
votes had to be counted and a man
declared elected before the Inaugural
ton could go OH.
Mr.. Tilden's friends, the men who
were sent by confiding constituent
CIV, submitted to all arbitration
which not only perpeirated wrong
upon Mr.. Tilden, but the whole Dem
ocratic party. Indeed Mr.. Tilden
was but the figure head Of the party,
the exponent Of its principles, and
the Commission did not rob him as a
man but as the leader of his party.
WIS ask you, who are enemies of Mr..
Tilden, in all candor, what could he
have done under the circumstances
He was not declared elected by the
legal tribunal. He could not insist
OH being inauguratcd without placing
himsclfin opposition 10 a majority oil
his own party in Congress, who &C.
quiesced in the fraud, and lastly he
could not have taken his seat without
throwing the country into war and
anarchy, and with all the chances fol-
defeat against him. Suppose he had
attempted to take this step, would
enough "unarmed men" have come
to his rescue 10 oycr-power and SUBJ
due the military of the country and
place him in the chair at the point OF
the bayonet? All the chances were
against such a step. The money was
in,the hands of the Republicans, in
fact any sensible man can sec that
such step would have been sheer
nonsense. To those who refer to
Wade Hampton It must be remem-
bered that no was not empowered to
act as the Governor of South CARROLL
ma until he had been recognized by
the President aud only ncld the po-
sition by force of arms unable TO