The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-04-06
SAMUEL J. rILDEN AGAIN.
The Views of a Favorite old Republican
War Horse of Kentucky.
New York sum

The Views of a Favorite old Republican
War Horse of Kentucky.
New York SUM-
EDITOR SUN:-The letters which come
to you from all parts of the Union in
support of MIR. Tilden show the best
thought and highest patriotism of the
people. The objection put forth in the
last canvass against Mr.. Tilden's leader
ship and candidacy by our Senator, James
b. Beck, that he did not cOnfide in his
party leaders, was his highest recon-
mendatiOn in my eyes. In these times
of personal and political corruption, it
becomes patriot not only to be pure,
but above suspicion. What did Mr.. Beck
want TO know more of Mr.. 1ilden'S poll
tical views. when they were open to all
the world? Certainly he did well to
have no such person as Mr.. Beck as his
cOn6dant, and he would have been much
better off with the public if some others
had not assumed to speak for him, with
or without cause. For my part, | never
saw nor spoke nor wrote to Mr.. Tilden
in my life, except to send him one or
two printed documents which immedi-
ately concerned him, and which neither
required nor received an answer. l take
it that Mr.. Tilden holds that the man
who deserves office will sooner or later
get it, and that if he does not deserve it
he ought not to receive it; and that, in
the language of jefferson, he leaves 9th
ers to judge-Is he honest, is he patri-
Otic, is he capable? We have got now
dozen men or mOre-Old party trim
mers-candidates for the Democratic
nomination for the Presidency, not one
of whom could, with prOpriety, win
single vote from the Republicans to in
sure us victory. Iput not Mr.. Bayard in
this category, because, however much
he may have differed with us at times,
he is always true to his ideas of states
manship aud at all times a man.
At late meeting of the lrOquOis Club
at Chicago, there seems to have been a
general pOw-wOw of the Democratic
braves, and some very curious eXhibi-
tiOns of political sentiment and personal
character. There is some very rare, not
to say funny, reading, for none of which
is the lrOQuOis Club responsible. shall
only notice the platform, if such it was
intended to be, as laid down by the bril-
liant, erratic, and cOmbustible editor of
the COurier-JOuTnal. 1t is: "'A tariff
for revenue only the ObliteratiOn of
navigation laws, which have driven our
flag from the high seas; the enforcement
of the civil service from party service;
careful and just revision of our national
bank system; the reduction of the ma
tiOnal debt to thousand millions, when
it should be funded and made perpetual; /;
all taxes to be levied with an eye solely
to revenue; and no more revenue to be
collected than is required to support the
Government and carry the debt"
Some of these suggestions are good,
some bad, and some unintelligible; but
whatever else they may be, they certain
ly are neither J5ffersOnian nor Jackson
ian, and certainly not Democratic. And
upon that platform the next Republican
or Democratic candidate for the Presi-
dency might of right securely sit. Time
was, as Mr.. WattersOn says, when edit
Ors of newspapers were the followers of
statesmen, and after that their equals.
Now he assumes the role of both editor
and statesman, leaving no room in our
political system for the latter. While
the press has, from the commercial de-
velOpment of the nation, assumed an inn
pOrtance and power formerly unknown,
it does not follow that the press is all,
and statesmen nothing. The experience
of our times where editors have ventured
into law making and diplomacy has by
no means been success; and we may
yet assert, with Horace:
No sutor ultra crepldam.
There are great principles which un-
deTlie the Democratic party which ought
not and cannot be ignored. The first
and greatest is that this and all govern
DltlbS dAb ny llBub VI Illb pbOplGs Ihb
Democratic platform that leaves that out
is not my platform. The truth is, this
is all the distinction there is between
the parties. With this there will be no
need of civil service reform. There will
be no question about State rights and
centralism. All questions of finance and
tariff and free trade, ships and public
| debt and currency will be solved as me-
cessity and the trammels of foreign ma
tiOns will allow.
Therefore 1 say that the Democratic
| party cannot live and ignore the issue
of 1879. Mr.. Tilden, willing or unwill-
ing, stands the central figure. 1t is
Tilden or defeat. If Tilden was elected
in 1876, it was traitOrOus to pass him by
in 1880. By the eternal laws, we were
justly defeated in 1880. So far as 1 am
concerned, am for Tilden in 1884, sick
or we'll, living or dying. If he is the
man believe him to be, he cannot ac-
cept a nomination not yet given to him,
and when he has it, he cannot, as a true
patriot, refuse it. If Tilden dies, our
| cause is the same. The fight is not for
Tilden alone, but for principles which
never die; and if he falls, other men of
the same faith will be raised up by our
manliness fit to fill his place. 1 shall
| not, till the battle wages hotter, or the
champagne flows more freely, give this
| flag "tO the god of storms, the battle,
and the breeze" but l shall stand there,
if | stand alone. G. M. CLAY.
White Hall. XIV. March. 1892.