The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-11-13
THE TILDEN BOOM.
Some Conversation With a Couple
of Democrats About It
What an Alabama Man Thinks of Til.
denis Physical and Mental Capac-
ity---senatOr CoIquitt OF GeOr-
gfa for the Old Ticket.

81 MI. I1lden sent letter 10 'lhe Ilbciilau
convention, which nominated Hancock, that
no man could understand, unless 1t
meant that he would not ask
for the nomination, bat would not
reject il. Cen Hancock was NOM
inatld mainly by the southern element,
Hancock drew considerable Republican
strength especially among the soldiers. Men
like Cen Sclkles and John W. Forney
stepped over to his side The Republicans
beat him aud he acqniesced in the result 1t
was after that the idea started, and has been
indglstriously famed, that if Tilden had re-
ceived the nomination instead of Hancock
he could have Carried New York, and that
would have saved Che day.
was talking with two gentlemen who had
been the same day to Mr.. Tilden's house.
They came from, we MAY say, Alabama. One
had known Mr. Tilden somewhat in past
times, and the other a stranger. Both
were Democrats said the new man:
81 went TO Gramercy park expecting to see
a man not in the best of health but mod
erately sound of body and perfectly sound in
mind. When the door was opened, there
came in a man. lettering on his feet as if each
of his toes was feeling out separately for a
foothold. He did not carry his head on his
pine like fruit His left hand was gathered
up into a roll, and Strengthened out and
shaky as he come forward, with either
paralysis or palsy. His right hand he feebly
put forth to shake hands, and during the talk
he would raise this hand to the side of his
head, as if feeling for something there, which
be hardly touched His knees were brought
close together, as if for self-support, when he
sat down, and the dead hand rested on the
left knee without and capabihty He talked
in a whisper that was so low that one man
sitting two or three feet from the other
could not hear what he said. The impression
made on me instantly, and maintained
through nearly an hour, was that greater
case of cruelty and self-deception did not ex-
ist than pushing this man out into the presi-
Dental campaign for a year hence, and
allowing him to think that he was strong
enough to go through a presidential term.
Why, my God we would no sooner nominate
that man than they would send few people
TO see him, and it would kill him. The
idea could not be kept back that we were
running on a theory of deceit man we
knew could not act out the presidency, and
would not live through the campaign
''Oh, pshawf' said the other man, who was
more ingrained politician ''we would not
let anybody get at him to see him.
"But,n said the new man, suppose he
should die before he is inaugurated, In that
case it is a nice point whether the vice presi-
dent could be installed, because the vice
president only succeeds a president, and a
mere president-elect who has never taken the
oath of office is hardly president. There
come in your courts of law again, as Mr.. Til
den had to consult them before to his disad-
vantage
well said the politician, laughing, ''if
he should die before the Inauguration, we
could keep him on ice. He looks pretty bad,
must say, and did not think be would look
much worse if he were dead We might
stand him up and inaugurate him
Now spoke the new man, vi am parti-
san. 1 was born Democrat in a southern
state. But tell you that l will never vote
Mr.. Tilden after having seen him If we play
the fool with big country like this, and put
the sword of state into the hands of a
man with one foot in the grave and the
other going down, we will be merely laughed
out of the campaign. The mistake we made
in running Greeley will seem heroic com
pared to this business If the presidency ha.
got to be such a trifling matter that the mar
need not even be alive whom you elect to it
give us some bther form of government tel
you will never vote for him, repeated my
friend. 'It would be a fraud and an act OF
cruelty"
''What did he say!h
The new man remarked: "He mumbIet
over a few sentences, as if he had got then
by rote, something like the following: my
health is better. have had my doctor OK
anime all my vital organs He has sounde,
my heart, my liver, my lungs and M
brain" Here the answerer raised his hant
feebly, with the fingers rolled togethe
toward the side of his head ''T an
sound everywhere whispered Mr.. Til
den. THE only trouble with IN
is slight paralysis, from being over
worked. reformed the state of New Yorl
/ was elected president of the United States
If | had been allowed to take my seat,
would have reformed the United States
was not willing to take the step to seize tn
office. Thieves and robbers must go out o
the high placcs.'n
"Now," said the new man, 81 know wha
/ am talking about, and l have no feelin
whatever against the poor old man. l te
you that when mans physical strength ha
run down to the point where Tilden's is hi
mentality will also run down. You ca
not revive the brain of that man. It has ne
body to subsist on, and IN my Judgment
continued the same blunt man ''his convers,
ton, though it had some phrases of ambitio
and snartness in it, showed that his min
was getting childish. He repeated over al
over that he had reformed New York, that
would have reformed Washington, that
was elected president; and when he was to
from time to time that the PEOPLE wanted hi
and would nominate him, he never made Oh
note of dissent
"If wenominate Tilden, " he continued ''tl
best situation in this country is to be behi1
him for vice president, because he will new
fiji one week of the Office If be would DIR;
out an existence he could not attend to ii
duties of president; he could not eommur
nicate with congress. 1t would become su;
apalpable imposition ON the nation that '
wove to maneuver the vice preside
right into the office somehow The
do you remember that point that
raised, whether the ELECTORAL college is
quired to select candidate for preside
from among those who run for it in case o
should diei If we should nominate Tide
and bury him in the interim-because he
not to be inAugurated If elected until the 4
of March, 1SS5-what will the electoral c.
lege do? How will congress count the vo;
of that college9 The evils we have said Il
gentleman, who was lawyer, pass all col
parsons with the electoral troubles of Is
OF 1877.
There is considerable more of this matt
that could give from my friends in Al
hama. Int / do not want to get them t
close to comparisons can only tell y
that every word Of this conversation is,truC
COlquitt for Tilden and Hendricks
ATLANTA, Ga, Nov. 13.-The CONSTITUTE
prints an interview with Senator Colqui
which indicates that the vote of Georgia W
be given to the old ticket in the contest
next year. He has just returned from N
York, and says:
81 am satisfied, from my observation
New York and from conversation with &c
tlemea from all parts of the country, I'll
the only thing for the Democrats to do is
nominate the old ticllet-Tilden and He
bricks Opinion on this point was almo
literally unanimous No matter what sta