The Red Cloud chief., 1884-07-04
Exit Tilden.

hand upon his heart and spoke moral
platitudes to his daughters and the
members of the Chuzzlewit family there
has been 10 such impressive tableau
upon any stage as that presented by
Mr.. Samuel j. Tilden in his final adj.
dress to tine Democratic party. MIR.
Pecksniff." we read. ''was 3 moral
man. = Perhaps there never was
a more moral man than MIR. Pecksniif.
especially in his conversation and cor
respOndence." On n OCCASION, at
least, it is recorded that he rose to the
true Tilden proportions. Humble as
l am" said he, Il am an honest man,
seeking to do my duty in this carnal uni.
verse, and setting my face against all
vice and treachery. 1 wept for your de-
pravity. l mOur over Your corruption.
/ pity your voluntary withdrawal from
the rowery paths of purity and peace
and thereupOn ''he struck himself upon
his breast. or moral garden"
Mr.. Tilden. not to be OutdOne by any
thing Mr.. Pecksniff could bring forth,
saws of his own humble efforts in the
past:
FOR over HIty years as u VFISdtp CltiLeu,
never contemplating an official career. l have
devoted at least as much thought and effort
to the duty of influencing Alright the action
of the governmental institutions of my cOun-
try as to all oth-r objects.
When we remember that of all the
men America has produced, there has
not been one more VIGOROUSLY mean,
selfish and sordid than this same Peck
sniffian gentleman who so freely admits
his WI philanthropy: that he has not
made record of a political or personal
service of any kind in all that half cen.
tury of his mature years that was not
apparently to his own direct advantages:
and that with all his wealth, which is
supposed to extend into the millions,
his name is not connected with a single
public enterprise which is not expected
to pay dividends, or with a benevolent
O. philanthrOpic movement of any name,
sort or dimensions whatever, we are led
to marvel that he expects an audience,
of his chosen followers, to sit with
long faces and listen to his exposition of
his own good works. He puts his Of
fetal labors on the same plane as his
private endeavOr for the public good,
/ have never accepted Official service except
for a brief period, for a special purpose and
only when the occasion seemed to require
from me that sacrifice of private preferences
to the public welfare. l undertook the State
administration OF New York because it WAS
power be arrayed on the side OF the
to which. As a private citizen. l had
given three years of my life. ! accepted the
for the Presidency in 1876 because
flA uanspl pap, aviation that r,N, m
would best present the issue of reform. which
the Democratic majority of the people de-
sired to have worked out in the Federal Gov
eminent as it had been in that of the state of
New York.
His own pretensiOns provoke a refer
EN- &c to the practical comment upon
those high professions, made by the
disclosures of the cipher dispatches that
followed the election of 1876; and the
idea that 'his candidacy would best
present the issue of reform is worthy
Of the modesty of the Democratic ora
Gle. He has shown himself to be an
adept at political intrigue, but when
he alludeS to the reform and purifica-
lion of politics he is using words which
are out of place in his vocabulary. His
reference to his exploits in New York
City and State shows a similar feeble
aess of comprehension and strength of
Three years of experience in the endeavor
reform the Municipal Government of the
city of New York and two years of expert
sncs in renOvating the administration OF the
of New York have mad me familiar
With the requirements of such a work.
Nh. Tilden'S services in helping to
Freak up the reign of Boss Tweed are
lot forgotten, but they hardly take the
'ank of eminence. After the death of
Dean Richmond he managed to secure
he place of Chairman of the Demo-
,ratic State Committee. and in many
conventions the willy Chairman sent
Tweed to the front. and he never made
motion toward bringing the rule of
he corrupt boss to an end until the
press had aroused the citizens and the
were in full pursuit. At the
hour Tilden went with the
current he could not withstand and be-
a refOrmer within the party of
corruption when there was nothing else
eft for him to do. A public sentiment
o general as to result in Il mass meet
ne to appoint a committee of one hun
lred to proceed against the Tweed
rang brought him to the surface as one
the hundred, but while the stealing
successfully going on, not a word
anne from Reformer Tilden.
In the State administration of two
ears Mr.. Tildeu did, indeed. help to
mash the canal ring. That combina-
constituted a political machine that
vas not a part of the Tild-n machine
nd would not become subject to it.
lie undertook the State adm;nistra-
of New York not at all because
was supposed that in that way only
ould the executive power be arrayed
the side of the refOrmers," but be-
arse the panic of 1873 had produced
gch a feeling of discomfort that n
of the State administration of
Few York and some other States from
he Republicans to the Democrats was
before a nomination was
made. and because Mr.. Tilden was such
sly and skillful pipe layer that he got
he nomination by a scratch in a con-
entiOn that had a large majority of
elegates who preferre'i Judge Sanford
Church. The tidal wave took Tilden
nd the whole Democratic ticket into
flee, and both branches of the Legis-
ature to boot. 1t is sheer impudence
MIR. Tflden to pretend that he .'ac-
epted official service in this case '.for
special purpose or for any purpose
Their Than the purnOSp which niOi,t