Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-08-19
MIR. TILDEN IN 1877

The following Is taken from the New
York Times, and is statement made
by Simon Sterne with reference to Mr.
Tilden's attitude in respect to the Elec.
torial Commission:
When Mr.. Tilden spoke to me of the
arbitration scheme, [ promptly de.
nouneed it. 1 told him that he had nc
right to arbitrate; that there was moth.
ing for him to arbitrate about. But his
ear was given to advisers whose counsel
was cancellations gentle ways. 1t was
clear enough to me that Mr.. Tilden
hearkened to them because in reality
they told him what agreed with his own
ideas. He thought that all would be
amicably and equitably arranged; he
expected the acquiescence of the Re-
publicans as to his election as soon as
they carried an investigation; he was
confident of his election. He said to
me:
"The Republicans dare not carry
through the scheme to make Mr.. Hayes
President. They have too many OBJ
stacles to overcome, too many adverse
points to meet; there is so much dam
ger in it that they dare not pursue it to
the end"
Mr.. Tilden, in giving his influence to
bring the arbitration scheme forward
counted ON Judge David Davis. Some
people affect to disbelieve this; others
plumply lie about it; but the fact isl
feel warranted by reason of my oppor-
tunity for observation-that Mr.. Til
den would never have consented to
that particular scheme if he had not
felt sure that the vote was going to turn
out through Judge Davis to be to 7 in
his favor instead of the to s against
him. When the Republicans executed
their coup of the Illinois Senatorship
Mr.. Tilden's breath, figuratively, was
taken away. Still he stood by the posi-
ton to which he had committed HIM
self. He had faith in the integrity of
the Supreme Court Judges; he resented
insinuations that partisanship could
rule on that bench. And he counted
on the Florida and Oregon cases; it
would be impossible" he said, for the
Electoral Commission to go behind the
returns in one State without also going
behind the returns in the other. If
Democratic frauds were proved in Ore
gon, Republican wickedness would be
disclosed in Florida. He had lots of
law to back up his view, but, unfortu-
nately for the integrity of books, that
Electoral Commission performed the
feat with lively alacrity.
''Was Mr.. Tilden the stolid, immova-
BILE, unexcitable Spartan that he has
been painted during the Electoral Com
missions campaignW asked.
Mr., Tilden showed marked anxiety.
Some days he would order loads of law
books brought to him from the Bar AS
and every legal point relative
to the constitution of the Electoral Col
lege and Interference to other election
affairs and matters he pored
over assiduousIy; and lawyers of conse-
quence in and out of New York were
consulted on manifold subjects. There
seemed to be no limit to Mr.. Tilden's
for work then. When finally
the verdict came and Hayes was pro-
the chosen one, Mr.. Tilden
was inclined to assume an attitude
which would shift from his own shoul-
ders upon somebody else the respon-
sibility for what had been done. Mr..
Abram S. Hewitt was assailed. Tilden
was quoted as declaring Hewitt had been.
headstrong and unmanageable and was
responsible for the Electoral Commits
sion. This am persuaded was great
injustice to Mr.. Hewitt. My own rela-
tions to Mr.. Tilden were convincing
that he himself liked the plan of arbi-
tration, Judge Davis then being avail
able. Ifhe wasn't out and out in its
favor, he at least was loath to bring
about the possible conditions of war.
He was so confident of the soundness
of his position that it irritated him
even to have devoted friends suggest
aught but the one result ofsuccess.
When I found fault with the arbitration
business he demanded: