New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-08-05
.S1NTEL j. TILEEN.

al but submit to the will of God in dc1ning
my public career forever closed" Thus Mr..
Iidcn ended his dgnlicd and pathetic letter OF
June, 1884, declining his party S denomination
for the Presidency. But III reality his public
career closed seven years caller with the de-
cisiOn OF that Electoral Commission which the
Democracy had invoked to settle the momentouS
dispute in regard to the succession. He did IN
deed continue to retain his powerful hold on his
PARTY: he died the most honorcl of Democrats,
the leader of their leaders. Still, after 1876
~ the people naturally enough regarded han a.
a MN whose public career WAS all behind hml
and since 1880, the Democratic National Con-
yention of that year having decided not to place
the old ticket in the field, the general lnte =
est attaching to him has been tLt OF NnnlnS-
cence and not of expectation.
On other pages will be found IN extended &c
count of the life and services of NJ. 1idcn.
The record that survives HIM Is that OF a pubic
spilit.d citizen who accomplished much g"ol
work for the common we'll. In this CITY MS
nasne will always be gratefully cherished De-
cause to him. more than 10 any other one man,
with the possible exception OF Charles y C"h"i,
the overthrow of the Tweed ring and of the
Judges who had dcilcI the eInlne ut the b'ck
and for the pay of that ing /, 10 IN clediNi.
throughout the State the same feeling OF graft
tude will insure the peIpctluty OF his tame or-
cause be 50 valiantly and efficiently came TO The
lcscue of the people from the Scoundicls mat
were using the canals To plumber the :lhc
Treasury. Each of these signal reforms winch
he ACCOMPLISHED was of great and lasting I'M
pornlnce, and they richly cnute Mr.. lIllcn u
a place among New Iork's public benciac'ol>.
No other Democrat Of his generation has
bought forth H. much tI1ut inert for general
commen,.ati"n. Therefore his piimacy in his
party was not foltutous but logical. 1t rc>i"i
on solid mclit, on patriotic achievement. On
the othcr hand. it l. not t" he forgotten III the
review that there were other chapters III ll-
career which by no means thus met With Tie
general approval. During the civil war his
great influence was fur from being a powc' i"'
good on the night side. He surrendered 10 the
inilatinnist, in his canvass of 1876 Inc
sacIlleeious con, pracy to purchase the Pr'>-
d,ncv WIS traced to his home, and if not Ia him
pelsonaly, to his accredited agents lheSc
considerations have qualified the popular re-
gard for Mr.. Tldcn. and history Will take
note of them iii making her ultimate estimate
81 Inn as Statesman, politician, patriot.
But for the present criticism Is flushed. TO-
day finds his count ymcn rejecting only upon
the great good that war i'll the nlln and sincer-
" sorrowing al the loss Of so much sterling
worth. That hi death Is a most serious caLilIi-
ity to the political organization 10 whose Tor
tunes he WIS 80 pIsionat'Iy devoted If evident
There seem, 10 be no one 10 take his place.
IIolatio S.-ymOuI-tltat other favOlto son oi
Democracy who preceded hrn but little INTO
the silent knd-w;is a WISE counsellor aid an al
WAY. inspiring presence but he Eu kcd that com
bination of qualities which made the sage oi
GlcystDne such political force Seymour wa
Il statesman, but not a POLITICIAN IIlden w;r'
both He understood how 10 organize and con
duct "A canvass on the most skiliul lines while
II the xline time he was an accomplished stu
dent of the underlying principles Of govern
mcllt he va, equally 1T hcne III practical ana
philosophical, politics