National Republican., 1886-08-07
A Very Pretty Fight.

While the mortal remains OF Samuel j.
Tilden are awaiting the last sad rites the
Democratic papers are getting up o tooth
and-nall fight over the record OF Mr. Tiden
in relation to the election Of 1875. The
Troy Pres OF the 9th, an evening paper,
says;
In n most brutal and unjust manner Mr..
DoSheimer in the New YORK Star attacks Mr..
Tilden's memory by insisting that he acted in
a weak and cowardly manner in the winter Of
ls76-'77 when the Republicans were resolved
to count him out and TO count Mr.. Hayes in.
Here are the lines which excited the ire
Of the Trojan. We clip from the Star OF
last Thursday morning:
All the latter years Of his life Mr.. Tildon
strove TO mako his countrymen forget his re-
creancy at that fatal time. But the assertions
that have been made In his behalf are either
false or only true in part,
During all these later years he has lamented
the dishonor which the electoral commission
brought upon the country, and the violence
that II wrought upon our institutions. But at
the time he did nothing to defend his country
from the disgrace and the violence. Those
who went, TO him for knowledge got no reply.
In the very hour Of his fate he was speechlcsq,
and without resource, The greatest crime of
our history could not wiring from the lips of It's
chief victim even cry for help.
The Troy editor says Of these remarks:
This l. simply infamous-a total misrepre-
| sentatlon of the state of affairs at the time
alluded to. Mr.. Tildon was betrayed by weak.
kneed Democrats In Congress, some of whom
pretended to represent his views when they
did not Mr.. Tilden held 1t the greatest treason
| to violate the constitution. That instrument
prescrlBcs the mode OF declaring who is elected
| President. He had right to believe that the
provisions Of the constitution would be obeye1,
and the electoral commission sham met his
| sternest protest and rebuke. What could he
do? 1t does not make President when one
receives majority OF the popular vote. 1t
does not make q President when one has
gained O majority Of the electoral colleges.
The constitution requires step farther-the
man must be declared elected in the mode pro-
| yided In the constitution. The Democratic
| House Of Representatives had the power, and
| 1t was its duty, under the constitution. TO de-
clare Mr.. Tilden elected. If II had done so
then Mr.. Tilden could have asserted the
rights of the people and Of himself But
| Democrats in the House of Representatives
betrayed him and their party. If
| the House of Representatives had not been re-
creant, but had insisted upon Its rights under
the constitution, the Republican party would
never have dared to contest those rights
There would have been no war, no struggle
they would have yielded But after the Hou g
had consented to the commission, Mr.. Tilden's
hands WI re tied. To have resisted its deci-
sion, unjust and brutal as 1t was, would have
been to plunge the country into civil war. Mr..
Tilden shrank from that, as a true patriot
must. 1t is a wonder that II man so valiant as
Mr.. Dorheimcr seems to be did not distln-
guish himself in the late civil war, II not as a
general, at least as private in the ranks.
"Mr Dorsheimer is bigger man than /
thought he was" said lady who saw him for
the first time, to Mr.. VIM. X, Travers; TO which
that gentleman replied with his usual stam-
mer "Woll, madam, he isn't bigger man
than he thinks he is"
We have neither time, space, nor incllna-
tion to enter into the merits or demerlts Of
this old controversy. 1t would be a waste
of strength, for no possible good could
come Of 1t. But our readers will be amused,
II not instructed, by the antics OF Demo.
cratic editors who propose to indulge In 6
skirmish as fitting preparation for tht
obsequles Of the departed leader.