Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-08-12
TILDEN DEAD.
The Sage Of Gramercy Gone the
Way OfAll the Earth.
Some Account Of the Life Of the Great Demo-
cratic Leader "A Political Debater
from Youth-His Great Works
for the People.

Samuel J. Tilden, died at his home in
Greystone at 9:45 a. m. Aug. 4.
Notwithstanding Mr. Tilden has been in
very feeble health for many months, his
sudden demise was entirely unexpected.
The end was peaceful and quiet. The i'm
mediate cause of Mr. Tildens death was
the failure of the heart, following an acute
attack of diarrhe and nausea. There
were present at the time, Mr.. Tilden's
niece, Miss Gould, and Drs Charles L.
Simonds and Samuel Swift.
Paralysis and bodily infirmities, incident
to old age had reduced Mr.. Tilden to
mere skeleton and his last days were
marked by extreme feebleness
HIS EARLY HISTORY
The statesman who has gone to his re-
ward was born at New Labanon, N. Y, in
the year lsl4-the year which turned the
fortunes of the great Napoleon. One of
his ancestors, Nathaniel Tilden, was may
or of the city of Tenterden, Kent, England,
in 1923. He was succeeded in that office
by his cousin John, as he had been preced-
ed by his uncle John in 1856 and 1000 Here
moved with his family to Scituate, in 1884.
His brother Joseph was one of the mer-
chant adventures of London who fitted
out the Mayflower This Nathaniel Tilden
married Hannah Bourne, one of whose
sisters married a brother of Gov. Winslow,
and another a son of Gov. Bradford.
Gov. Tilden's grandfather John Tilden,
settled in Columbia county. The COVER
nor's mother was descended from William
A.
of New Haven, who in all the histories of
Connecticut is represented to have been
the son of Col. John Jones' one of the regi-
eide judges of Charles l., who is said to
have married sister of Oliver Cromwell
and a cousin of John Hampden. The gov
ernor's father, a farmer and merchant of
New Lebanon, was man of notable judy
ment and practical sense and the accepted
oracle OF the county upon all matters of
public concern, while his opinion was also
eagerly sought and justly valued by all
his neighbors, but by none more than by
the late President Van Buren,, who till his
death was one of his most cherished, in
innate personal friends.
Young Tilden entered college in his 18th
year. He was just about to enter Yale
when the Jackson campaign began. An
effort was made to effect a coalition be-
tween the national Republicans and the
anti-masons. The success of the Democ-
racy depended on the defeat of that coali-
ton. Young Tilden had heard the ques-
tion discussed in his family. He sided with
the democracy, and he had some ideas of
his own. For day or two he confined
himself to his room and when he emerged
it was with written1statement which he
read to his father, and which was prin ted
throughout the state as Democratic pro-
nouncement on the subject. This was his
first connection with politics and he was
done the honor of having his work ascribed
to the pen of Martin Van Buren,. At col
lege he wrote similar political papers, but
failing health obliged him to withdraw
from scolastic duties. On his recovery he
entered the university of the City of New
York, and. on the completion of his aca-
demic education began the study of law.
His admission TO the bar in 1888 at the age
of "a. marked the beginning of his public
career.
Immediately on entering upon the
practice of law he took an active part in
politics, and was at once recognized by
the Democracy as their spokesman. After
Folks election in 1874, he was sent to the
assembly from the city of New York, and
while member of that body assisted in
remodeling the state constitution. He
left his impress on the new work, especially
in the provisions relative to the financial
management of the state and the canal
system.
Tiden at this time was a poor man, with
nothing but his talents and his prospe cts,
and he withdrew from politics and set
himself to the practice of his profession,
which he followed assiduously and with
marked success, until the breaking out of
the war. During the winter of 1S60-6l he
attended meeting of the leading men of
both parties in New York city to consider
what measures might be taken to avert q
conflict between the free and the slave
states. He urged on the north the neces-
sity of reconciliation and forbearance, and
on the south the Importance of remember
ing that within the union constitutional
relief was always possible, while outside
the union there could be nothing but con-
flict and defeat.
When the war came Tilden was associat-
ed with the leading advisers of the Demo-
cratic party. He did not believe that Lin
coin appreciated the situation when he
made his call for 5000 troops, and always
urged that the call should have been for
half a million men, that the South might
have been overwhelmed at once by the
immense disproportion of numbers. He
argued that IL was idle to hope for the APP
pearance OF any great military genius.
The advent of one of these was the event
or an era and there was nothing |. to base a
hope OF such thing at the present time.
Although his advise was disregarded at
this critical time, in less than year the
secretary of war acknowledged that his
plan was the best and lamented that it had
not been followed.
But tho most important political labor
of his active, eventful life was his connec-
ton with the Tweed ring, the most bare
faced system of theft that ever disgraced
any government, the workings of which
are too well known to need repetition
here. Tllden, by the aid of such men as
Charles O'Conor, John Kelley and others
was victorious in his efforts and the ring
was broken.
His candidacy for the presidency in 1876,
the full history of that eventful campaign
and his subsequent life, are matters OF too
recent history to need recapitulation now.
and living in retirement, he has been con-
slant In his attention to political matters,
and by word and letters to those actively
engaged in the struggle, has convinced
them that he was still living force In the
AFFAIR." aflfo ,o rfv