Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1889-02-11
A BIT or HISTORY.
Alleged True Story Of the Tilden-
Hayes Contest.
WAS HEWITT A TRAITOR 2
He Il Openly Charged with the Political
Assassination Of the sage Of Gramercy
Park-Birthday Anniversary Din
ners in Honor OF Mr.. Tildcn.

JERSEY CRY, Feb 1.-The first annual
dinner to the Tilden club, organized to per-
petuate the memory Of Samuel j. Tilden,
took place at Taylors hotel, the occasion be-
ing the 18th anniversary of Mr. Tilden's
birth Covers were laid for about 200 per-
sons United States Senator John McPher-
son, Governor Robert S. Green, Ex-Governor
Leon Albeit, Daniel Dougherty, w. Bourke
Cochran. Mayor Grant OF New York, Dis
trict Attorney Charles r. Winfield, Congress
man William McAdoo, the Hon. Allen Nc
Dermott, Mayor Orestes Cleveland and others
made addresses
Tho principal address Of the evening was
made by William O. Mcdowell, Of Newark,
n j., WHO responded to the toast, samuel
j. Tilden, bis fidelity TO the Democratic
party. May the memory Of his life and his
acts beperpetual" Among other things Mr.
Mcdowell said "Long before the presiden-
tial campaign OF 1876 had known intimately
and learned to love Samuel J. Tilden. can
say truthfully that his was the greatest I'M
tellect with which have ever been brought
into contact"
After referring to Mr. TiIdens political
work as chairman Of the New York Demo-
cratic state committee, the speaker graphi-
cally painted the scene at Gramercy Park,
whore MIR Tiden was notified Of his nominal
tion as candidate fer president. With refer
cnce TO the electoral commission, Mr.. Nc
Dowell said every Democrat has asked
himself, WAS Samuel j. Tilden responsible
for the electoral commission9 / think | can
answer thai question in his name, to the COM
plete satisfaction Of every questioner. When
in
Ahram s.. Hewitt, then a member from New
York city and the chairman Of the national
Democratic committee, came from Washing
ton TO consult with the president-elect about
It Mr. Hewitt presented and read the pro-
posed law To Governor Tilden. Mr.. Hewitt
read uninterrupted until he came TO that
part of the original bill where the selection of
the fifteenth commissioner was to be submitted
70 choice. The names of three supreme court
judges being placed in a receptacle, the one
drawn ont to be that OF the odd judge. Mr.
Tilden stopped him there, and said in sub
stance, that when the presidency of the
United States was to DO ratified for, or sub
mitted to chance, it was time for decent men
to have nothing to do with it.
He continued by asking: What was the use
of this lawg' and stated that the moment he
found that the vote in the electoral college
would be close he had, with abc assistants,
gone infinitely over the minutes Of every joint
meeting of congress for the counting OF the
electoral vote; over every discussion and law
bearing upon the question that could come
before the joint meeting TO count the Tilden-
Hayes electoral vote, and from beginning to
end precedence was entirely in their favor;
that he had prepared and sent a brief to
every member of the joint meeting. With
precedence IN cur favor, what was the use or
fafx Gf for Soma
new tangled ideaa At this Mr.. Hewitt
turned sharply ON him and said; i did not
come here to ask your advice, but as your
friend, to tell you what our party representa-
tiyes In congress have determined to do The
responsibility in this matter is theirs and
they have decided to pass the BILL Mr. Til
den answered: 1t is true the responsibility is
theirs, and it is one that should not be sought
by any man. 1t is surprising that they should
be willing to take this responsibility without
consulting me, but the responsibility is truly
theirs. Never was a party or a man in the
history Of this country placed in a more try
ing position than that of the Democratic
party and their candidate, from the time
that they discovered that they had been
deceived or betrayed by one Of their own
number, and had the party of Samuel J. Til
den been less patriotic than they were the
country would have been plunged into the
horrors of a civil war more terrible than that
Of '6l, but sacrificing every personal ambition,
and realizing that so far as the party was
concerned that the great wrong would be
righted by the people, he poured oil ON the
troubled waters. But well do / remember
the look upon his troubled lace when he after
wards said to me, i would have been presi-
dent OF the United States but Cor AbraIn S.
Hewitt; he deceived me-