St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-10
Patriotic Democrats Perpetu-
ate the Memory of the Sage
Of Gpeystone.
In His Day and Generation
the Pepsonifieation of
Democracy.
First Annual Dinner Of the
Tilden Club of Loyal
Jerseymen.
The Star-Eyed Apostle of Re-
form Addresses a Gather
ing Of Harlemites.
Snecial to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
JERSEY CITY, Feb. 9.-The first an
nual dinner of the Tilden club, to per-
peluate the memory of Samuel j. Ill
den, took place to-day at TaylVr'S hotel,
the occasion being the seventy-fifth an
niyersary of Mr.. Tilden's birth. Covers
were laid for about two hundred.
United States Senator John Mcpherson,
Gov. Robert S. Green, ex-Gov. Leon Alb
bett, Daniel Dougherty, w. Bourke
Cochran, Mayor Grant, of New York;
District Attorney Charles ii. Winfield,
Congressman William McAdoo, Hon.
Allen l.. McDermott, Mayor Orestes
Cleveland. and others, made adj
dresses. The principal address of the
evening was made by William 0. Me-
Dowell, of Newark, n. j., who respond
ed to the toast, Samuel Tilden, His
Fidelity to the Democratic Party
His Acts Be Perpetual" Among
other things Mr.. Mcdowell said:
'Long before the presidential campaign
of 1876. had known intimately. and
learned to love Samuel Tilden. L can
say truthfully that his was the greatest
intellect with which | have ever been
brought in contact, with a body so frail
that it required the most constant care;
with face non-rXpreSSive, that gave
no indication while at rest of the intel
ligenee within: and with none of that
magnetism that has always been con-
Sidered indispensable to political lead
erShip. Without family, and with but
few Intimate associates; a naturally pro-
crastinating nature; in money affairs
not generous, finding his greatest hap
piness in solitude. and alone with his
books, he, by sheer force OF his great
intelligence, lifted himself above all
obstacles aud left his
IMPRESS ON AMERICAN HISTORY
by the side of Washington, of jefferson
and Of Jackson. He was in his day and
generation the personification of DEM
Ocracy." After referring to Mr.. Til
ien'S political work as chairman of the
New York Democratic state committee,
the speaker graphically painted the
scene at the Gramercy Park residence
when MIR. Tilden was notified of his
nomination as candidate for president.
With reference to the electoral commits
sion, Mr.. Mcdowell said: Every Demo
crat has asked himself, Was Samuel
Tilden responsible for the electoral
commissionY l think can answer that
question in his name to the complete
satisfaction of every questioner. When
the ell ctoral commission bill was
proposed in congress, Abram S.
Hewitt. then member from
of the national Democratic COM
mittee, came from Washington to con-
suit the president-elect about it. Mr..
Hewitt presented and read the pro-
posed law to Gov. 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 to chance. The
names of three supreme court judges
being placed in receptacle. the one
drawn out to be that Of the odd Judge.
Mr.. Tilden stopped him there. and said
in substance: That when the presi-
dency of the United States was to be
raffled for. or submitted to chance, it
was time for decent men to have
NOTHING TC DO WITH IT,
"Hesscontinuediby asking: ss'What was
the use of this law?' and stated that the
moment he found that the vote in the
electoral college would be close. he had,
with able assistants, gone minutely over
the minutes of every joint meeting of
congress for counting of the electoral
vote; every discussion bearing Oh the
question that could come before the
joint meeting to count the Tilden-Hayes
electoral vote, and from beginning to
end precedentS were.entirely in their
favor. That he had prepared and sent
a brief to every member of the joint
meeting. with precedents in our IA
vor, what was the use or advantage of
throwing away this for some new-fan-
glcd idea?" At this Mr.. Hewitt turned
sharply on him and said: Il did not
come here to ask your advice, but as
your friend to tell you what our party
Representatives in congress have deter
mined to do. The responsibility in this
matter is theirs, and they have decided
to pass the BILL Mr.. Tildenans wered:
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 response
bility without consulting me, but the
responsibility is truly theirs Never
was party Or q man in the history of
this country placed in more trying po-
sition than that Of the Democratic party
and their C ndidate, from the time that
they discovered that they had been de-
ceived or betrayed by one of their
own number; and had the party
Vi OdiuSi d. Illucl Uttu lGSS pdUfl-
otic than they were, the country
would have been plunged into the
horrors of 4 civil war more terrible than
that of '61-but sacrificing every per-
sOnal 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 face when he afterwards
said to me: Il would have been presi-
dent of the United States but for Abram
S. Hewitt, he deceived me- You, the
members of the Tilden club, owe it to
yourselves to your party, to the memory
of Samuel j, Tilden, your great leader,
to see to it that the man who deceived
him and betrayed you snail go down to
the place IN history that he so richly
has earned, as the more than Judas
1scariot of his generation; for, he not
satisfied with his work III 1876, dupli-
-cated it III 1888.
HE NEVER SOUGHT OFFICE.
Henry WattePson's Eloquent Trib-