Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-28

lHden. Zachariah Chandler and his younger
namesake were not men to give up a cause in
pohtics any more than at law. Chandler,
think, was Secretary Of War at the time in
Grants cabinet The other Chandler
expert handler Of presidential campaigns in de-
tail. But right there in Mr.. Tilden's house
FELTON, and parcel of others not necessary to
name, because some OF them are living and
have since been badly treated. made up their
minds to get that vote by purchase.
LOOKING FOR A CHEAP VOTE.
am not speaking nonsense, for my diary has
always been the printed press, and the files VII
show all these matters. While Cleveland was
running but the other day for President, / met a
distinguished man from Louisiana. who NAV be-
come member of Mr.. Cleveland's cabinet.
Talking these matters over in a group of three
or four, this gentleman said in effect: 1.-THE
parties who came down there had arranged with
the returning board to get Mr.. Tilden's vote
conditional upon certain sum being paid.
When 1t was thought to be all arranged it &C.
Cured to the parties in confidence in New
York that they could buy vote cheaper than
that, and they went of to Oregon, and in the
Issue the whole matter was shown"
In short, the issue in Louisiana and South
Carolina, if not in Florida. was whether money
could corrupt the republican returning boards.
That money was to come out Of Mr.. Tilden's
fortune, which had really been the principal
plank in his platform, and when it was found
that he would not spend this money was
grudging with 1t the campaign came to an end.
All these persons, who had big bills to put in
after the election was over, finding that they
could get no money turned against Mr.. Tilden
Bills had been owing since the st. Louis
convention and before that. knew indignant
newspaper men from the south who had been
sent through states there with little money.
but with the wink like a promise of plenty more
to come, who had secured delegations for Mr.
1ilden and hired rooms to entertain them at st.
Louis, and they were going around Washington
ruined by the fallacious hopes his household in
spired Yet the motto of that convention was
reform; not specific reform. but the reform that
is supposed to come from Investigations such as
the canal ring investigation in New York and
the Tweed ring investigation. How curious it
Is TO see the perhaps permanent return of the
democratic party in the nation accompanied
by the complete return of Tammany Hall.
which Mr. Tilden investigated This
very week we have had conven-
ton at Washington to demand that the
Erie canal be made twenty feet deep throughout
Its entire length SO as to constitute another
Mississippi river from New York to the lakes
And it is an old friend of Mr. Tweed who but
the other day in Congress introduced a resou-
ton to investigate the Panama canal. upon the
ground that whoever abetted it in America had
sold out the Monroe doctrine. 1t is both anus
ing and mournful to have lived long among the
affairs of men and see how they skate around in
paradoxes.
TlLDEN AND PELTON.
When ex-President HAYES died il was alleged
as If convincing argument, that he had given
a great many Offices to persons connected with
the returning boards in the south or the party
organization which sustained them As these
persons constituted the party and were its le-
gitimate connection, and had resisted bribery
IN money from the other side. was Mr.. HAYES to
have abandoned them all? The probabilities
are that he had nothing to do with the selection
except to listen to recomme ndations of the Sem
ators, &c. from those states. Tilden turned Mr.
Pelton ont of his house subsequently to convey
either the fact or the impression that he had
disapproved of Peltons up and down bribery
in the case Of the Oregon vote. 1t is curious.
however, to see what different views men take
of such political services Pe!ton's. Pelton
the son of Mr.. Tildens own
sister, who had long been his housekeeper
He must have been the judge of the extent Of
Mr. llldens desire to pursue the presidency
while it was in dispute. He obtained moneyed
man, who took him to Jordan's bank and
vouchcd for him, though Pelton had no money |
that he would be good for a large loan of money
made without security. That security was I'M
questionably understood among the three
parties to be Mr.. Tilden's large for
tune. With this money Pel.on had
a telegraph dispatch sent to Oregon to buy an
electoral vote there, where there was really no
question worth cent as to which candidate
had won the state And as my Louisiana friend |
said to me but recently, this was an attempt to /
save Mr.. Tildcn's pocket; to do the same thing
cheap which was to have been done in Louis |
lana and South Carolina dear.
As | coming down from Mr. Tilden's /
funeral sat right behind Abraham S. Hewitt /
in the car. Said he to me: IF Mr. Tilden |
knew what he wanted in that dispute he never
told me. | was the chairman of his national .
committee. and L tried to find what he wanted /
He did not know. He seemed to be in a con-
tIufal laZp The only about him ,yb,
seemed to have any force of character was
yoIpg Pelton, his nephew. who was alert and !
bold in his uncles behalf"
little while passed and Mr. Tilden's other /
nephews attacked his viii and broke it all to .
pieces upon the ground that they had made |
inye tments upon the same kind OF guarantees |
which Tilden gave to the political messengers |
and others and never paid. Though he had left /
public libraries to New York, Yonkers and |
Lebanon Springs. the highest courts of Justice !
in the state Of New York threw Mr.. Tllden's /!
will aside They said in effect: ''IIe was
responsible for debts contracted by these !
nephews, and had no business to give all his |
Inoqevto philanthropy before he had done
justice" In the course of time these nepbews |
come forward and say: I'VE will voluntarily |
surrender part OF our fortune, and Il large |
part, to these library purposes"
THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
The electoral commission or tribunal which
one of the most important steps ever taken in
this country to remedy our imperfect system of
electing Presidents. Much is due to the con-
federate element in Congress and the Senate
the honest and commissioned confederate ele-
ment, for refusing to make civil war twice in
twenty years on the subject of official patronage
The venerable Fernando Wood Of New York of
all men in the world put through the House of
Congress the teIms of the agreement. That
equitation will stand as long as this nation
stands and has snilar disputes and they are
ever liable to occur. We nearly had one in 1884.
The dispute being settled the democratic party
had decidedly the moral advantage, though the
republicans had the Offices. Suddenly Mr. Tilden
threw away tits advantage by reopenng the
at public reception in the Manhattan
Club House, which I attended. He was about
to go to Europe. and it was characteristic Of his
methods of warfare to start this bitter contro-
versy and then leave the country which should
fghtitout Mr.. Hendricks was brought on there
to assist. Hendricks had made his eminence
by listening to the voice Of peace and union.
He had found Jesse ID. Bright in Indiana dis
posed TO turn that state over to rebellion. He
had declined to cooperate and became the
beneficiary Of Mr.. Bright's expulsion from the
Senate and subsequent complete decay. Hem
bricks gave no echo to Mr.. Tilden's sobbing
cry: Il have not been robbed, but you have
been. II you condone it it Is your disgrace"
THE POTTER COMMITTEE.
Directly after that the Potter committee was
proposed in Congress to reopen that whole case