The sun., 1895-05-19

mission in 1877. Not only was he now re-
rarded byleadinG Republicans rs more for
midabie candidate than he had been In 1875.
but the consequences of his election were
now looked upon ns more alarming. es-
pecially 70 those who had participated In the
frauds which put Hayes into the Presidency
Hc was treated, therefore. from the very
beginning of the Hayes Administration rs the
one man in the nation who. at all hazards must
DO destroyed. This could not DO accomplished
bv assailing his public life. his opinions. or his
public teachings. That had been already tried
and had proved unsuccessful. There was one
corrse left. The Potter Investigation had salts
Ned the nation that Hayes had not been elected
by tho people, and that tho majority OF the
Presidential electors had been secured for him
by fraud. To this charge there was no longer
any defence, not even the benefit of n doubt
The only thing remaining to do was not to at
tempt to justify the installation OF Hayes. hut
to persist In efforts TO leave upon the public
mind an impression which should stay thcre
until after tho mex; election Mt least. that
Tiiden and his party were Just as bad
as Hayes and his party, plus the risk
OF 1ilden's being overrued by his par
ty. and that consequently the people had
nothing to gain by n change Of dynasty.
As the Adminit tration Ind control Of NIL the
judicial. civil, and military forces Of the Gov
ernment, and necessarily exerted prodicious
influence over most of the organs of public
opinion this did not seem at the time n hopeless
endeavor. Mr.. Binelow demonstrates that the
Administration used all these forces with the
energy and recklcssness OF despair. The evil
dence set forth by him at length cannot fail TO
bear conviction to any unprcjudced reader that
during the whole four years OF Hayes's Admin
istrntion, and regardless of Mr.. Tildens age.
his physical infrmities, his priceless public SER
vices aud the place which he occupied In the
hearts Of his countrymen, he was pursued BY
the agents of that Administration with
cruelty. vindictiveness. and an inscnsibility to
oil the promptngs of Christian charity which
men are rarely accustomed to exhibit except in
their dealings with wild beasts.
We need not remind the reader that the at
tempt to discredit Mr.. Ti!den took the form first
OF an accusation based on certain cipher
dispatches that he had been party to an effort
to buy one or more Presidential electors. and.
secondly. that lie had been guilty of fraud in the
valuation OF HE property for the purposes OF
the income tax. After the memorable examlna-
tion of Mr.. Tilden by o committee of the House
OF Representatives. an examination compared
by his biographer with that of DR.. Franklin by
tho Privy Council In London in 1774. the I'M
scrupulous endeavor to connect Mr.. Tilden with
negotiations to secure the Presidency by bribery
came to IN end. The men who took part In it
had succeeded. however. in disturbing the peace
and domestic relations of an infirm old man for
several months. and they had sent forth reports
vitality compromising the private rs well as the
public character of the most eminent statesman
of the country. which reports would leave
some impression upon the mind of millions,
whereas the evidence Of his innocence would
reach only thousands, and impartial pos
terty to whose judgment the caumniators were
Indifferent. Their object was accomplished.
They had impaired Mr.. Tilden's health: they
had persuaded many that no unprinci-
pied in his political methods Us Mr.. Hayes had
been. and to that extent they fancied that they
had rendered him less formidable as n candi-
date for the Presidency. AS for the income tax
suit brought by tho Government against Mr..
Tilden. on the ground that. many years before.
he had misrepresentcd the amount Of his annual
receipts. this, as we have said, WAS ultimately
discontinued, without cost to either party.
There could be no palmer admission that the
litigation was vexatious instituted solely for the
purpose Of defaming and disqualifying the most
eminent Democratic statesman.
x.
Notwithstanding tho attempts to break him
down. Mr.. Tilden continued to be regarded as
the necessary and inevitable candidate of his
party for the Presidency in 1880. The name of
no other candidate was seriously discussed.
The Democratic press and the Democratic poll
tclnns spoke OF his nomination a matter OF
course, though without any authority from Mr..
Tiden that he desired or even would accept q
denomination IL rendered. The biographer. in
deed, has no doubt that Mr.. Tilden wished
nomination. and nm opportunity of proving by
his reelection that the country had been fraudu-
lently deprived OF Its choice for the Presidency
In 1875. He was slow in making up his mind
that he was unequal to the worries OF a candi-
dacy. or for the moro serious responsibilities of
a Chief Magistrate. But, however blind his
partisans or his friends were or pretended to be.
about his health. he had no longer any illusions
upon the subject himself. We now learn that
he was fully conscious in the winter OF 1879 so
that his health had been steadily failing since
1876. and that tho most his medical advisers
had done or hoped to do was to retard little
the ravaRes OF the disease, which was held by
the profession generally to be an incurable
though usually lingering one. Though aware,
however, that 1t was much as his life was
worth to accept a denomination. the conse-
quences to the party of refusing to run put on
every day more perplexng and serious aspect
Friends from every part of the country were
telling him that he was the only ono who could
keep tho party together. The Democratic press
with practical unanimity refused to consider the
chances OF any other candidate. while the defeat
of Robinson for Governor of New York at the
autumn election had made the success of any
new candidate extremely doubtful. 1t was un-
questionably profounder sense Of the difflcul-
tics OF either rcourse-running or withdrawing
than was possessed by any other statesman of
the country. that led Mr.. Tilden to defer until
the meeting Of tho Democratic National Conven-
tion In June, 1880, the promulGation of his de-
sire not to be regarded as q candidate for re-
nomination. The letter which he addressed to
the delegates OF New York on this occasion Ia
reproduced In full by his oiographor. and It is
undoubtedly most impressive paper; at tho
same time. 1t Is hardly such aletter as Mr. Tilden
would probably have written had he desired to
render his denomination impossible. On this
point the author Of this book remarks that he
was too accomplished q politician not to know
that 1t was not merely the true but the only
wise policy for tho Democratic party to renom-
inate the old ticket, and to give the loyal and
upright men of all parties an opportunity of nd
mink erinR n MT tianal -, 1