The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-08-29

The Boys Of 10 Knew
How to Do II
opFedo IT on iTFSS ~
Heyes-Tilden Campaign
Real issues cIouded by
Smoke Screens
One Vote Finally
Settled the Contest
COMMENTING on the refer
" ence a few days ago to Gen.
Hugh Johnson's regret that the
1910 presidential campaign
would be a contest to see which
side could do the best Job of
asmearing" the other. a reader
Of this column suggests that the
Hayes-Tilden campaign of 1875
should be reviewed. That, said
he. represents a mastership in
the art of ''smearing" that was
not equaled even in the McKin-
ley-Bryan campaign.
The story of the Hayes-Tilden
campaign is interesting for sew
eral reasons. One Is Its empha-
sis that the prerogative of politi-
cal leaders and campaign man.
ayers to 60 far afield for smoke
screens that cloud the real is
sues Is not something OF recent
discovery. The Hayes Tilden
campaign also emphasizes to
what extent some of our fore
fathers used ballot thievery,
graft and coercion to accomplish
political ends.
As Washington was then a
territory in a corner of the coun-
try congress seemed to be trying
to forget, we did not have much
to do with the Hayes-Tilden
mess. Our nearest approach to
mixing in it was the differences
of opinion when the returning
board" in Oregon, controlled by
the Hayes forces, deliberately
threw out a Tilden electoral
vote, thereby giving one to
Hayes.
Hayes, Republican, and Til
den, Democrat, were dis
pleased with the campaign
methods of the party leaders
but there wasn't much they
could do about 1t. Both were
good citizens, with high ideals
Of public service, but both had
Incurred the displeasure of
certain special interests from
which the campaign managers
had accepted large contribu-
tons. And the interests which
provide the funds to oil cam
paign machinery controlled In
those days just as they do
now,
Hayes was a "sound' money
man as opposed to the then pop
ular theory, and held by many
today, that all that was needed
to make money was the stamp
of the government on a piece
or paper or metal. Because
Hayes, elected governor of Ohio
on that issue. had made a splen-
did official record and had been
able to unite the political fac
tons in that state, he was
drafted by the Republican ma
tonal convention to break I'D
the bad situation in which con-
flicting factions had placed the
party.
The Democrats, in much the
same situation, with the same
purpose induced Tilden to be-
come their candidate. Immedi-
ately the mud guns of the car
pet-baggers and grating poll
ucians were turned loose.
Likes Hayes, Tilden was n
reformer. AS governor of New
York he had fought and beat
On the Boss Tweed. gang.
His most successful blow was
uncovering the New York
court house scandal, one Of
the worst examples of official
corruption and graft In the
history Of the country.
Construction Of a court house
to cost $3.50. 900 was started in
1858. Three years later. when
Tilden tore the lid off, the build
ing was uncompleted and had
cost $4,000. 900.
The steal had been accom-
phshed through the Tweed
gangs control Of the public
auditing agencies but it was a
case Of when thieves fan out
honest men get their dues" A
quarrel started over dissatisfac-
uon with division of the spoils.
An admirer of Tilden became a
friend of one of the disgruntled
gangsters and was able to OBJ
tain copies Of several of the