Year: 1877

New York Correspondence of the Springfield


Mass Republican.


Mr.. be Hewitt has been here, and
it is said that Mr.. Tilden has put
his foot on a heap of rubbish in the
shape of plans for holding indigna-
tion meetings and trying to bully
Congress by political demonstra-
tions. He is too cool headed and
cautious to run the risk of touching
off 4 gun that may kick over; and
this is blunder- -buss that would
be likely to do more execution
at the breech than at the muZzle.


Mr.. Tilden does not talk much since
Grant has embarked in the business,
but, the other day, he said in sub
stance, to Il gentleman who keeps
his name out of the newspapers,
that he believed he was fairly and
honorably elected to the Presidency,
that if the negroes in any Southern
State had been prevented from vot-
ing for Hayes or forced to vote for
him by violent means he should be
very sorry, but no such violence had
been proved; that if the negroes
stampeded from the carpet bag rule
and voted the Conservative ticket
because they had been deceived and
were tired of Republican misgovern-
ment, or because Democratic plant
ers promised them good times and
better wages, there is no valid
ground for complaint; that he could
much better afford to be counted
out than Hayes could afford to be
counted in; that he wanted no re-
sort to strategy and no appeal to
passions, for he believed in the peo-
pie and would trust his case with
them. If the Republicans commit
the outrage it is said they are plan
ming, they will sign the death war
rant of their party. But some of
his best friends think, if Hayes is
counted in, Tilden will appeal to the
Supreme Court.


Tilden is lawyer all over He
has far the keenest and shrewdest
head on Democratic shoulders, and
is much better man in every way
than Republicans have givea him
credit of being. The worst thing
about him is that he is a New York
politician. He was trained in the
old Van Buren school, which has
been the curse of his State for so
years. Van Buren was a natural
manipulation. 1t was with the best
reason that the whites called him a
fox, and foxiness was his legacy to
New York politics. Seward and
Weed adopted his methods, and
tried to better his Instructions
Summers hatred of Seward in the
last years of his life was inspired
by the latter's secret conniving and
crookedness. Tilden has got the
same twist in his brain. He dis
trusts the people, and can not be-
lieve that the shortest way between
two points is a straight line. He
believes in roundabout ways, sly
moves, sharp practices, manipula
ton, tactics. He looks on politics
as the art of fixing things, in which
he is adept. He lacks the courage
to throw himself fairly on the wave
of public sentiment in defense of
and when he made his re-
form appeals in 1875 he was fright
ened at the response. He is. as
honest politician as they make; as
square as the timber will permit of,
and he thinks altogether too much
of Samuel j, Tilden to run the risk
of doing anything decidedly dis
creditsble.


But his ability, thorough knowl-
edge of affairs, consummate
tact, and pride of character,
place him unquestionably at the
head of his class, and he has more
business in his little finger than
Evarts or Morton have in their
whole bodies.