Gov. Tilden's War Record

[Froin a Speech by the Hou. Peter H. WaUon, Deliveredin Avhtalmla, Ohlo, Scpt. 'j:).] Ff.i.low-citizens of Ashtahüia : I appear before you in eomplianoe with tho request of soveral of your uumber, to tall wiiat I lmow personally having a boaringupon tho iufawona 'charges mado agAinst tho character of Sam uel 3. Tilden: I havo known Mr. Tilden for more than twenty years, and tip lo two yoars ago, when whon he becamo a candidato for olectibn to the office of Oovernpr of New -Turk, hè was genorally recognized, without dintinction of party, as one of the mout oetimablo citizenB, as One of tho ablost and most tnwUd lawyers, and as a acholar of exceptionally thoronigh anü broad culture in political ecionce and administi'ation. When the war broke out, as many of you know, J tf8 resifling in Washington city, whcre, for iifteen yoSrs, 1 had teen Siljgontly practising my profession, uncoüh'ecicct Tfith political parties or ofüoe, but not altogether an unobsorvant or an lininterested spectotor of public evints, and it bo happened that I Waë amoiig the flret to reaüp ) rebflliion was orgauizing and wonld aurely break out ; aüi it foll to my lot. iu an huinble way, to co-operate with men of abijity and emiuenco to ascortain what prc-bnMy "fluid bo the liiaator moves first atttmptod by the rebels, and Uien to orpan 'v.ï the mosrt cifectual mcans available for dofoating thom. Mr. Stanton weut into office as Becretary of War in January. 1862, and his appoiutoieut ws reoeived with tho greatest favor by the Democratie as well as tiio Hepul;'lcn pree, au the evidenfia of il cordial ttnion of #11 partios in tlje great work of snstainiiig" thé Natioüal ChJWmment, aud because he was then generally believen to poBsess those high qualitiea which afterwarS mado hun such a gigautic figure in the hifitory of the times. Befcroand after thiè penod Mr. Tilden wa5 caüed tt. Washington io counsel with both the President and Secretary of War í and to tho lattcr. at tbat time, he was especially welounc, becMine, althoiïgh ho had opposed the war, as long as it aeecicd oeillo to avert it, and until it had actually gone beyoüd cali, iu wlnch he was in fiill aympathy with the President aud Can ether diatin uú-heri Republicana ; yót, now tl i ut thoro w'i3 üo scapo from it, ho nrgcd carnestly its more vigorous proBecution, as the most eftective momis of bringing it to a speedy end, and bo restriotiug its uuavoidablo woes and enormous expentlitureñ to tho nariowflst practicable compasri. . . Wlion, in 18C2, the GöveinineKt cijricluded that a prudent precaution against po'ibI v;ar with Englauil required that the iron manufacturero of our country sbould be able to supply us with barrel iron, it aekcd them to essay its production experimontally, and to supply, as it Wtis wanted, G,000 tons, at a pricc tliat coiild uot yi''l(?. nwch pr'ifit. Tliia oaerous but patriotic duty wa3 tinCeféiïieTi b í au establjsh ment in which Mr. Tildón was then a ulfc-tor and a large stockholder, and to aocompliah it they utopped other highly remunerativo work, tberoby sacriñeing huudreds of thouaauds of dollarn, the prics, as it turnod out, beiug too low tó coor the oost of production. But ucither ho nor ny öt h!s assodatcs have ever set up or ovou intimfttcd a doniro to mSiso ny claim for indemnity, as I learned in Wasiiington last vintor. Neither has he or they aflked the Governtnent tp lectivo tho balance f iron undelivered under the contrant, although not more than two-thirds of it had been called or when the war closod, at which tioio, owiug et the üudden fall of. prices, tho pronta on the residuo would have been very large ; but the Government no longer neoded the iron, and ita credit was stretched to the utmost to provide for war detos. Mr. Tilden and bis friênds; thcrefore, forbore to matee tny claim to the large afnount they might justly have asked in this matter. On a previoua occasion, when a great omergencyarose, the Government ciüed upon the saaie gentlemen for aid : it asked them to construct alargo numbor of ponderous wroughtiron maciiinea, each weighing many tons, and known iu militan1 engineering as mortar bed, and to acomplish the object in lens than onoquarter of the time which the Ordnance De partment and engineers of eminonc had de clarad indispensable. Beposing conüdence in tho patriotism of these gentlemen, it was explained to them that a large niimber of these huge, unwioldy structures had suddenly been called for by Gen. Grant, aud uot one was to be foand in our rseuals ; that they wcro nfcesaary to complete the armament of giinboata required for the most important military campaign to be made iu the West that winter (Ib6'2), tbo advance up tho Teunesaee and the Ciunberland rivers to capture Forta Henry and Donelaon aud to doatroy the Confedérate arniy there eathering, and that a failure to eupply these boda promptly would greatly embarraas tho expedition, ana might dofoat it altogether, by delaying nutil the waters of thoae nverB feil too low for navigalion by gunboate. Nobly did these gentlemen reapond to the oouüdenco roposed in them by their Government. Money to carry on this work could not then bo advanced, for the treaflury bad nono to spare, il wks so far in arreara for soldiere' pay, and the expenso of enUtsting ixnd organizing troops. But tbOBO gentlemen did not hesitato. They opened their own purses, and, as if by magie, summoned into instant activity ft multitude of sküled workmen in different aliops and towus, situated in threo different States, no singJo establishment or city being ahle to bupport the numbsr of artisaua and toolfi, and the different kinds of material with tho proraptnesa and cslerity uecessary to moot tho emergoncy. It will gratify you to learn that this, under the circumstancea, almoat impossible taek wuö uccomplinbei conbidorably within tiio timolimited, and so enabied.Gen. Granttocomp!ete the armament of the expedition bofore the day appointed. Tlii ■ ironderful porformance was only achiercd through the matcbless exeentivo skill of Abram S. Hewitt, who organi?od and directed the work, and who was one of Mr. Tildeu's ansociates in the Trouton Iron Company, and, like Mr. Tilden, haa in many ways, and at different times, rendered great and loving service to bis country, but never paraded bis well-doing, or coueht to m%ko of it political or other merchandise. The ac:ount made out againat the Government for performing this groat f oat of mechanica! construction embraced no charge for profit, interest, agoucy, personal service, use of shope, tools, or anything else, but the actual money diaburaed for materials and labor. After the account waa approvod and a voucher issued thoy had to watt many inontli before tho treasury could pay them. Groeubacks, uieanwhile, wore deprociating every day, so tlmt tho mocev in which tliey were repaid was worth mnch lesa than the money they disbursed. Tln's depreciation, together with interest, use of tools and shops, and the value of personal aervices renderod, would make a very large loss, or patriotic offering, whichever you chooao to cali it, in this singlo matter, for which they asked no indemnity, then or siuco, and never complaiued that the Oovernment could uot use them better. . Such patriotic libcrality, on tho part of Mr. Tilden and his assoeiates of tho Tienton Iron Company, yon may aaf ely believe was emulated by nono of the men who now are so loud in bis detraction. It would, 1 thiuk, bo dit'ücult to lied one of them wlio, in the esaential attribat s of good citizeuship, is worthy to unloose tbf lat:het of hia shoe. f it were necessRry I conld go on mnltiplying instances aud ovidonco in support of my avorment to you, that on my personal knowledgo the cliargo of dialoyalty againat Mr. Tilden is untrne; and I have ïiO doubt that al) tho othor charges made against him are eqnally UHtrue, for they are inconsistent with the high character which he haa borne throuiih a long and very activo business life, and with tli cordial fdiowship and estooni of so many good iut'n, who would scorn instead of respectiug him if bo were the calcuiating villain which his poiitical enemios paiut.