Speech Of Gov. Tilden

MU. PilKHlDEKT AND GeNTI.KMKN OF TUeMaNhattan Cluk : I accepted yourinvitation under he idea thftt tilia wa to bo a moroly social meeting, the special occasion of wliich was the n'esence in this city of Mr. Hendricks and of }pv. ltobinson and Licut. Gov. Dorsheimer. )nc of your guests, Mr. Hendricks, embarkstomorrow on a foreigu exciu-sion for rest and ecreaüon. He will carry with him our best wishes for a prosperous voyage, ploasant visit, and a safe return, and for the health and hap)ino8 of himself and family. I have been availing myself , for similar purposes, of a brief uterval, and lind myself now, with sorae reuctanco, drawn away from those private pursuits. But the occasion, and the apparent general expectation, seem to requirc that I should say a word in respect to public afrairs, and osjccially that I sliould alinde to the tranxaction vhich, in my judgment, is the most portontous event in onr political history. Evorybody knows that, after the recent elec■ion, the men who wore elected by tho poople 'resident and Vico President of tho United States were " counted out," and men who wore lot elected were " couuted in " and Beated. I disclaim any thought of the personal wrong involved in this transaction. Not one of the 4,250,000 of American citizens who gave us Jieir votes but what experiences a wrong as ;reat and as deep as I ; not one of that minorty who did not give us their votos but what in lio rcsulting consequences of this act wiU share oqually in the mischicf if it is not redressod and ])unished. Evils in government row by success and impunity. Thoy do not estrnin thomsclves voluntarily. They can never be liiuited except by esternal forces. It :iad been cur prido and oïir congratulatiou that m this country we had established a system of peacef ui chn nge in the goveming power. In other countries in the Old World, changes in au odministration - in a succession of government - have been worked out by frauds or by force. We felicitatod ourselves that here, :hrou;h the skill and patriotism and philanthropy of our forcfathers. wo had established a system of peaceful chango through the agency of the ballot-box. And this is the lirst time in American history that the right of the peoplo bas been impeachcd. It is tho first time in American history that anybody has pretended that the Government of this great country wns lumded over to any set of men through fr'&ud. It is an event novel, portentous. The example, if suceessful, will lind imitators. The toniptation is always present, and if a set of men being in possession of the Government can maintain that possession against the electivo power of the peoplo, and after they are conuemued at the election, why should not such an event bo iinitatod by their successors ? Devices will always be found to give the color of law, and f alse pretensos on which to fonnd a f rauduleut judgmerrt wili not be wanting. The question for the American peoplo now is whether qr not tho elcotive system of our forefathors, as it was establisbed in this country and has been respected and venerated for seventy-live years. sliall be maintaincd, or whether we shall adopt the bad prácticos of the worst governments in tho worst ages. This is the questiou of questions. Until it shall be settled no inferior administrative questions will have any eigniflcance in tho politics of this country. There will be no politics in this country but the question, "Shall the people regain their rights and rule in this republic V" If one instance of the snccesíful assumption of the Government in this mode can be established, it will lïnd plenty of imitators if it is condoued by the people- ave, if it is once condoned. If my voice could reach throughout our country ana bo hear 1 in its remotest hamlet, I would say: "Be of good cheer. The republic will live. The institutions of our f athers are not to oxpire in shame. Tho sovereignty of the people shall be rescued from this peril and re-established." Tho question involves the olective system; it involves the whole structure of frec government, and tho rights of the people through it again will be vindicatcd: reasserted and forever established. The people must condemn the great and transcendent wrong that has been committed. They must condemn it with a voice and in a manner that shall prevent its unitatiou hereafter. They must strip from this examplo everything in it that attracts imitation. They must deny, they mustrefuse success aud prosperous impumt.y to fraud. The people cannot trust those who are the authors or beueficiaries of this wrong to devise nieasures of redress. But when those who condemn this wrong shall attain the power, they, acting for the people, in their benalf, must devise moasures of legislation, measmea of constitutional change, if necessary, that shall make a recurronco of such an act as has stained our national history impossible. Suceessful wrong is never so apparently triumphant as when it is on tho eve of its' fsll. Seven years ago a corrupt dynasty had establishcd its ascendency over the millions of people who live in New York. It had obtained all the powers of government and of administration. It conquered or it bribed, or it porsuaded, and wou tho almost universal acquiesconcc of our people. It even aspired to social recognition. It seemed to be inviucible. And vet a year or two after the meinbers of it were eithor ín the penitentiary or in exile. History is full of such examplos. We must trust the people ; we must bclieve in the right ; we must beheve in the future of our country. A great and noble nation will nover soparate its political from ts moral lifo. Gov. Hendricks' Keinark. MR. PllESIDEXT AND GENTLEMEN : I thallk jou for the honor you do me. I appreciate it in part as an expression of personal respect and confldence, but more as an expression and aasurance of your approval of those political principios of which, in honorable association with your distinguished fellow-citizen, I was made a representativo during the late political contest. And I beg to assure you that I appreciate tho honor j'ou do me, and the more because of the fact of your devotion to the principies which experience has shown aro cssential to the pre6ervation of good and pure government and the prosperity of the people. Yory recontly the Democrats of this great city and SUte of Indiana, as of the other States, contended for and demandad the restoration of local self-government in all the States where it had bton denied. They contended for economy in all the expeuditnres of goveruincnt. They contended for the rodnctiou of tho vast anny of office holders and for the Hubtititutiou of nonest for dishonost adniinistration. With such a cause to fight for - a grand one - tho victorv was a glorieus one. I will nut disturb the pleasure of this occasion by uudertaking to recoiuit the means adoptcd whereby the will and the judgmeut of the people were defeatid. The result, as declaxed in Louisiana, in Florida and at Washington, is not acquiesced in, it cannot lo ac]iüesced in. for the palpable roason that it was not trne. A gruid aud a sincere people can found their iiiüuiate decisión only upon tho truth, and ntver upoii fraud BJuccegiuu] through technicality. Kvèn should the President and bis Cabinet adopt a part or all of the politicñl policiesan'l purposea for wnii-h the Democratie party hu been COlUeudiiig foy so ninnv Jears, fveii that will uot bring alióut nn sc'iuesaoiiöè. will not quict the public iliseonU'iü ; ilic Di'inncrats will iiot consent that their inot ehorisht-tl i'niic!lc; shall lic nnaer the protoctiiIK care mí a power wliiohwas acqnired by fiainlulciit and corrupt ïncims. The Demoerats will iaUke no inctions oppositiou (o the (' fart( ndministnition at Washington. They-M'ill üoquiBBB8 in the fact that it is an adtninistratinn, and will support it in tUnt which is right bocause it is right and beoausé it is for tho pulilii good, but not at all becase of tóy fea 1 tv to the party that stands defeated and condomned by the poojiir. The (ifuple caunut allow that tiie t.eli'eïion öï their cluef m?.gistratc slmll become ft Chine of chance or of sharp practico. Tht fraud ftrsi trinmphant in Aneflocn histcry must be upisiued its proper place among th( crimes agamst frèe and popular government, and bc ii:ulc so ddioilfe that no ]nrty in tilt Hiluir will ilare Ui atteiiipt its ic]tiü( n. l[t, v.hu is öleoted Pitisideilt must be injii;.;unilcil ( e; Ik Tcaftcr. Until that is soüled and piade sure forevcr no Dctnocrat can be. persuadcd r sedaced from bis devotion and allegiancu t; the part} by the alhu;e,ment8 of olliee, nor even by the Btrohger appcal of the abaiiduninent by the administration of political principios th:tt vc dislike and tht! adoption of letter doctrines and just moasnres. Tho Democrats will rather condone thoirl'aitli i:i the rigift of tin1 majority to rule :i,Torilin; to cciilstitlltional )irovÍKÍoiiK. All Demócrata rojoiee with uiibomided joy tliat fiec rcimblican governments have been atlowóa in ilu' States of South Carolina and Ionisiana. They rejojbo in tho good fiuits tbat rill follow. Wo all know that poiice and order will prevail. We know thnt proBperlty will return to those States, and that tlicy will continue to givo prosicrity country. We all hnow thai theburdensof Uad govcrument,the Intrdènfl of public corruption, will bo taken from the shoulders of labor, that capital will be made moni secure, and labor saffir and contented and happy. We all know, tx, that production will inoivase, and thnt as a conscquence thore will bo pi-ospcritv in those Suh. which will be the prosperity of every pari oí the country. But Democrats know vcry wèll that this liad beoome inevitable, as Goy. Morton said in bis recent letter. Good govi mment to the States was not a frocwill offering n)X)ii the tiltar of our country. It hatl, I repeat, in tho lauguage of Gov. Morton, become inevitable. For mnny years the Democrats had contended in Oon,'ivss and bofore thepeojilein favor of the vToratinii of républioau govei'umeiitfl in all ilio States of South. Tney had contended for that with such zenl and earnostuesH that it ■oiiM uo hmger b n ii■li. beeause truth mul lioht were too etrung to bc contrtJled in favpi f wrong any more. Iu this Demócrata lind a VHson to stand the moro tirmly by thoiv party. I llciir very 'M-"' a!lcl tb.ei) the tlugt(etiO I luit tomo Domoerat, either North or ttouth, will join mmc Hayos party. It will nöt occnr. Out of iowoi', without patronage, and without monov to distribute, tlie Democratie party during these last ten years have restored onc State aftor another, until now the tread of soldiery is heard is no legislativo hall, until now, In every State of our Union, the people are governed bylaws of thcir own enacting and ofticers of their own choosing. I have bnt one word more to say. Tho outroge upon the vights of the people - ïiot upon me ana not uj)on Gov. Tilden, except that we are citizons of the country - the outrage upon the people in the act that denie.s to the people thoir own nelcction of the public ofticers according to the law and the constitution, that wrong will work its own reform. I have no fear of the future. Even if the adminiítration that is now in power shall take Democratie principie and ideas and undertako to build proHperity u]cn tin m. it can never gain the confidonco and the heart of the American people. And it will nevcr do to say that when ono man ha taken the land that belongs to another by a title that is not good, and holds it, that it is snfficient to ay that that man who holds tbc land wrongfully will cultívate itbetter Llüin tho tnio owner would have done. Before we roach that qnostioi: we will Bettle bequeKÜon, Who owns tho land? It in not the causo Gov. Tilden ha been wronged, bnt it is becauso the voice of tlio American people lias been ignored when that voico was spoken according to the constitution of the United States. And I fear not the result, as I have altead; said. A great and a sincere people will base thcir judgment and final action upon the trnth. Democratie principies will be carried out in Uie affaire of government by Domocrats aud by such fair-mindcd Hopublicans a will not make themselves a party to the wrong that was done last winter. This will bc corroetcd in 1880 by a majority in the different States that will bc fmrprising to all partáea. I tliink I may say for 1880, as I said In 1876, that Indiana will again do her duty.