Daily national Democrat., 1859-07-24
That Letter.

Latham had promised the Collectorshp of the
Port of San Francisco to two different per-
sons, and in order to avoid his Obligations to
one of those persons, procured the services OF
a friend Tor instrumenD to surreptitiously OBJ
tain possession of a letter in which he had
pledged himself to the said party. He also
says that he learned this fact from the party
above alluded to (meaning Judge Tilford) and
that the statement was so well substantiated
by facts" that he could not doubt its correct
ness
Judge Tilford comes out in letter and
saws. that he possessed, about the time OF the
Senatorial caucusing, letter from Mr. La
than. pledgng him (Tilford) his support for
the Collectorship. On the night previous to
the election, he looked over his papers and
found that the letter was missing lie in
formed Mr.. Broderick of the fact, and also
Mr. Latham. He does not say, in what terms
he informed Mr. Broderick, nor in what
terms he informed Mr.. Latham. Mr. Brod
erick says he (Tilford) told him that Latham
had procured some person to purloin the let
ter. 1t is said again, that his CTilfords) Ian
guage towards Latham, or about Latham
was very severe and denunciatory. Now,
whether Latham did really procure the pur-
loning of the letter and was intinidated into
having it returned to Tilford's papers, after
it had been abstracted or not is the question
nor left open by Judge Tilford's card; for
Tilford says he searched second time-how
long after he does not say, but the inference
is that that it was some time-and found the
missing letter.
The only real point in which Judge Tilford
even seems to take issue with Senator Brod-
erick is this that Mr.. Broderick did not as
sign to him (Tilford) the abstraction of this
letter as being among the reasons why he re
fused to support Mr.. Latham for Senator
This may be all true enough; perhaps Mr..
Brodericll did not assign this as among his
reasons for dropping Latham, and still his
statement at Nevada, that it really was his
reason might be nevertheless true, in every
respect. He might not have chosen to assign
to Judge Tilford all the reasons which ac-
tuated him in the matter lie does say, now,
however, that his belief that Latham caused
the abstraction of that letter was the primal
cause of his dropping him in that election.
In this connection, we may be instrumental
n shedding some light on the subject, by
quoting the following from the San Francisco
News:
"There is no doubt that Mr.. Broderiel1 will
have something energetic to say about the
whole subject. In the mean time we would
like to ask Judge Tilford whether he did not
charge Latham at the time, and afterwards,
with having sent an agent to get the letter ?
and whether he has not expressed honest in
dignation at the feloDious act ? Whether he
has not, time and again, declared that Latham
was deceptive and unreliable, and much more
that it is unnecessary to repeat? We have |
some intimacy with these matters, and know
that the charge against Latham was notori- |
Gus and the subject of common conversation |
at Sacramento. Moreover, it is our personal |
belief that the letter was surreptitiously ta-
ken from Judge Tilford's room, and was af |
forwards replaced, when it was discovered |
that the pertidious act would be likely to de- |
stroy Latham. Mr.. Broderick's conduct in |
the entire affair was in the highest degree
honorable to him. He resented perfdious
act, and resolved that the actor was unwor-
thy the high position of Senator. He had no
bargains to make-and he made none lie
had the choice of two evils, and he accepted
the lesser one"
We would also call attention to the sub
joined communication in the same paper;
non. F. TILFoRD, CUSTOM HOUSE
EDITORS News The Hon. T. 1iford has
published in the Herald and National of this
morning statement of some things in rela-
tion to that part of the speech of the Hon. d.
G. Broderick, recently delivered in Nevada,
wherein he gives a history of that celebrated
Senatorial election in 1856. The pertness
and onesidedness of Mr.. Tilford's story would
leave an impression upon those ignorant of
some facts connected with the details of that
noted election that Mr.. Broderick wifully
perverted the circumstances attendant upon
Gwins election and Latham's defeat Now,
in order to refresh the obtuse memory of MI.
Tilford in many things he took part In in
this election, permit me to ask him whether
he did or did not communicate TO Mr.. Brod-
erick the loss of Latham's letter, and also that
Latham had promised another person the
Collectorship, and thereupon on his account,
did not Mr. Broderick declare that he would
use what power he had to defeat him (La
tham) and on the night before the election of
DR.. 6 win did he not, in connection with Gen
/ Estelle, accept a carte blanche from Mr.. Brod-
erick to call and arrange with Dr. Gwin all
the preliminares necessary to Gwin's success
in the caucus, and, in furtheranee of this ar
rangement with Mr. Broderick, did he or did
ha pnf in with EstalIn fhn
night before the election, call on DR.. Gwn at
his rooms in the Orleans Hotel in Sacramen-
to city, and from thence did he or did he not,
in company with said Estelle and Dir. Gwin,
90 into private room across the passage
way and opposite the one used by Dr. Gwin,
and there settle definitely the details of his
(Gwin's) election? And afterward did he or
did he not, in company with Gen. Estele,
call on Mr. Broderick and report satisfae
tory arrangement with Dir. Gwin? And did
he or did he not, with Gen. Estelle, say that
as they had enough votes at their command
without their own to elect Gwin in caucus
they would, to convince Mr. Latham of his OF
their sincerity, vote for him (Mr. Latham) !
These questions put to Mr.. Tilford in al
sincerity, and knowing him to be gentle
man who would not Intentionally pervert
facts SO well known, | hope he will, as have
refreshed his memory, give us little more
of the details of his connection in this Sena
torial fight INQUIRER.
In reference to the above, the News re
marks:
"a communication addressed to the Hon
f. Tilford will be found in another column
} The author is gentleman who was frienC
to Mr. Latham at the time of the Senatoria
election, and took an active interest in hi