The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-10-12
Governor Tilden and the Ring.

| Mr.. IIlden, ana he aQflSeu you not " az
tempt it. You did not take his advice. and
had partial success. You then wentto him
second time, and he again attempted to dis
suade you from going on; said you had no
standing in court, &c. You persisted, ney-
crtheless; and for your action the city owes
you a debt OF gratitude, which, I think,
the great meeting on the 4th OF
! September, 1871, which led to theeppoint-
ment OF the Committee of Seventy. Mr.. Til
den did not attend. Have you any objection
to giving me statement showing what you
did, what Mr.. Tilden said to you, and what
were precisely your legal measures and sue
cesseS? I will not use your name without
your consent, but it is important that ]
should have facts which can be substantiated
il they are denied. My address is Seafield,
West Hampton, n. y.
An early answer will oblige, dear sir,
| Yours, very truly,
JOHN A. DIX.
| John Foley, Esq.
REPLY OF JOHN FOLEY.
No. 3, AsToR HOUSE, !
NEW YORK, october 4, 1876.
The Hon. John 4. Dir:
NV Dear Governor,-I should sooner have
replied to your letter, as its importance de-
manded, but for my absence from the city
and press of business matters. You are
mistaken in your impression rs to Governor
Tiden's action in the Tammany ring prose
cutions. I had several interviews with
him in 1871, and gave him a
printed copy OF my proposed injunc-
| ton. After careful examination, Mr..
Tilden came to the same conclusion
that several other eminent lawyers arrived
at-namely, that as taxpayer l had no
standing in court; and as the law then
stood could not procure an Injunction to
stop the further stealing OF the ring. My
own able counsel, Messrs. John 81. Strahan
and judge George G. Barrett, tnougnt
junction was my only true remedy; but,
unfortunately ior me and for our plundered
city, Tweed, Hall, and Sweeney thought that
their only safety was to throw all the blame
upon Connolly, and they arranged with
Judge Barnard to grant the Injunction, and
so it was done. Mr.. Tilden manifested no de-
sire to shield the ring, but, on the contrary,
quite bitter feeling existed between him
and Tweed. You refer to the circumstance
that Mr.. Tilden did not attend the great
meeting OF the 4th Of September, 1871.
Perhaps you are not aware OF the fact that
he remained away because he was engaged
in pursuing the same end by another route,
and that it was, on consultation (hc being
the chairman OF the Democratic State Com.
mittee), deemed best for the good cause
that he should not attend at that meeting,
but should proceed separately.
You also forget that the first great meeting
held in our city to put down Tweed and his
Tammany Ring occurred August 7, 1871.
You were invited, but you failed to attend
that or the 4th of september meeting or any
Of the early meetings Of the Committee OF
Seventy; neither do you refer to the fact
that the live, stirring speech delivered by
Mr.. Havemcyer at the 4th Of September
meeting was revised previous to its delivery
by Mr.. Tilden, who gave to it the clearness
and backbone by which it was charac.
teriZed.
1t is notorious fact that long before this
Mr.. Tilden had become one OF the most de-
termined opponents OF the ring, both mere
in the Young Democracy fight, and in the
State Convention.
In October, 1869, at the request OF seVera
Leading merchants, bankers, and taxpayers
I accepted the nomination Tor the ONCE o;
Supervisor, and promised that l Wouio
break up the corrupt Board or put
stop to the shameful frauds upon the
taxpayers. I was elected; but the ring
| managers, IniouSn 'aen
/ Mayor Hall, appointed the late Henry
Smith to nv place. and on the 9Th OF
January, 1870, they introduceda bill in the
I,eo;slature to confirm their unlawful action
Atforney-G General Champlin refused twice
to allow me quo ,oarranto; yet with the
nowerful aid of the independent press o.
our CITY, especially the San, 1 compelled the
| Acknowledgement to allow the writ.
pushed the trial successfully through the
courts, and got into the Board anc
forced Tweed to abolish the old Boaro
of Supervisors. During all this con-
test I secured much Information aS
to the swindIing tactics of Tweed
and his plunderers, and which aiterWarc
| led me to bring, wholly at my own cost anc
responsibility, the famous in1unctlon suit o.
| September 7, 1871, which resulted IN tne
perfect destruction of the Tweed ring pow
er, forced Comptroller Connolly to resign,
and saved many millions OF dollars 70 our
oyer-burdened taxpayers. l also lns.ltu'
ted other legal roceedings-pushlng tmngs
pretty lively-organized several pupilc meet
ings-keeping up fight ending IN tne CON- 70
plete rout Of the thieves.
In 1872 took an active part in your nom
| ination aud election as Governor, OF tnis
State. Although Democrat and you he,
publican, felt that you were the best ano
lmost competent man in our State to aid and
| sustain the great reform movement; and II
| is but Just to say that, although you made
some serious mistakes, on the whole you
/ made q good Governor, and when nomina.
| ted for q second term, two years ago, told
YOU early in the canvass that your defeat was
| Certain. and that the people owed so much
to Mr. Tilden for his powerful aid in the
prosecution Of Tweed and the ring. And
now, when we come to contrast two years
of Governor Tilden's management OF our
state with yours, it proves the wisdom and
good Judgment Of the people IN making the
change. No other man could Or Wolld at,
tack and put down the powerful canal
ring as Governor Talden has done; and f0r
] his good work the people OF our State VIII