The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-07-01
MR.. T,LDEN'S GREAT LETTER.
En- Which be Declines to Again
be "a Candidate for tl,c
Presidency.

CINCINNATI. june 3O-FO-ulghb the
New York delegation held a meeting at
the Grand Hotel and organized by
choosing Daniel Manning chairman and
:. B. Halliday Secretary. Mr.. Peck
ham read the following letter from
Samuel J. Tilden:
New YORK, June 1Sth-To' the deles
gates from the State of New York to
the Democratic National Convention:
Your first assembling is an occasion
on which it is proper for me to state to
you my relation to the nomination of
the presidency, which you and your ass
sociates are commissioned to make 10
behalf Of the Democratic party of the
United States.
Having passed my earlier years in an
atmosphere filed WITH traditions of the
war. which secured our national indie
%pendence, aud of the struggles winch
made our continental system a govern
mrnt for the people, by the people. L
learned to iiDlIzs the institutions of
my country. an1 was educated TO be
heve it the duty of every citizen of the
republic t. take his far allotment of
the care and trpn1ie ia public affairs. /
/ ktlttlliCu lusl AiutN III bt6 OtSt Oh MY
ability for forty years as "A private citi-
zen. Although during all my life CIV
ing as much thought aud effort TO pub
lie affairs as to all nther objects, | haye
never accepted official service except
for a brief period. for a special purpose.
aud only when the occasion seemed to
require of me hat sacrifice of private
preferences to public interests. Ny
life has been substantially that of a
private citizen.
II was, | presume, the success of eff
forts in which, as a private citizen, /
had shared 10 overthrow a corrupt com
binatIon then holding dominion in our
metropolis, and to purify the judiciary,
which had become its tool, that induced
the Democrats of tue State in 1874 to
nominate me for Governor. This was
done in spite of the protests of a minor
ity that the part | had borue in those
reforms had created a%utagonjsms fatal
to me- as a candidate. | felt con~strain,
ed to accept the nominatio az the most
eertaIn means of putting the power of
the gubernatorial office on the side of
reform and of removing the impression,
wherever it prevailed, that the faithful
discharge of ones duty AS a citizen is
fatal to his usefulness as a pablic ser
want.
The breaking up OF the canal ring.
the better management of our pablo.
works, the large reduction of taxes aud
other reforms accomplished during my
administration doubtless occasioned
my nomination for the Presidency bv
the Democracy of the Union, in the
hope that similar processes would be
applied to the federal governments.
From the responsibility of such an un-
dertaking, appalling as it seemed to
me, did no feel at liberty to shrink.
In the canvass which ensued the Dem>
ocratic party represented reform in the
administration of the federal governs
ment and a restoration of our complex
political system to the pure ideas of its
founders. Upon these issues the peo-
Pile of the United States, by a majority
OF more than a quarter of a million,
chose a majority of the electors to cast
their votes for the Democratic candi-
dates for President aud Vice President,
1t Is my right and privilege here to
say that | was nominated aud elected
10 the Presidency absolutely free from
any engagement in respect to the ex-
crcise OF its powers or the disposal of
its patronage. Through the whole pee
Rod OF my relation to the Presidency |
did everything in my power to elevate
and nothing to lower moral standards
in the competition of parties. By what
nefarious means the basis for a false
anunt Was lad in car...t - H. -.