Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-06-24
Tilden's Letter Of Withdrawal.

/ CINCINNATI, Juno 20.-To night til
Now York delegation held meeting at th
Grand Hotel and organized by ohoosio,
Daniel Manning chairman and S
IS. Halliday secretary. h1r. Pcckhan
rcad tho following letter from Samuel j
Tildep:
NEW YoRK, juno IS, 1880.
10 Me Delegates from tic State of Nca
York to tie Democratic National Con
vention.
Your first assembling is an occasion OF
which it is proper for me to state to 20,
my relation TO the nomination for thu
Presidency which you and yonr associate.
oro con missioned to make in behalf oil
tho Democratic party of the United
States
Having passed my carly years in an at
'nosphcro filled with the traditions of the
war which secured our National iudepen-
dcncc aud of the struggles which mudo ou,
continental system Government for TIC
people, by the people, [ learned to idolizc
tho institutions OF my country md was ed
ucatcc to believe il the duty of every citi-
zen of tho Republic to take his fair allot-
mcnt Of care and trouble in public affairs.
[ fulfilled that duty to the best of luy
ability for forty years os private citizen.
Although dn,ins all my life giving at
least as much thought and cfTor: 10 public
affairs ss to all other jccts, [ have never
accepted Official service except for brief
] y, pssa sEss'u Gaer&fSe:S aa G@!y ynen
tercsts. My life has been substantially that
Of private citizen.
1t wos, presume, the success of tho
efforts, in which as private citizen had
shared, to overthrow tho corrupt combina--
ton then holding dominion in our metrop-
oils, and to purify the judiciary which had
become its tool, that induced the Democracy
Of the State in 1874 to nominate nc for
Governor. Fhis was done in spite Of the
protests Of the minority ,hat the part had
bcrnc in these rciorms had created antago :
nsps fatal to me rs candidate. i felt
constrained TO accept tho nomination as
;he most certain mcans Of putting the
Gubclmtcrial Office on the side of reform
and of rcmoTiug that impression wherever
it prevailed that the faithful discharge of
ones duty as citizen is fatal to his useful,
ness as Public servant.
The breaking up of the canal ring. The
better management Of cur rutlic No.ks, u
large reduction CT taxes, and other reforms
accomplished during NY administration,
doubtless occns;on"d my nomination for the
Presidency It the tuioD, ia ,Ae hone that
similar processes wunla DC arphcd TO the
Federal Government. From the response
bilities Of such m undertaking, appalling as
it seemed to nae, did not feel a. liberty 10
shrink.
In tho canvass which cnaund tbs Demo
cratic party represented resorm in the ad-
minissration Of tho Federal (>ovcrun ent
and the restoration OF our complex pn'i,icai
system TO the pure ideas OF its founders.
Upon these Issues tic pcopts Of thc United
States BY a majority of more 1h%ls quarter
of mi!licn chose n majority % electors TO
cast their votes for the Dcmo.ra,io cnnd
dates for President and Vice President.
1t is my right and privilege hcye 10 say hat
| was nom mat cd and elected to thc Pr, si.
dcncy absolutely free from any engagement
in respect 50 the exercise Of its powers or
the disposal of its patronage. Through
the whole period of my relation TO the
Presidency did everything in my power
to elevate and nothing 10 |owor tho moral
standards III the competi,icn of parties.
By ,,hat nciarjous means the basis for a
false CONT was laid 10 several oi the States
need not rccitc. These arc matters Of
history shout which whatever diversity OF
opinion MA y have existed IN either of the
great parties Of the cGuutry tie time OF
their contamination has since practically
disappeared. refused to ransom ION the
returning boards Of tho Southern States
documentary evidence by tho suppression
Of which ond by the substitution Of fraud
ulcnt and forged papers prctcxt was made
for the pcrpc'uation Of Il false count.
The constitutional duty Of the two
houses Of Congress to count the electoral
votes as cast and give effect TO the will of
the people as expressed by their suffrascs
was never fulfilled. An Electoral Commits.
siou, for the existence of which have no
responsibility, was formed, and to it the
,wo houses Of Congress abdicatcd their
duty to make the count by law cnacting
that the count of the Commission should
stand as final unless over ruled by the
concurrent action Of the two houses. Its
false count was not oyerrulcd owing to the
completely Of the Republican Senate with
the Republican majority of the Commission.
Controlled by its Republican majority of
eight to seven in the Electoral Commission
counted out the men elected by the people
and counted in men not elected by the
people,
That subvcrsion of tho election created
a new issue for the decision of the people
OF the United States trausccnding in i'm
portancc all questions of administration
1t involved the vital principle Of self gov-