The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-06-24
TILDEN'S LETTER.

To the Delegates 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 for the
Presidency. which you and your associat-
es are commissioned to make in behalf of
the Democratic party of the United Stat
es- Having passed my early year. IL an
atmosphere filed with the traditions If
the war which secured our national indie
pendence, and of the struggles which
made our continental system a govern
ment for the people, by the people, |
learned to idolize the institutions of NY
country, and was educated TO believe 1t
the duty of a citizen OF the republic to
t..ke his fair allotment of care and trouble
in public affairs. | fulfilled that duty to
the best of my ability for forty years IS
a private citizen, although during ali my
| life giving at least as much thought H.
| public affairs as to all other objects.
have never accepted official service except
for brief period. For a special purpose
and only when the occasion seemed TO
require of me that sacrifice of private
preference to public interests, my life has
| been substantially that Of private citi-
zen. 1t was, presume, the success of
efforts III which as a private citizen | mad
shared TO overthrow a corrupt combina-
| ton then holding dominion In our me-
tropolis, and to purify the Judiciary,
which had become its tool, that induced
| the Democracy Of the State in 1874 to
nominate me for Governor. This was
| done IN spite Of the protests OF a minority
| that the part had borne in those reforms
| had created antagonism fatal to me as a
| candidate, | felt constrained to accept
| the nomination as the most certain means
| of putting the power of the gubernatorial
| office on the side Of reform and of remov
| ing the impression wherever it prevailed
| that the faithful discharge of ones duty
as citizen Is fatal to his usefulness as a
| public servant The breaking up of the
canal ring, the better management of our
| public works, the large reduction Of taxes,
and other reforms accomplished during
my administration doubtless occasioned
| MY NOMINATION FOR THE PRESIDENCY.
| by the Democracy of the Union in the
| hope that similar processes would be
applied to the Federal Government
| From the responsibilities of such an
| undertaking, appalling as it seemed to
me, [ did not feel at liberty to shrink
| In the canvass which ensued the Demo
| cratic party represented reform in the
/ administration of the Federal Govern
ment, and restoration of our complex
| political system to the pure ideas of its
! founders. Upon these Issues the people
Of the United States, by majority of
more than a quarter Of a million, chose a
maj Ority of the electors to cast their votes
| for the Democratic candidates for Presi.
dent and Vice President. 1t is my right
and privilege here to say that was nom
mated and elected to the Presidency
absolutely free from any engagement in
respect to the exercise Of its power or the
disposal OF its patronage. Through the
whole period of my relation to the Presi-
dency L did everything ID my power to
| elevate and nothing to lower moral stand
ards III the competition OF parties. BY
! what nefarious means the basis for a false
count was laid in several Of the States |
need not recite. These are now matters
OF history, about which whatever diversity
OF opinion may have existed IN either of
the great parties Of the country at the
| time of their cousummation, has practI
cally disappeared. | refused to ransom
| from the returning boards of the South
ern States the documentary evidence, by
! the suppression of which ana by the
| substitution Of fraudulent and forged
| papers, pretext was made for the perpe-
| tration of false count. The constibu-
! tional duty of the two Houses OF Con-
! gress TO count the electoral votes as cast
and to give effect to the will OF the people
as expressed by their sunrages, was never
! fulfilled.
AN ELECTORAL COMMISSION,
| for the existence of which / have no re-
sponsibility, was formed and to it the
| two Houses of Congress abdicated their
duty to make the count by law enacting
that the count of the commission should
stand as final unless oyerruled by the
concurrent action of the two Houses
/ It's false count was not oyerruled owing
to the completely of Republican Senate
with the Republican majority of the COM
mission. Controlled by its Republican
majority of eight to seven, the electoral
commission counted out the men elected
by the people and counted in the men
not elected by the people.
A subyersion of the election created
new Issue for the decision of the people
| Of the Unites States tvanseending in
importance all questions OF administra-
ton. 1t involved the vital principle of
self government through elections by the
people. The immense growth of the
means OF corrupt influence over the bal
| lot box, which is at the disposal OF the
party having possession of the executive
administration had already become
| present evil, and great danger tending
to make elections irresponsible to public
opinion, hampering the power of the peo-
/ pie to change their rulers, and enabling
/ the men holding the machinery of gov
/ ernmelt to continue and perpetuate their
/ power. 1t was my opinion III 1876 that
the opposition attempting to change the
administration needed to include at least
| two thirds of the voters at the opening
/ OF the canvass in order to retain a mai
ority at the election. If after such obsta-
cies had been overcome, ana q majority
/ of the people had voted TO change the
administration of this government. the
men in office could still procure a false
CONT founded urOn frauds, periuries,
ah6 sorgeries, furnishing a pretext of
/ documentary evidence on which to base
/ that false count, and if such transae-
/ tons were not only successful, but if after
allotment of its benefits were made to
its coDtrivers, abetters, and apologists by
/ the chief beneficiary of the transaction,
it Were oGndoned by the people, prac-
teal destruction OF elections iy the peor
pie would have been accomplished.
/ THE FAILURE TO INSTALL THE CANDIDATES
/ chosen by the people. contingency
/ consequent upon 10 act or omission Of
mine and beyond my control-has thus
left me for the last three years, and until
now when the Democratic party by its
! delegates in national convention assem-
+ hled, shall choose a new leader, the in
voluntary but necessary representative
+ o. THIS momentous issue. As such deni-
/ ed the immunities OF private life without
the powers conferred by public station,
/ t,niont faIc l..