The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-06-21
SAMUEL ]. TILDEN
interviewed by Mr.. Henry Water
son, of the Courier journal

NEW YORK, June 12.-IIon. Henry
Waterson, who has been spending
some days with Mr.. Tilden, has writ
ten The Following account of his visi
Tor the Courier Journal:
l have been spending few days a1\
Greystone with Gov. Tilden, and not
merely because his old friends in the
west and south have an ever personal 7
interest in him, but because his name
Is at the moment upon the lips of poll
ticlans of The country Of every ca
all over the country ] propose
give the readers of the Courier-J Jour
nal some particular account of him.
When parted from him year ago / .
never expected to see him again. In
deed, | was so skeptical of the stories
concerning his restoration TO health
as to feel delicacy about intruding (
upon his privacy.
He was good enough to send for
me and went over to Grammercy
park ina somewhat sorrowful state
OF mind. My surprise almost exceed
ed my qualification. The old house
is undergoing reconstruction on
magnificent scale. But the old libra
ry Is still held the same, being from
the hand of the dispenser of splend0r.
For the last, l take it as a trih- &
ute of affectionate remembrance of
old times, old friends and cid books.
and there / found the governor
If an apparation had stood before
me l could not have been more as
tonished. The days Of '76, II and '7S |
seemed to haveicome back: his lost
voice was found again; his eyes were 4
bright and his cheeks rosy. His IN
tellect was shrewd and clear, and his
wits were as incisiye as they were
when he made nothing Of
riding Blackstone to Harlem and
back. He quite tired me out, a ia
vorite and and melevolent way he has
of Furnishing his friends, climbing
long stairs. meandering through
labyrinths of decorative art, and
threading the tapestried and frescoed'.
mazes of corridors and chambers,
On current affairs, he talked with
his usual pungency and candor. When
endurance had ceased to be virtue.
| said: Governor, don't you think
we have had enough of thisg"
He smiled, and in his half plying,
half sarcastic way, replied:
"lf you are tired we will go down y
stairs"
AT Greystone his life is of the sim
pleSt and busiest. He has farm hard .
by ard no end of pigs, poultry and
blooded stock. OF course / had to De<
dragged over this farm, and the de-
vices which the old gentleman put
slyly forth to trap me in some uni
guarded trap on the butter and eggs
of my blue grass country, were many i
and ingenious.
1 stood my ground like hero. but
it must be owned the governors
farming is like everything he under
takes thoroughly well done
l asked him whether he tiled 70
make money out of it.. "Oh, no. he
said; ut is easier made in some other
way"
While at Greystone, not SO much as
the shadow of the ghost of a politi-
upon the grounds. Surrounded By
statesman and philosopher was as
was and always is simple
and cordial in his hospitality
One of the young ladies told me Che
little household had got through over
two hundred volumes the last winter
The governor is voracious and YER
satile reader no less than an attentive
and wise observer of affairs, and ne
talked of everything from Thomas a
Kempis to Hendricks. He playfully
observed that the chief objection be
had heard to the election Of Mr.. Carr
lysle to the speakership was that in
some recent volumes published by one
Mr.. Froude there was a suspicion that
he had mistreated his wife.
And here | must stop. / know
that the public is most curious 10
learn what are Mr.. Tilden's views Of
political affairs, current and prospec-
tive. / have little doubt that if had
the right to speak | could, by faith
fully reporting him, make myself at +
once entertaining and Instructive, but
the opinions Of every man are his
own and his house is sacred
/ never knew man more
entirely frank il his intercourse VIZ
his friends than this sage of Grey
stone; but | am not his mouthpiece.
and it is not for me to come all the
way from Kentucky to New York 10
do that which he is so much better
able to do for himself. l can, how
ever, say for myself that nothing
passed which leads me to modify -
opinion / have so often expressed
that mo power on earth could induc|
him to accrpt the presidency.
[Signed1 III. W.