Chapter D: Manning to Tilden

"WASHINGTON, D. C., _June 4, 1886_.

"DEAR GOVERNOR,--I send you herewith a printed slip of correspondence that has recently occurred between two of your acquaintances. You will learn from it that I want to leave Washington and go home, and that the President is loath to have me go. He prefers to give me leave of absence, and at the outset named the 1st of August as the limit. To this I demurred, because the 1st of August marks the middle of every sensible person's vacation, and brings to us extreme hot weather. I could not bring myself to think it would be right for me to return here at that early day, and in the mean time my mind would be worried by thoughts of returning to the old tread-mill, in the hottest part of Washington's hot season. So the President changed it to the 1st of Oct., which certainly is a more proper date.

"I trust that what I have done, or rather what I have let be done, will have your approval.

"We are making arrangements for me to go to the Hot Springs of West Virginia within the next two or three days. I think we shall remain there about a month. After that, I hope I may be permitted by my physician to go North, in which event I want to visit you at Greystone, if only for an hour. That, I know, will do me great good.

"Your sincere friend,
"D. MANNING."

TILDEN TO GOVERNOR HILL

"GREYSTONE, YONKERS, N. Y., _June 5, 1886_.

"DEAR GOV. HILL,--There are two bills before you which ought to be rejected.

"1. The bill pretending to abolish imprisonment for debt. Your inquiry as to its effect upon Tweed's case, if this bill had been a law in Tweed's time, shows that you see one of the important points.

"If there are cases where the present law ought to be ameliorated, they should be specified. The present bill is not fit to be passed.

"If you will compare the bill with the existing law, you will see that the bill is deceptive and fraudulent.

"2. The bill appropriating $200,000 towards doubling the line of the locks on the Erie Canal will not be of the least utility to the navigation. Some time ago, I sent you some papers on this subject.

"If you have lost or mislaid them, I will send you duplicates.

"I have but a few minutes at my command this morning.

"Very truly yours,
S. J. TILDEN."

TILDEN TO JOSEPH R. HAWLEY

"GREYSTONE, YONKERS, N. Y., _June 9th, 1886_.

"MY DEAR SIR,--I am obliged by your courtesy in allowing Lieutenant Jaques to read to me a copy of your report on Coast Defences.

"I approve it highly, and think it does you great credit.

"I will thank you to send me a printed copy of this document.

"The apathy of Congress on this subject would be incredible, if it did not confront us.

"It contrasts with the rivalry which is so conspicuous to insist on our taking a high tone towards foreign nations on every occasion of difference between them and us.

"It contrasts, also, with the favor which is shown to schemes of prodigality, and schemes to waste the public resources on things known to be absolutely useless.

"Among the people, the desire for liberal appropriations towards the means of public defence, is well-nigh unanimous.

"I am well informed as to the popular feeling from the circumstance that more than seven hundred newspapers from all parts of the country, and representing all political parties, containing expressions upon the subject, have been sent to me.

"Very truly yours,
"S. J. TILDEN."

TILDEN TO MANNING

"GREYSTONE, _June 10, 1886_.

"DEAR MR. MANNING,--I received your letter enclosing the correspondence between the Secretary of the Treasury and the President.

"Your resignation will be a misfortune for the country, and a calamity to the Democratic party. To yourself it presents nothing but advantages.

"It is probably absolutely necessary to the restoration of your health, which ought to be a first consideration with you. You could not increase your reputation if you were to be Secretary a thousand years, and there are many chances that it might be diminished.

"Your letter is excellent; the only doubt I have is whether the remarks on the tariff are sufficiently guarded to prevent misrepresentation.

"I shall be glad to see you and Mrs. Manning at Greystone whenever you come North, but do not assent to so brief a call as you speak of.

"I hope the Hot Springs may be beneficial to you.

"Very truly yours,
"S. J. TILDEN."

JAMES C. CARTER TO TILDEN

"66 WALL ST., NEW YORK, _June 10th, 1886_.

"MY DEAR SIR,--Mr. D. D. Field has succeeded in getting through the Legislature a bill purporting to be a codification of the Law of Evidence.

"It is as bad as, or worse than, any of his schemes for bedevilling the law under the pretence of simplifying it.

"No one man in twenty of the members even read it, as I am assured. It is replete with gross errors, and in many ways changes the existing law not only in respect to evidence, but other topics.

"The chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Assembly, who was mainly instrumental in working it through both houses, confessed before the Governor last Thursday in my presence that in its present shape it is unfit to go into operation.

"He urges the executive approval on the ground that it contains a clause authorizing the Governor to appoint a commission for the purpose of amending it, and postponing the time of its taking effect until after the next session.

"This very provision seems to me to be abundantly sufficient to call for a veto. There can be no more shocking fallacy than that it is safe to pass bad laws merely because they may be amended.

"I write this to the end that, should the Governor consult you about this measure, you may have such assurance as my opinion, whatever that may amount to, may afford that it is an unwise one.

"Mr. Field's abominable tinkering of our law has already brought about measureless mischief, and I am doing all I can to prevent the further progress of it.

"Very truly yours,
"JAMES C. CARTER.

"_Hon. S. J. Tilden._"