LETTERS AND LITERARY MEMORIALS OF SAMUEL J. TILDEN EDITED BY JOHN BIGELOW, LL.D. VOL. 1 [Illustration] NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1908 Copyright, 1908, by HARPER & BROTHERS. _All rights reserved._ Published February, 1908. _Shortly before the death of the late Samuel J. Tilden, and in compliance with his wishes, a selection was made by our senior colleague from such of Mr. Tilden's public writings and speeches as were then conveniently accessible and seemed then responsive to a popular demand. This selection was edited and published in 1885._ _The forty-second section of the will of Mr. Tilden, who died in the following year, provided as follows:_ _"I also authorize my said Executors and Trustees to collect and publish in such form as they may deem proper my speeches and public documents, and such other writings and papers as they may think expedient to include with the same, which shall be done under their direction. The expenses thereof shall be paid out of my estate. My Trustees and Executors are authorized and empowered to burn and destroy any of my letters, papers or other documents, whether printed or in manuscript, which in their judgment will answer no useful purpose to preserve."_ _In discharge of the duty imposed on us by this clause of the testator's will, we have selected such portions of a vast correspondence with, or relating to, the testator as give promise of answering a useful purpose; and at our solicitation Mr. Bigelow has undertaken to edit and publish them in a form that shall harmonize with, and be complementary to, the volume of "Speeches and Writings of Mr. Tilden," already in print._ JOHN BIGELOW, } Executors GEORGE W. SMITH, } and L. V. F. RANDOLPH. } Trustees. PREFACE OF THE EDITOR