"You perhaps interpret it rather more strongly than I intended. I aimed only to suggest the topic, and naturally stated the _cons_ rather than the _pros_. "I will endeavor to see you, as you suggest, at Albion, before the convention, unless something happens to make this inadvisable. "And letter-writing is so insufficient for such topics that I reserve the discussion till then. "Meantime, consider what is the method of proceeding in nominating the _four_. Is that to be done singly, or on one ballot? "In haste, "Yours truly, "S. J. TILDEN." "_Hon. S. E. Church._ "Make my special regards to Mrs. and Miss Church." S. E. CHURCH TO TILDEN "ALBION, _April 20, 1870_. "MY DEAR SIR,--Your kind favor received. I infer that you are opposed to my taking a nomination for chief judge, and it is quite likely you are right about it; but I feel that there has been a great _break_ in my life, and that it may be as well to start on a new track. My reputation is now fair, and on the bench I can keep it so, until I want to use it for my own benefit and that of my friends, and I think I can aid you politically as much as I can to remain as I am. I shall, of course, object to being regarded as '_shelved_' by the operation, and yet such may be the result, and some people will doubtless favor my nomination for that reason. _They may be awfully mistaken, but this is confidential._ "I shall not dare to go to Rochester next week, lest the excitement might produce a relapse; but you must come here and see me the day before the convention, which you can easily do, and then we can talk the whole thing up--as you say, it cannot be written. Don't fail to come. "Truly yours, "S. E. CHURCH." "Mrs. C. and Nellie send regards." TILDEN TO JOHN R. REID "NEW YORK, _Apl. 21, 1870_. "MY DEAR SIR,--I am obliged by the kind terms of your note of yesterday, which were also repeated to me by Mr. Frost, who called on me. But I do not change the feelings with which I regard the nomination for the chief judge, and have regarded it since it was presented to my view in December, or weakened the settled preference I have for freedom and relaxation over even such an honorable distinction. Notwithstanding such a definitive purpose on my part, I hope that you will take care to send a good delegate, because you and I will probably never have another chance of doing so much service to the community in which we live, or to the profession to which we belong, as in securing the best possible selection for judge of the judicial court under a comparatively permanent tenure. "Very Truly, "Yours, &c., S. J. TILDEN." TILDEN TO HON. JOHN GANSON "NEW YORK, _Apl. 22nd, '70_.