"SPRING HOUSE, RICHFIELD SPRINGS, N. Y., _July 11, 1876_. "MY DEAR SIR,--Your kind expressions of me when at your house yesterday have induced me to make a suggestion to you in _confidence_. "If uncommitted on the question, and if you could do no better (of course) as Secretary of the Treasury, I venture to submit that in that important [post] I might be able to command confidence to a large extent where I am known. "With your views as expressed, one word from _you_ at St. Louis would have given me the nomination for the 'second place.' I suppose the place above mentioned is of more importance to the public in a 'reform' point of view than the second place. These things, Govr., are only for your consideration, with neither claims nor representations on my part, only asking that if not approved they will not further be thought of. "When I left St. L., Gen. Preston, of Ky., and other influential friends from other States requested permission to use my name for the V.-P. shd. Govr. H. on any account decline, etc. In much haste, "Your frd. & obt. St., "C. H. MCCORMICK." TILDEN TO S. S. COX "STATE OF NEW YORK, EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, "ALBANY, _July 22, 1876_. "DEAR MR. COX,--Your note of the 15th came several days ago, but I have since that time been so exceptionally occupied that I could not give any attention to my correspondence. "I did, however, immediately direct the messages you desired to be at once sent, and I now will answer your inquiry in respect to the statement of Federal taxation for the year 1870, contained in my last annual message. "The year taken is that which ends on the 30th of June, 1870, being most nearly identical with that in which and for which the census statements are made. "The statement is of taxation and not of expenditures. All the statements in the comparative tables are of taxation. In the long run, unfortunately, the expenditures equal the taxes. At any rate, the comparison is a comparison of taxation. "If you will refer to the first page of the report of the Secretary of the Treasury for December 5, 1870, you will find the receipts for the year ending June 30, 1870, stated as follows: From customs (in gold) $194,538,374 44 " internal revenues 185,128,859 07 " sales of public lands 3,350,481 76 " miscellaneous sources 28,237,762 06 --------------- Total $411,255,477 33 "To reduce the gold revenue from the customs to currency requires the addition of the premium on gold. The gentleman to whom I intrusted that computation made an average which fixed the premium at 24 per cent. That is no doubt considerably below the real premium at the times when the revenues were collected.