"_April, 1848._
At the threshold of the Free-soil revolt of 1848, ex-President Van
Buren, who was spending the winter in lodgings at Julian's Hotel in
Washington Place, New York, said one day to Mr. Tilden, as he handed
him a roll of manuscript: "If you wish to be immortal, take this home
with you, complete it, revise it, put it into proper shape, and give it
to the public."
Mr. Tilden replied that he had not the slightest wish to be immortal
by any process that would impose upon him at that time any more labor;
but he consented to take the manuscript down to the residence of the
ex-President's son, John Van Buren, who then resided in White Street,
and he agreed that if John would do half of the work he would do the
other half. John did agree, and a few days after the interview referred
to, Tilden and John met at the ex-President's lodgings to report.
Mr. Van Buren opened the subject by asking what they had done with
Niagara Falls. This referred to a somewhat ambiguous metaphor which had
found its way into the ex-President's manuscript. "We have struck that
out," was the reply. He laughed, as if rather relieved at having an
unpleasant duty discharged by other hands, while they went on to read
the result of their joint labors.
After the address had received the combined approval of each party to
its composition, the next question was how to get it before the public.
After discussing various plans, they finally decided to issue it as
an address of the Democratic members of the Legislature. Accordingly,
on the 12th of April, Senator John G. Floyd, from the committee of
Democratic members of the Legislature to prepare and report an address,
read the paper to his colleagues, by whom it was unanimously adopted.
This memorable and epochal document was given at length in the _Public
Writings and Speeches of Tilden_, Vol. II., page 537. This address
deserves to be regarded as the corner-stone of the "Free-soil" party,
as distinguished from the party of unconditional abolition.