"_July, 1868._
"GENTLEMEN,--Regretting that I cannot personally attend the celebration
of the Fourth of July by the Tammany Society, to which you have invited
me, I nevertheless concur most cordially in the patriotic sentiments so
eloquently expressed in the address of the sachems.
"Your venerable society may well felicitate itself upon its political
retrospect. It did everything in its power to avert civil strife
by a policy which was represented as too conciliatory by those who
did not comprehend the danger. When the conflict of arms came it
cordially maintained the nationality of our people in a confederated
republic, which Jefferson and Madison and Jackson always held to be
incapable of being dissolved except by a revolutionary destruction of
the Constitution. And now that peace has once more happily returned,
it claims that constitutional rights shall be restored throughout our
whole country; that every State shall be replaced in its constitutional
orbit; that we shall once more present to the world a continental
system of States, bound together by a constitutional union--founded on
the twin principles of local self-government and industrial liberty,
and sustained by the voluntary action of a people among whom government
is everywhere carried on by the consent of the governed.
"Alas! that this benign work of peace should be more difficult than the
fierce struggle of war. But so it is.
"Multitudes of our fellow-citizens are so infatuated with fear of the
danger of disunion, which has now passed, that they create a danger of
centralism fatal to all liberty--to all constitutional government--and
at last by inevitable reaction to the Union itself.
"Instead of restoring the system of our fathers, the purpose to do
which alone consecrated our cause against secession as righteous, they
would erect upon this fair continent eleven Polands, eleven Hungaries,
eleven Irelands!
"And the same principles of despotism which they would apply to our
recent enemies they freely extend to the whole Northern people.
"I say the principles of despotism. For _centralism_ is _despotism_.
Was centralism ever before so rampant as now? The distinguishing
characteristic of the controlling element of the so-called Republican
party which now sways the two Houses of Congress is a total disregard
of all limitations of power established by our written Constitution; an
overwhelming contempt for all fundamental law, whether State or Federal.
"No right of localities or of individuals is deemed sacred.
"The principles which underlie our whole political system are not
respected; they do not seem to be even comprehended.
"The present Congress and the advanced Republican party are a rule
unto themselves. Their own opinion of what it is convenient or
expedient they should do, is the only limitation of power which they
acknowledge; and it is their opinion that they should do pretty much
everything, in all places and with respect to everybody.
"Of course, such a false system of political philosophy does now, as it
has in all ages, immediately degenerate into selfish rapacity. Congress
is mainly occupied in putting new manacles on the trade and industry of
the country; and the more respectable representatives of the prevalent
political ideas are voting money out of everybody's pockets into their
own.
"In this condition of things nothing but the principles of the
Democratic party, as maintained by Jefferson and Jackson, can save the
country. There is no organized agency which can give effects to these
principles except the Democratic party, with such alliances as it may
form in the cause of liberal government.
"From the day of the accession of President Johnson I have felt renewed
confidence that the American people would not only maintain our
national unity, but would reconstruct our political institutions on
their ancient foundations.
"The political ideas of Jefferson and Jackson in which President
Johnson was educated, and which have become incarnated in his very
nature--the character of the work he was providentially called to
undertake in bringing back into our system the people of eleven States
lately in revolt, which he could only do by addressing the intellects
and sentiments of that people--were guarantees that he would recur to
the original fountains of our American principles of government.
"As for us, we could not but accept what we had sought when we
endeavored to elect McClellan: first, the re-establishment of national
unity; secondly, the starting the restored government in its new career
upon its original and true principles.
"The situation controls. Not the plans or wishes of individuals.
"In my judgment, neither President nor the Democratic party could stop
what events so clearly commanded.
"Last year, at your Fourth-of-July celebration, I promised him in your
name, in the name of the Democratic party, and of your acclamations, a
liberal co-operation in the great work; and afterwards repeated that
assurance in person.
"The time has now come when all parties who favor President Johnson's
plan of pacification must act with reference to the election of the
next Congress.
"President Johnson will now be under the necessity of appealing to the
whole body of the people, accepting all who come to him on the issue he
has made, and separating from all who go against him on that issue.
"If he should attempt the narrow and futile scheme, urged upon him by
those who are neither his friends nor the friends of his cause--of
carrying out his policy through the exclusive agency of the Republican
party, in case he can capture it and convert it to his purposes--he
will find his machine turned against him in the hour of his need. He
will find himself, like the unfortunate object of Turkish jealousy,
tied up in a bag, to be silently strangled. I do not doubt that he
will act on the larger policy which would have governed Andrew Jackson
or Henry Clay under like circumstances. He will cast himself upon the
whole body of our people, leaving parties and organizations to take
care of themselves. He will be triumphantly sustained.
"The Democratic party should pursue a liberal policy in all its
action, and accept as brethren all who stand with it on the present
issue. It is too powerful to be jealous. It has too great a motive in
the restoration of its own traditional principles of government to
an ascendency in the councils of the country, which they made great,
prosperous, and happy, to think of anything less grand or less noble.
"With much respect, I remain, gentlemen,
"Y'rs truly,
"S. J. TILDEN."