"SILVER SPRING, _10 Aug., '68_.
"MY DEAR TILDEN,--Your Milwaukee speech has done me much good--a
thing not to be thought of if it were not that this good done to one
obscure individual extends to the whole country, when everybody is
alike advantaged as I am. Your exposure of the terrible cost the whole
nation is put to in maintaining an army to hold one portion of it in
subjection makes it plain that the entire commonwealth is subjected.
That section of ours which bears the tax (more than England and France
both bear to enslave two empires), to keep the South under the foot of
our quondam slaves, certainly gets less for its money, although laid
out in producing a very thorough despotism, than the imperial dynasties
abroad. You have made a capital demonstration of the enormity of the
flight into tyranny which our Radicals have made in a short time, from
the vantage-ground they obtained in the war over our free govt. The
North sells itself into debt and slavery to enslave the South.
"But I owe you something more than the commonalty for your speech--your
making my son a great man, giving him the heirship of Old Hickory's
glory, although I know it is far beyond his reach, fills me with
delight. You put a brilliant rainbow before my eyes, and tell me there
is a pot of gold where it stands on the earth. The vision pleases,
however, sensible that no effort will find its footing on the ground.
Yet I hope Frank's aspirations will not all prove delusions to him
or his father. He has all Old Hickory's devotion to his country, and
he has the courage to attempt its redemption from the hands of the
banditti that has for the time seized on all its wealth and all the
defences of its liberties, and I have faith in a providence to overrule
it, so that my young stripling who is put forward in the battle against
the Philistines may do some execution with his sling.
"I beg you write me a line to say what promise you bring from the West.
I have some influence with Bennett. If you think well of it I will
write to him and urge him to open his columns to us. I think if Frank
made well-considered speeches Bennett would _Herald_ them.
"Yours afft.,
"F. P. BLAIR."
"MY DEAR TILDEN,--My father wished me to mail this for him. I agree
in what he says about your Milwaukee speech. It was unanswerable in
argument as to Frank's coming East. I am glad he has declined doing
so. His letter to that effect came yesterday, saying he did so because
you had advised him to confine himself to the West. He has made no
speeches, except some off-hand efforts at receptions, etc., etc.
"Y'rs truly,
"M. BLAIR."
"WASHN., _Aug. 15, '68_."