[_From a Special Correspondent of the "World," July 17, 18--_]
"SEA GIRT, N. J., _July 16_.
"Governor Tilden, as some time ago announced in the _World_, will
sail in the Cunard steamer _Scythia_ Wednesday, and is to be
accompanied by Secretary of State Bigelow. The trip is purely for
recreation, and the travellers will not return until the middle of
October. Mr. Tilden, therefore, will be absent from the country and
State during what is expected to be the interesting fall campaign.
The fact that Mr. Bigelow is to accompany him will perhaps satisfy
the politicians and set at rest the question of his renomination
as Secretary of State. I have learned while here, authoritatively,
that Mr. Bigelow is not and will not be a candidate before the
approaching State convention of New York for a renomination.
"Mr. Tilden is looking remarkably well, and declares himself to
be very much improved in health by his sojourn at this pleasant
resort. He said to me that his trip has no connection whatever with
any business enterprise or railroad scheme, as has been announced
without authority in some of the papers. As to the events which
have happened since the Presidential election and the numerous wild
rumors circulated in reference to his political intentions, Mr.
Tilden talked very freely. In regard to the electoral commission, he
said that he had never had any real confidence in the arbitration of
a question where there was so much at stake by a body of that kind.
That settlement, he said, involved not only the Presidency, but all
the patronage and power of the Federal administration, together with
all the schemes, plans, and jobs connected with it. The Republican
party and the men who had managed it in the past were too anxious to
retain the administration to yield any point in an arbitration. The
result of the electoral commission, therefore, was what might have
been expected considering the power and influence brought to bear
upon the political majority of that body as finally constituted.
He furthermore never liked the scheme as a matter of principle,
believing that the true direction of a Democratic appeal was
not away from 369 representatives of the people towards fifteen
individuals, and still less from fifteen individuals towards one
to be selected necessarily with a large element of chance, not to
say of trick and device. He thought there should rather have been
an appeal from the 369 representatives to the 8,000,000 of voters
through a new election. He was distrustful of the secrecy, celerity,
and improvidence with which the arrangement was carried through
and ushered into being. But the proposition appealed to the hopes
of the business classes, which were anxious above all things for a
settlement of almost any kind, at almost any price, and as it was
presented by the unanimous report of the joint committee, it become
the representative, and the only representative, of the public
desire for peace.
"The events which are now attracting so much public attention in New
Orleans and the disclosures which, perhaps, may follow, Mr. Tilden
seemed to consider only as the logical outcome of the revolutionary
acts of last fall and winter. 'In a government like ours,' he said,
'such fraudulent practices as were reported from New Orleans last
November sooner or later must come to the light, and the guilty
parties with their practices must be made known. It was so with the
ring frauds in New York; it has been the case to a certain extent
in Washington, and a like result will follow in New Orleans. It is
against the natural course of events that deeds of this kind should
ultimately fail of being brought to light in all their enormities.'
All this was said with philosophic calmness and without any heat
whatever.
"In regard to his own political future, Mr. Tilden had nothing to
say except that he could not see any possible contingency which
could induce him to be a candidate for or to seek an election to a
seat in the United States Senate. He felt entirely confident of the
success of the Democratic party this fall in all the large central
States, and especially in New York, by a very large majority,
believing that events were all pointing in that direction. To the
charge that he has been seeking to control the nominations of the
next Democratic State convention of New York, he gave a direct
denial, and added that he thought it unwise to interfere in any way
as between the numerous friends who are seeking position on the
State ticket. His absence abroad during the time for holding the
convention and selecting the delegates would, he said, preclude any
interference on his part. He thought, however, that the drift of
public sentiment was towards a new ticket altogether, with none of
the present incumbents upon it. He hoped that the ticket would be so
made up as to be recognized as thoroughly able, strong, and upright.
He appeared to be specially anxious that the Democracy should secure
a majority in the next State Senate, in order that the evils which
have been brought about by Republican control of that body might be
corrected.