"_March 9, 1881._
"HON. S. J. TILDEN.
"DEAR SIR,--In reading this article in the _Herald_, I
feel with greater force the duty you owe to yourself, and to all,
to gather your materials to fix your place in the history of the
country. I once spoke to you of this, and you said you would recur
to it.
"If you had filled an administration, the records of it would have
marked your influence on the progress of the country, but you did
not.
"You must gather them, under your own supervision, collect, select,
and arrange them, and give the general outline of your positions and
purposes yourself.
"It is what the French call, '_Memoirs pour Servir_.' There are many
passages where autobiographical sketches will be very valuable.
"You run this great risk of the future: that, while in one light
your action after the election may be regarded as in the highest
sense patriotic, in the other it may be said that your failure to be
President was because of something you lacked.
"It depends upon who your biographer may be. He must be well
supplied with all materials, on your arrangement, and informed with
your ideas.
"The time that you may devote to this, will it not be the best use
you can make of it?
"Yours very truly,
"WM. R. MARTIN."