"GREYSTONE, _April 2nd, 1886_.
"DEAR GENERAL BARLOW,--The petition sent by you has at last
arrived. Mr. Tilden requests me to say that it is a very long paper,
and would require much investigation before he could adopt it. The
delicate state of his health forbids his undertaking to examine the
questions which it raises.
"Even if he should come to the same conclusion which the authors of
the paper have reached, Mr. Tilden is in no condition to carry on
the controversy which it would involve, and he would be unwilling to
initiate, or to become responsible for, a movement to which he could
not give the personal attention and effort which could alone conduct
it to a useful result.
"Mr. Tilden knows better than anybody else the burden which the
proceedings of 1871-2 entailed, and the prolonged efforts and
sacrifices through which success was achieved.
"Without them the mere use of a name, or, indeed, of any number of
names, would be utterly futile. Mr. Tilden, therefore, does not
think it necessary or useful to examine the preliminary questions.
"Very truly yours,
"GEO. W. SMITH."