CHARLES O'CONOR TO S. J. TILDEN
"City of New York, Station M, Aug. 12th, 1875.
"Dear Sir,—So the anti-peculation campaign is fairly opened. It can eventuate on one way only. No such controversy ever ended in favor of the swindlers.
"But you want some documents. A big one is being prepared by a sub-editor here. He asks me for some facts. More than I can give him. Will you make some of your troops get for me:
"1. Copy of the minutes of the proceedings of a little extemporaneous bar meeting in Albany, held during the Tweed hab. corp. argt. G. T. —— in the chair. D. D. Field moved. I never saw them. I think they must be in the Argus. Let us have name and date of the paper. It relates to a new form of obsequious reverence for appeal judges.
"2. The letter of Allen J., just previous to your nomination, offering to withdraw, if every one else would, in favor of his cousin Church. Name and date of paper.
"I want you to give me the pedigree or connecting link by which Allen's cousinship to Church appears. Mistakes will occur unless men are careful. If you don't know the connecting link, how can it be relied upon? Don't you know the principal fact?
"In looking into the history of the men, I am most at a loss to account for Grover's fall. I have a theory, but it is not as clear and satisfactory as the known facts in respect to all others.
"Your speeches make the welkin ring. Why did you not touch them up at Rochester? Is there a strong peculation clique there? 'Begad, I begin soospec,' as the Frenchman said when he caught a man in bed with his wife.
"I wish very much I could have a little chat with you, but I suppose it is impossible.
"I want a short, succinct statement of the canal frauds detected by the recent committee. I don't know how to draw it myself. I mean what I say, a 'short and succinct' thing.
"The anti-peculation document in contemplation will go hopping along on one leg if there be not a better short presentment of the canal detection than any one here knows how to write.
"Y'rs truly,
"Ch. O'Conor."
"P. S.—Answer as quickly as you can."
On the 9th of August, 1875, E. Delafield Smith was removed from the office of counsel to the corporation on charges formulated by Charles O'Conor, the sufficiency of which was approved by Governor Tilden in a letter which follows. On the same day the late William C. Whitney was appointed to the office vacated by Mr. Smith. Mr. Whitney, at the time of his appointment, was but thirty-six years of age.