FRANK McCOPPIN TO S. J. TILDEN
"The Pacific Club, San Francisco, June 9, 1885.
"Dear Sir,—The Chinese question has again disturbed the people, or some of them, upon this coast; but this time it came to us in a new form, as the printed matter enclosed will explain.
"At one time the President intended to appoint a Californian Minister to China (he offered it to Mr. S. M. Wilson of this city), but changed his mind later; hence the present disturbance.
"In this so-called interview I mention the names of all the members of the cabinet save one, and that one I do not admire. A very witty friend of mine, the late John B. Fetton, once said, in regard to very old case cited by opposite counsel, that it was like ox-tail soup—it came from too far back. And so it appears to be with Mr. Secretary, judging by his late performance in Kansas; he comes from too far back. You will, I hope, pardon me for addressing you in this apparently flippant manner; but, though new to you as a correspondent, I am a very old friend of yours, and served on the national committee (Democratic) from 1872 until 1879, when I resigned in consequence of having to go to the Sandwich Islands. Therefore, I served through the campaign of 1876, when this State was lost to us, and the Presidency to you, by a stupendous fraud committed in this city.
"Mrs. McCoppin is a New-Yorker, was a Van Ness, and a niece of the late Mrs. Roosevelt, 836 Broadway.
"Before leaving Washington, I wrote Mr. Manning, who, I suppose, will pay no heed to me, pointing to the fact that our Southern friends in California are pressing forward, to the exclusion of all other classes, for all the Federal patronage upon this coast. In this city we have 51,000 registered voters, 2400 of whom are from the South; and yet the 2400 want all the offices, and I suppose they will get them.
"The Gwin clique alone have more than enough to fill every place.
Very respectfully yours,
"Frank McCoppin."