TILDEN TO DANIEL MANNING
"Greystone, Yonkers, N. Y., June 9, 1885.
"Dear Mr. Manning,—I am sorry to hear that the President has been unwell. Having invoked Mrs. Manning's influence in favor, in your case, of a reform of the excessive and destructive sway of the 'interview' evil, I regret that there is no Mrs. Cleveland to co-operate in this reform in the case of the President. He starts with an admirable constitution, but there is a limit to what even he can endure.
"Paper recommendations are a poor reliance at best. A regular trial on a paper basis, of fourth-class postmasters, is beyond the strength of any one man.
"It is necessary that the appointing power should find out friends in every locality, who can be trusted to give accurate information and conscientious advice, and put the responsibility on them, and then accept their judgment.
"It is a mistake to suppose that the party leaders are not capable of being extremely useful as means of intelligence. A party is a living being, having all the organs of eyes, ears, and feeling. No man can rise to leadership without having some qualities of value. The appointing power should not be governed absolutely by local leaders; but should hear them in important cases, cross-examine them, derive all the benefits they are capable of rendering, and not be ambitious of displaying a disregard of them. Distrust of one's friends will generally result in misplaced confidence in inferior persons or in ill-advised action.
"The importance of the little postmasters is very great. In many of the purely rural districts there is one to every hundred voters. They are centres of political activity. They act as agents and canvassers for the newspapers of their party, and as local organizers.
"The immense power of this influence is now wholly on the side of the Republicans. To allow this state of things to continue is infidelity to the principles and cause of the administration. The wrong should be gradually corrected.
"I send herewith some extracts from the letters of Mr. Jefferson, both because the view taken by him is sound, and because he had a felicitous mode of statement, which is a good example to his successors when they have occasion to discuss the same subject.
Very truly yours."