"He, undoubtedly, has counted on the nomination as chief judge; has believed that Allen was for him, and only aimed to be associated with him.
"While I have kept more cautiously free than Kernan and others, I wish to treat Comstock with delicacy and kindness. Indeed, as I look upon my own future, totally void of any conscious desire for the most honorable of official labors, it seems to me I feel more difficulty in wounding—any more than I at last must—those who are capable of fixing strong affections on objects of an elevated ambition.
"I need not say how strong—and stronger than in other cases—is the personal interest I feel in promoting what shall be finally agreed to be best in respect to your future career, or how disposed I should be to give the prevailing weight to your own ideas on that subject.
"While it is not safe to assume the action of a convention, I should think that besides those who will go for you on public grounds and from personal regard, there will be an element which would like to remove you from the field of active politics. I thought, from December to very recently, this was visible in respect to me, and perhaps there may be even greater motive in respect to you in that you were more likely to become a rival to some existing powers.
"Before I had quite finished my note, which lay over from last evening, yours of yesterday came.
"You perhaps interpret it rather more strongly than I intended. I aimed only to suggest the topic, and naturally stated the cons rather than the pros.
"I will endeavor to see you, as you suggest, at Albion, before the convention, unless something happens to make this inadvisable.
"And letter-writing is so insufficient for such topics that I reserve the discussion till then.
"Meantime, consider what is the method of proceeding in nominating the four. Is that to be done singly, or on one ballot?
"In haste,
"Yours truly,
"S. J. Tilden."
"Hon. S. E. Church.