"Very truly yours,
"S. J. Tilden."
TILDEN TO HON. GEORGE BANCROFT
"Greystone, Feb. 12, 1886.
"Dear Mr. Bancroft,—I have received a copy of your Plea for the Constitution of the United States, which the publishers sent to me at your request.
"I note your strong impression of your sense of the importance of the theme, when you say you 'have thought it right to bestow upon it many of the few hours that may remain to you for labor.'
"To the eyes of your countrymen, those hours grow more valuable as they become fewer.
"As an argument your Plea is overwhelming.
"Indeed, until new lights recently dawned upon the court, and upon some others, in all our national history it had been universally considered as axiomatic that Congress had no constitutional power to make anything but gold and silver a legal-tender. That conclusion was always assumed when the subject was incidentally alluded to. Forty years ago, in a speech in the constitutional convention of the State of New York on the subject of Currency and Banking (Tilden's Public Writings and Speeches, Vol. I., p. 222), I recognized the disability of any government in this country, State or Federal, to make a legal-tender of anything but gold and silver.
"In all the literature of political economy, of currency and banking, this postulate was taken for granted.
"It is a long time since I have had the pleasure of seeing you or Mrs. Bancroft. I was gratified at the account of you, which I received from my nieces who recently visited Washington. I hear that you have lit up your household by the sunshine of a young lady of your kindred.