GEORGE W. SMITH TO GENERAL BARLOW
"Greystone, April 2nd, 1886.
"Dear General Barlow,—The petition sent by you has at last arrived. Mr. Tilden requests me to say that it is a very long paper, and would require much investigation before he could adopt it. The delicate state of his health forbids his undertaking to examine the questions which it raises.
"Even if he should come to the same conclusion which the authors of the paper have reached, Mr. Tilden is in no condition to carry on the controversy which it would involve, and he would be unwilling to initiate, or to become responsible for, a movement to which he could not give the personal attention and effort which could alone conduct it to a useful result.
"Mr. Tilden knows better than anybody else the burden which the proceedings of 1871-2 entailed, and the prolonged efforts and sacrifices through which success was achieved.
"Without them the mere use of a name, or, indeed, of any number of names, would be utterly futile. Mr. Tilden, therefore, does not think it necessary or useful to examine the preliminary questions.
"Very truly yours,
"Geo. W. Smith."
F. B. GOWEN TO TILDEN
"Creisheim, Mount Airy, Philadelphia, April 22, 1886.
"Dear Mr. Tilden,—It is so long since I have had the pleasure of seeing you that I fear you may have forgotten me, unless the newspapers have kept you advised of the struggle I am now making to rescue my old company, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company, from the receivership and syndicate that now environ it.