"He asked me what position our people meant to assume, and whether they meant to act upon the good-boy principle of submission, or whether we mean to have it understood that Tilden has been elected and by the Eternal he shall be inaugurated? Thinks the latter course advisable; the submission policy he don't much believe in.
"You may rely entirely upon his hearty co-operation. I hope to see you soon, but I fear shall not be able to come down before the 1st of December.
"I don't know whether the Senator will unbosom himself to Kearner, but I know he is all right, and I am correspondingly hopeful and happy as ever.
"Yours truly,
"J. T. Spriggs."
AUGUST BELMONT TO TILDEN
"Private.
"Thursday (Nov. 23, 1876).
"My dear Governor,—I had a long talk with Curtis, and have made it all right. He volunteered the information that he wrote the Sun's article yesterday, but without entering into the discussion of the merits of his argument I told him that all our friends viewed the question differently.
"He will keep quiet, I know, and I hope Barlow has been equally successful with Dana. No pains ought to be spared to get him all right so as to end, as far as he can, the mischief of yesterday's article.
"Curtis is anxious for your success, but he is a vain man, who likes to be made something of. I think some little notice of him by you or your friends in the way of asking his legal advice or other co-operation would secure him completely to your interests and silence his constitutional croaking.