er-pressed by exaggerated fears;" and that "no information is here
which could justify an abandonment of the Constitution and practice of
the government, and of the rights of the two Houses and of the
people." To his friends who urged that time pressed, he exclaimed:
"There is time enough. It is a month before the count."
Representations of the danger of a collision with the Executive met
his scorn. "It is a panic of pacificators," he said. "Why surrender
before the battle for fear of having to surrender after the
battle?"[1539]

[Footnote 1537: Manton Marble to the New York _Sun_, August 5, 1878.]

[Footnote 1538: Bigelow, _Life of Tilden_, Vol. 2, p. 76.]

[Footnote 1539: _Ibid._, pp. 76, 79, 80.]

In view of his resentment of the secrecy which characterised the
preparation of the Electoral Commission Bill, one wonders that Tilden
made no appeal directly to the people, demanding that his party stand
firm to "the settled practice" and allow Republicans peaceably to
inaugurate Hayes "by usurpation" rather than "relieve them by some
agreement." His telegrams to congressmen could not be published, and
few if any one knew him as the author of the discussion in Robinson's
inaugural. The _Times_ thought "the old Governor's hand is to be seen
in the new Governor's message,"[1540] but the _Nation_ expressed doubt
about it.[1541] A ringing proclamation over his own signature, however,
would have been known before sunset to every Democratic voter in the
land. Blaine told Bigelow a year or two later that if the Democrats
had been firm, the Republicans would have backed down.[1542] Tilden's
silence certainly dampened his party's enthusiasm. It recalled, too,
his failure to assail the Tweed ring until the _Times'_ disclosure
made its destruction inevitable.

[Footnote 1540: New York _Times_, January 2, 1877.]

[Footnote 1541: January 4.]

[Footnote 1542: Bigelow, _Life of Tilden_, Vol. 2, p. 74, note.]

Bigelow, reflecting Tilden's thought, charged that in accepting the
plan of an Electoral Commission Thurman and Bayard were influenced by
presidential ambition, and that prominent congressmen could not regard
with satisfaction the triumph of a candidate who had been in nowise
indebted to them for his nomination or success at the polls.[1543] On
the other hand, Blaine says the Democrats favoured the Commission
because Davis, who affiliated with the Democratic party and had
preferred Tilden to Hayes, was to be chosen for the