The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-19
THE NEW YORK GERRrr SMITH MOVEMENT.

Rldlcule, remonstrance and Intimidation nave
alike failed to drive Mr. Gerrit Smith fromthe State
canvass in New York. Smith and his friends are
what they would call in Mexico Puros--what
called in this county memorable abotionists. They
are really no more 80 than Mr.. Seward Mr.. Weed,
and blr. Gree)eytho latter being political managers
as well as abolitionists Smith is not great man. but
is believed to be honest in his hostility to slavery and
all the institutions which recognise in any way
connected with slavery. He is one of those humane
hunters who believe it to be right to warn all the
game world of their approach and what they intend
to do The Garrison school of abolitoniss really
the least dangerous because they dsclaim all subter
fuge and go right to work to break up the govern
ment. twas natural enough that Greeley and Weed
should desire to get Smith off the course, for they
knew that in point of fact the latter is not
abotionist than the former. But nothing could be
done with Smith. He determined to separate, as he
calls it, the sheep from the goats He says the honest
opponents of slavery have been cheated long enough
He is certainly mistaken in all this, but we have
nothing to do or say about it, There can be no
doubt at all thai Greeley and his party really the
greatest enemies to the federal government, because
they are more wary, cautious and powerful Gree
ley himself is kind of central authority for all the
factions He is looking forward to the day when
they will all fuse and become one great oonglomer
ate party Hence Greeley is willing to sacrifice a
little present influence for the sake Of future dicta
torship. But Mr. Gerrit Smith meanwhile is man
of great wealth. and 49, as we have said an honest
enemy of slavery He is not dangerous, simply be-
cause Just now his immediate party is weak and he
himself avows open hostility against all our insttu-
tons The Weed-Grceley-S Seward party actually
lust as hostile as Smith to the federal constitution
but they are shrcwd enough not to institute grand
assault, but viii cndeavor to take the citadel by
regular approaches.
| This Smith movement, however, is particularly
significant in showing how quickly, after the com
mon enemy lost their Kansas stock in trade the fac
tons dissolved into their original elements That
lying Kansas fraud hooped them all together and SO
long as they could be animated by Mr. Seward and
Mr. Greecy's misrepresentation, there no diff
Guilty in keeping Mr. Gerrit Smith and his friends
within the republican lines.
| We embraced an early occasion to say that the
republican party or faotion that it had discred
tied itself by permitting peace and quiet to reign il
Kansas, would rapidly fall into decay and death
Some Of our cotomporaries, both North and South
suggested that we might be little sanguine and
even went so far as to point to the shaky results O
Iaet years elections in Missouri. We are now quit,
authorized to point to the result of this years cleo
tons in the latter State and the dsbandius
mehis in New York which Indicate the utter disin
tegrstion of the opposition