New-York daily tribune., 1859-12-21
Reply.
Nor York, Dec. 20, 1889.

My DEAR SIR: / should very eheerfu1y accep.
your challenge, were it not clogged by condition
at once onerous aud unreasonable Your Speech
at the Academy was not fully reported in THE
TRIBUNE, simply because our space is limited, and
the speeches at the Union Meeting would of them
selves have engrOssed every square inch Of yester
days ISSUE excluding the sayings in Congress, our
Foreign Correspondence City and General News.
do not think the great mass Of our readers would
have been willing to forego all knowledge of what
had transpired during the preceding day at Wash
ington and elsewhere, even for the pleasure of
perusing rerJatim reports of the Speeches at the
Academy Of Music. Free discussion is most
precious, even though confined to one section of
the Union and the journals Of one party; but the
impdssiblity of printing in one Journal everything
that everybody may say ON this or that side of all
public questions, must be manifest to every con-
siderate mind.
could not yesterday print your speech in full
without crOwding out matter which seemed to me
of more general interest; and the reason holds good
to-day. 1t has already been published in full in
several journals and read, doubtless by nearly all
who are anxious to know precisely how you stand
on the question of the day. To print it day
after the fair would be waste of columns which
cannot afford But / read it over in printed slip
furnished me by some obliging cotempOrary little
before you delivered it, and was pleased to find it
bountiluIy interlarded-of course not by yOuHwitl
"Cheers," Applause" "Sensation, " Iremend-
ous cheering" etc. l was glad to find you sue
ceeded in pleasing the Union-savers so perfectly,
even though in anticipation only. Your simple
presence at their meeting was worth something to
them in view of your history and past associations,
and trust you were received by them with all the
honOn.
But, Gov Hunt, though have not room for your
entire speech, viii quote from the copy you have
sent me the paragraph which you seem to think
misrepresented, while think did not 1t is this:
Mr. President in all the sectional collisions which
lave disturbed the country my voice has been on the
side of moderation. Cheers. have never sympa-
thized with factious agitaors in the North nor with
Diauniopists in the South. Always maintaining the
lust rights of my own section, / have been equally
ready TO respect the rights and the feelings OF the
other. When differences have arisen, from whatever
cause Ihave contended for their adjustment in friendly
spirit on principles consls ent with the rights and the
honor Of both sections" lApplauee.l
AS to which, l viii here and now merely assert
that, during the years of your service as Wing
Member of Congress, while the Wilmot Proyiso
and other forms of Northern resistance to the Ex-
tension OF Slavery were successfully proposed and
voted on, your vote was uniformly cast on the side
of Slavery Restriction, in common with the votes
of the great mass of the Wing Representatives of
Free States. j am very sure l cannot be mistaken
on this point. / voted this way myself at least a
dozen times during the single Session when | also
was Member, and ! am quite confident that your
vote was cast with mine every division respect
ing Slavery during that Session. Nor did under
stand either then or previously, nor till after you
had been chosen successfully Controller and Gov
eTnor by the votes of those who thought and felt
did, that your convictions and feelings with regard
to Slavery and its Extension differed essentially
from ours. If you dispute this, stand ready to
produce the documents: if not, do not know that
there is any present controversy between US. And
if YOU do not dispute it, then / submit thss youl
boast to the aBplauding Union-savers that, during
our past collisions with the Ohgarchy, yOn "neyel
! sympathized with factious sgitatOrs in The
9. North" conveyed an insult to and stigma uPoT
the friends YOU have seen ht to desert unwarranteC
| either by GOOD taste or by truth. That is all q
present from Yours,
T,,Coy w Hryr. HORACE GREELEY
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