The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-08-11

The LlNoOLs ORGAN on FREE LoyE.-A New
FLANK u THE REPUBLICAN PLArroRx.-The pet
metropolitan organ OF Honest Old Abe " has
printed letter, purporting to have been written
by the wife Of John Heary Quincy, well
known English banker, member of the Impe
rial Parliament and the son of Joseph John
Quincy, who came with his sister, Mrs. Eliza
beth Fry, upon philanthropic anti slavery mis-
sion to the United States some thirty years ago,
and was warmly received by the Garrisoua,
Motts, Tappans and others of the same clique,
the predecessors of the Tribune philosophers in
the same line of business. Mrs. Quincy, 1t APP
pears, has eloped from her lawful husband, the
banker before named and taken up with her
groom-whether he is q white or black man
is not distinctly stated; but that does not sig
Nifty Mrs. Quincy has chosen to carly out In a
practical way the peculiar theories of school
of philosophers with which the TRIBUNE has
long been identified, and 1t is quite in accord
ance with the doctrine of the eternal fitness of
things that her defence should appear in that
journal-the organ of the largest liberty in all
matters, social as well as political
The letter itself Ia one of the most extraordi-
nary publications of this most remarkable age.
If it ia authentic, if 1t has really been written
by the proper hands Of Mrs. Gurney-and we
have the Tibmne's statement to the effect that it
is genuine and no proof to the contrary--this
curious document marks new era in the So
cial history of the race and affords marked
example of the inevitable tendency of the doc
trines which the Tribune philosophers have ad
vocated during the last ten or fifteen years.
Commencing with abolitionism the new lights
of Spruce street passed on to Fourrierism, 80
cialism, agrarianism, spiritualism and free-love-
ISM Their avowed platform is free soil, free
farms, free speech, free labor, and free men, of
all colors and conditions. To that compreheu-
sive programme it would appear they purpose
to add entire freedom for women. That is Mrs.
Gurney's platform. Her letter is by far the
cleverest exposition of the doctrines of free
love, as taught by the philosophers of Berlin
Heights and endorsed indirectly by the 7ri-
btne. The fact is that the Gurneys, and all the
rest of the Exeter Hall school of philanthropiss,
are Ell rapport with the abolition party on this
side of the Atlantic and therefore, it was emf.
nently proper that Mrs. Quincy should have BE-
lected Lincoln's organ as the medium whereby
her apology for her escapade might be laid be-
fore sympathizing and an appreciative au.
dience
1t might be as we'll, however, to ask. as the
election of Lincoln is considered by many to
be matter beyond reasonable doubt, whether
or not the Quincy plank is to be definite
ly engrafted into the Chicago platform
Shall we have, in addition to free negroes,
free women? Does the Hon. Maaa Greeley,
when be takes his seat in the Lincoln
Cabinet, intend to lay down the free love doc.
trine as one Of the bases wherein the govern
ment is to be conducted Is Mrs. Gurneys let
ter to be considered as semi official declara-
ton of the principles whereupon the new ad-
ministration is 10 conducted! Its publication at
the present juncture must be consider
ed in the light OF such a declara-
ton, and it will be the duty of the
conservative opposition to use the very extra
ordinary document which the Tribune has
promulgated as weapon against the party
which is endeavoring TO still further excite
the unhappy sectional differences which have
arisen among U.s. The first step anterior to the
reduction OF the republic to social and political
anarchy has already been taken. The ques-
ton now before the country Is: how
much further shall these things go? The Quincy
letter gives some clue to the solution of this
problem. From ii we are able 10 obtain q
better idea Of the TriJlnes notions az to 'free-
dom" than by any other means. The question
is now: how far Hon. kassa Greeley and his
candidate, Old Abe Lincoln, are willing to 90
on the Quincy platform? Let them put them
selves right on this record without further
delay.