Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-06-16
Greeley's Letter to Gov. Seward.
NEw YoRK. Nov. l1. ls54.

UFccIty'S Ltttef TO GOV. seward.
NEw York, Nov. IL, 1854.
Gov. SEwARD-Dc0r Sir:-The election
is over, and its results sufficiently ascertain
ed. 1t seems to me fitting time to an
nouncc to yom the dissolution of the po-
| litical firm of Seward, Weed 4 Greeley.
by the withdrawal of the junior partner;
said withdrawal to take effect on the
morning after the first Tuesday in Fcbru-
ary next. And as it may seem 81 great
presumption in me to assume that any
! such firm exists, especially since the pub-
lie was advised more than n year ago, by
an editorial in the Evening Journal formal
ly reading me out of the Whig party, that
| was no longer esteemed useful or orna-
| mental in the concern, you will, am snre,
indul ge me in some "reminiscences which
seem to bcft the occnsiou. ] was n poor
young printer-an editor of literary
JOURNAL very active and bitter Wing in
| II sm"ll way. hat not seeking to be known
out of my own Ward Committee, when.
after the great political revulsion of 1897,
was one day called TO the CITY Hotel
where two strangers introduced them
selves as Thurlow Weed and Lewis Bene-
dict, of Albany. They toll me that
cheap campaign paper of Il peculiar stamp
Mt Albany had been resolved on, and
that had been selected to edit It, The
announcement might well he deemed fiat
tcring by one who had never even sought
the notice OF the great, and who was not
known as partisan writer. aud I eagerly
embraced their proposals. They asked me
To fix my salary for the year. ! named
81 900, which they agreed to. and | did
the work required to the best of my nbil-
ty. 1t was work that made no figure and
IRA tp1 No puk 7 - Il
did it well. When it was done. YOU
were Governor, dispensing Offices worth
from $4,000 to 100000 per year to your
friends and cOmpatriots, and returned to
my garret and my crust, and my desper-
ate battle with pccuniary obligations
henpcd upon me hy bad partners in busi-
ness and the disastrous events of 1887. |
believe it did not then occur to me that
some one of these abundant places might
have been offered TO me without injustice.
] now think it should have occurred to
the man TO ask you yt t6HrF IT, me thYas not
should have not been necessary. / only
remember that no friend ut all inquired as
to my pecuni1ry circumstances; that your
friend, but not mine, Robert g. Wctmorc,
was one of the chief dispensers of your
patronage here, and that such devoted
compatriotS as A. II. Wells and John
Hooks were lifted by you ont Of paupcr-
ism into independence, as am glad was
not; and yet an inquiry from you US to my
needs and means ut that time would have
been timely, and held ever in grateful re-
membrance.
In the Harrison campaign of la40, !
was again designated to edit a campaign
paper. published it as well, and ought
to have made something by it, in spite of
its extremely low price. My extreme pow
crty was the main reason why did not
1t compelled me to hire press work, mail
ing, &c, done Ivy the job, and high
charges for extra work nearly ate me up.
At tue close was still without property
aud in debt. But this paper had rather
improved my position.
Now came the great scramble of the swell
mob of coon minstrels and cider suckers ut
! Washing not being countedin. Several
regiments of them that went on from this
| civ. But no one of the whole crowd
| Though I shy it, who should not} had
done so much towards General tlarrison's
nomination and election rs yours respect
| fully. Iaskcd nothing-expected nothing,
But You, Gov. Seward, ought to have
asked TINT might he Postmaster of New
York Your asking would have been in
vain, but it would have been an act OF
grace neither wasted nor uEdescrved.
!
was urged to do s"by certain ofyOurf friends
and because such paper was needed here
| / WAS promised certain pccuniary aid
in so doing. 1t might have been Civ
en- me without cost or risk to any
one All l ever had was loan 10y
piccemcal of 81, 600 from John Coggs'
hall. GOD bless his hnnorcd memory
l did not ask tor this. l think it is the
one sole case in which ever received =
pccuninry fnvor from political associate
am VERY thankful that he did not die til
he was fully repaid And let me here
honor one grateful recollection. WheE
the Whig party, under your rule, had olti
ces to give, my name was never though
of, but when in 1912 and '43 we were hope
lessly out of power, was honored will
the purtv nomination for State Printcr.-
When we came again to have State Prin
ter to elect as we'll as nominate, the plac
went to Weed, as it ought. Yet 1t /
worth something to know that there wa
once time when 1t was not deemed to-
great sacrifice to recognise me as be
longing to your household. II new OF
flee had not since been created on plrpos
to give its valuable patronage to II.
RAYMOND nd enuble St. John to show fort
his Times SIS the organ of the Wing State Ad
miuistrntion, should have been still NOR
grateful. In 1918 your star again ros
and INV wnrmest hopes were realized in you
election to the Senate was no longer need
ed aud had no more claim than desire to b
recognized by Gen. Taylor. think III"
some claim to forbearance from you. Mha
| received thareupon. was most humlllh
ting lecture in the shape OF decision l
the libel case of Redfield & PringIc, nm