New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-11-14

can nearly twenty years before there was he'
publican party--before the wrongs which called
TINT party into existence had been perpetrated-
Mr. johnson is certainly welcome to it.
But / did not dwell on the naked fact that Mr.
Johnson had made public the contents of my old
private letter with intent to do me injury. The
delicacy and Qentlemanly character OF that per-
iormance have not supposed to require eluci-
daton. What did urge was substantially this
Suppose Mr.. johnson were intent on doing a
mean thing, in the hope of making party capital,
why should he do it in the meanest possible way
Why not write me saying IL have an old private
letter of yours, by which / think can prove
"you hypocrte and rascal to the detrment
" of the Republican party: have your permls'
" sion TO make it public l"-dOes he doubt that
would have promptly answered, " Print 1t fully
and fairly, and make the most OF 1t :" But
instead of taking this course, he first hands the
letter around privately among his Silver Gray
friends, perhaps in quest Of some one who would
be base enough to volunteer to make the use OF
it he desired; at last, he gave it to his father-ln-
law to use in the canvass and Z" the Hon. L. s.
Sweet" so misrepresented it (while it was still
in his private pocket, unknown to me and with
held from my friends) that The Elnira Gazette
was msled into the following grossly false &C
count of it:
"a" recent Democratic meeting held at the Eagle Hotel
Candor Village Toga County the Hon. f. Sweet produced
letter written by Greeley Southern man. ccn
tanning proposition that he (re rOud ABANDON he adeo'
eaey Of h present extreme Northern principles and adSoeote
Southern doctrnes number Of southern sHbsybers
could be procured for THE T. TRIBUNE al certain
annpn."
Here we see the impression made on the
hearers mind by the statement of "Hon. E. s.
"Sweet." Manifestly, he did not inform his
hearers that the letter he produced" was writ
ten twenty three years agO-lOng before The n.
Y. TRIBUNE was even projected-before ever
had any distinctiyely Republican principles to
" ABANDON"-and that it did not propose to
advocate Southern doctrines" nor any doc
trines whatever whether for "a certain number
" of Southern subscribers" or otherwise In
short, the above paragraph, in which there are
az many untruths as lines, was doubtless penned
in good faith by q nearer Of "HOn. +. 5.
Sweets" account of that old private letter.
But happily, am not confined to differences.
Here is a letter (not a private one) from "Hon.
"E. S. Sweet" sent by him to the Editor of
The Orsgo Times in reply to certain structures
of that paper. The Hon" gentleman writes:
FRIDAY, 0c4. 49, 1860
Rev VIZ snrrH-S,: As you have ct to publish In
your issue Of yesterday only belous article from Oh.
scure sheet called The Ithaca Journal but Of similar i'm
port from anonymous scbber attacking my character IS
man. ask 90 Of simple justice that you publish In your
nsrt paper and the accompanying extracts from letter
written by Greeley Ben Johnson of POnotO Mis's
,up being the CsndoT and at Ithaca and being
the WHOLE contents of said letter relating to the subjects
brsced In said extracts.
Mr. Greeeys original letter my possession ready to be
produced whenever he shal deny Its authenticity.
bsndy no vile epihets with editors their correspondent
whether foreign or domestic believing that all such like fou
birds viii return home root and that personal abuse il only
resorted by Of low and vulgar minds to advance bad
where truth and justice would be fetal their hopes Of
success Yours &c. T. 8. SWEET.
Bpy JoHssoy ssoDsay Sir What say you to epis,le
from edorl Postage paid suppose there be
objection Well then write primarily az you Eil snp
h claiming subscriber. your place but ecCnday
would BE- s have were to send special SCENT
through the State Mississippi Could he get subscribers
% vii be- aayS to wait iii then vii the people your
town object the e Of assure you was Necessary
coed will You viii DO what you think best and take even -
IN advance fot rO9s rather than lose them the price does
they not better satisfied with my letting Abolition alone than
fenderl Enlghten me-"
Here we have Mr.. Sweets unguarded test.
mony that, in reading to his audience from my
private letter in question, he suppressed the date
which reads explicitly thus:
"NHw.YoREER OprIcEl
"NEw.fORK, Dec. -, 1881, !
Was this honest Was it fair to the man
whose private letter he was thus garbling to the
writer's prejudice Was it dealing Justly by the
audience, whom it misled into such gross msap-
prehensiOns as are embodied in The Eimira Ga
sene's paragraph Suppose Mr.. Sweet had
frankly said, Il can prove to you, by reading
from private letter, that Horace Greeley did
" not, twenty three years ago, when editing The
" Nar. YORKER, a literary weekly, regard and OPP
pose Slavery as he does in THE TRIBUNE 10
" 1860" would any one have thought the matter
of any consequence Would not scores have
been mpelled TO say, THAT is quite superfuOus:
We were acquainted with the The Ne,c- Yorker
Z" in its day, and are quite aware that il syste.
" matically refraned from partisan controversy ?"
Only by suppression and distortion, in addition
10 Mr.. Ben. Johnson's betrayal of confidence
was (" the Hon. L. s. Sweet" enabled to make
this revelation even seem to be of moment.
have perhaps given too much Importance TO
this brace of patriots. Mr.. Johnson has fixed
bis own positions and as to " the Hon. Il. S.
Sweet" you See of course that he is villain;
but is he not a despicable villain H. G.
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HERALD versus HERALD.