White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1860-07-05
Greeley's Letter to Seward-Interest-
ing Political Revelations.

New York, June Is.
The subjoined is Mr.. Greclcy's letter tC
Mr.. Seward:
New York, Saturday, Nov. IL, 1854.
Gov. SEWARD-Dear Sir The cleo.
ton is over, and its results sufficiently
ascertained. 1t seems to me fitting time
to announce to you the dissolution Of the
political firm of Seward, Weed & Gree.
ley, by the withdrawal of the Junior part.
ner, said Withdrawal to take effect on the
morning after the first Thursday in Feb
ruary next and as it may seem great
presumption in me to assume that any
such firm exists, especially since the pub
lie was advised, more than a year ago,
by an editorial in the Evening Journal,
formally reading me out of the Wing
party, that l was no longer esteemed use
ful or ornamental in the concern, you
will, am sure, indulge me in some re-
miniscences, which seem 10 befit the &C.
casiOn.
1 was poor young printer and editor
of a literary journal. a very active and
bitter Wing in small way, but not seek
ing to be known out of my own ward
committee, when after the great political
revulsion of 1887. 1 was one day called
to the City Hotel, where two strangers
introduced themselves as Thurlow Weed
and Lewis Benedict, of Albany. They
told me that a sharp campaign paper Of
a peculiar stamp, at Albany. had been re-
solved upon, and that had been selected
to edit it. The announcement might well
be deemed hattering by one who had
never even sought the notice Of the great,
and was not known as a partizan writer,
and l eagerly embraced their proposals.
They asked me to fix my salary for a
year. l named $1,000, which they
agreed to, and 1 did the work required
to the best of my ability. 1t was work
that made no figure, and created no SEN
sation, but l loved it, and did it well.
When it was done, you were Governor,
dispensing Offices worth from $4,000 to
$780, per year, to your friends and
compatriots, and returned to my garnet
and my crust, and my desperate battle
with the pecuniary obligations heaped up
on me by bad partners in business and the
disastrous events of 1887. / believe that
it did not then occur to me that some one
of these abundant places might have been
offered to me without injustice. now
think that it should have occurred to you.
If it did occur to me, l was not tho man
to ask you for it. / think that should not
have been necessary. 1 only remember
that no friend at all inquired as to my Pc
cuniary circumstances that your friend,
but not mine, Robt. G. Wetmore, was one
Of the chief dispensers of your patronage
here, and that such devoted compatriots
as A. H. Wells and John Hooks were lift
ed by you out of pauperism into indepen-
dence, as am glad was not; and yet
an inquiry from you as to my needs and
means at that time would have been time
", and held ever in grateful remem-
brance.
In the Harrison campaign OF 1910, i
was again designated to edit q campaign
paper. published it as well. and ought to
have made something BY it in spite of its
extremely low price. My extreme pow
erty was the main reason why l did not.
1t compelled me to hire press work, mail
ing &C., done by the job. and high char
ges for extra work nearly ate me up. At
the close was still without property, and
in debt, but this paper had rather improv-
ed my position. Now came the great
scrabble Of the swell mob. of coons min
strals and cider.suckers at Washington, l
not being counted in. Several regiments
of them went on from this city, but not
one of the whole crowd (though / say it,
had done so much towards Gen. Hsrrison's
nominstian and election as yours respect
fully. / reesived nothing. expected moth
ing. but you. Gov. Seward. ought to have
asked that / might be Postmaster Of New