The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-08-01
AnHonest Confession.

The next best thing to avoid COM
hitting crime, is frank confession of
it, and an honest determination to atone
for it. We are glad to see that this is
the position of the New York Tribune.
The fatal termination of the ITibxne's
Coward to Richmond" rallying cry,
and the storm of indignation it has
brought down upon its head from the
whole press and people of the North,
has walked up Mr.. Greedy to the dan
ger, if not the criminality, of the malig-
nant and systematic efforts of his pa
per to undermine the public confidence
in the ability and integrity of Gen.
Scott and the Administration. We
prefer to believe that il is conviction
of the wickedness of its course, rather
than the effect upon the interests of
himself and his paper, that has led Mr..
Greeley to pledge himself to abandon
absolutely and forever its criminal poll
cy in relation to the management of the
war.
But we care not to inquire into the
causes which have prompted him to
promise radical change in the future.
1t is enough for us and the public to
know, thathe seems at last to have been
aroused to truer sense of his duty to
the Government than that he has ex-
hibited since the war began. The Zri-
6ane, of Thursday morning contains an
article over Mr.. Greeley's own name,
in which he virtually confesses that
the course of the paper hitherto, has
been injurious in criticising, in the tenn
per it has done, the management of the
war and the conduct of Gen. Scott,
when he declares that:
Henceforth, l bar all criticisms in
these columns on army movements,
past or future. Correspondents and
reporters may state facts, but must for
bear comments.
"Henceforth, it shall be the Iri6une's
sole vocation to arouse and animate
the American people for the terrible
ordeal which has befallen them. The
Great Republic imminently needs the
utmost exerticns of every loyal heart
and hand. We have tried to serve her
by exposing breakers ahead and around
her; henceforth, be it ours to strength
en-, in all possible ways, the hands of
those whose unenviable duty it is to
pilot her through them. If more good
is thus to be done, let us not repine
that some truth must be withheld for a
calmer moment, and for less tr".'ts''7=7t
ears"
This is patriotic and manly, and if
the course indicated shall be faithfully
adhered to in the future, it will do some
thing to retrieve the waning reputation
of the Tribune, and to restore that con-
fidence in its integrity and sincerity
which the mischievous character of its
"criticisms" has done so much to des-
troy. 1t may contribute something to
this end to say that Mr.. Greeley dis
claims, in the article from which we
have quoted, being the author of the
watchword "Forward to Richmond"
and also the article demanding the re-
moval of the Cabinet, upon which we
commentedin Wednesdays Advertiser.
He even declares that he did not in
tend to have the article published, and
that it only appeared through a misap-
preheusion. Mr.. Greeley should have
the full benefit of this disclaimer,
whether the Tribune itself does or not.
1t may be further due to Mr.. Greeley
to say that he also denies being in the
slightest degree influenced in his at
tacks upon the Administration by feel.
ings of disappointment for favors
asked and denied, as he not only did
not apply for an Office, but absolutely
refused to do so. In all our structures
upon the Tribune, we have made no
personal attack upon Mr.. Greeley, but
have confined them exclusively to the
paper, and are now willing to believe
that the venom it has displayed has
been mainly infused into its columns
by Mr.. Dana. Let the odium rest
where it belongs.-Det ado.