The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-09-05
The Presidents Reply to Greeley.
From the Cincinnati Commercial, 18th. .,.-,,f. -
- a. " n

The President's Reply to Greeley.
From the Cincinnati Commercial, 18th. .,-,,f. -.-t
The publisher of the New York Tribune
recently addressed letter to the President,
which be designated .the prayer of twenty
Millions" performance that surpassed
that OF the three Bristol tailon, who com.
menced their petition to Parliament with
"We, the people of England" The burden
OF the Prayer, or more properly, lecture, is,
that the President fails to execute the laws.
Greeley demands that he shall not only en-.
force them, but that be shall instruct his
''subordinates that such laws exist, that they
are binding on all functionari@ and citizens,
and that they ought to be obeyed to the
letter." Coming to specifications, he char
ges the President With being "disastrously
remiss" in enforcing the provisions of the
Con6scation Act with being unduly inhu.
enced by certain fossil politicians from the
Border States with treating rebels with
Tenderness" and out of I'm staken Difference
to Rebel Slavery" &c. &c. sr
The insolence ard dictatorial tone of the
letter is as bad as the assumption that it is
the prayer of twenty millions" General
Halleck returned unanswered the official
letters of the rebel General Lee, because of
their insolent and insulting tone. The Presi.
dent would have consulted the wishes of
"twenty Millions, had he treated Greeley 9
letter with the same contempt But, de-
sirous as he is to treat all men generously,
and to harmonic, as far as possible, con-
fictiDg views with the respect to the war
policy of the Administration, the President
replies that, in difference to an old friend, be
overloohs its impatient and dictatorial tone,
it's erroneous assumptions OF facts, and its
differences falsely drawn. II would save
the Union" says the President Il would
save it in the shortest way, under the Con.
stitution. If could SAGE the Union qyitb.
out freeing any sIaves l Sould do 1t, and
If could SAGE 1t by freeing all the slaves l
a1ould do 1t, and If 1 could SAGE it By freeing
some and leaving others alone qoould also
do that. What do about slayery and the
coloTed race 1 do because l beideye 1t helps to
SAGE this Union, and aobat l .to,bear, 1 tors
bear because l do not believe 1t sooald help to
SAFE the Union. / shall do less wheneuer
shall belaece that qobot l am doing hurts the
cause, and l shall do more wheneuer belieue
doing more a0iU help the cause. / shall try
to correct errors srtem shos0n to be errors, and
1 shall adopt ssea0 viea1s so fast as they shall
appear 10 be true vieUs."
That IS "the prayer of twenty millions. "
The Union first, last and forever; the I'm.
ion with or without slavery, but the Union
at all hazards. There is not loyal man
from the Missouri to the Aristook, who
does not breathe that prayer. 1t is for the
Union that thousands have offered their
lives upon the altar of country. 1t is for
the Union that tens OF thousands stand
ready to sacrifice theirs. 1t freeing the
slaves will accomplish it, strike of their
shackles. If it will not, then let them
alone. Slavery is incidental the Union is
paramount.
If Mr.. Greeley is rot satisfied with the
answer of the President, he will soon UNDER
stand that the country is. 1t will be i'm
possible for him to force his peculiar views
upon the country. AS Field Marshal OF
the armies he was sad failure. What bet.
ter assurance have we OF his success as die
ts,or of war policy? Let him propagate
his strawberry plants, and be silent. He
is as much out OF bis element as Lamartine
in the Revolution of '48.
President L1NCoLN's letter to GREELEY
was not sent to GREELEY 10 the hand writ.
ing OF the President, but was rather ai.
dressed to the people of the United States,
and was first printed in the National Intel.
lgemcer, the official organ of the Govern
ment. 1t is followed by these editorial re-
marks:
When the very original idea of addressing
in the columns OF the New York Tribune q
letter to President Lincoln, in the name aud
by the authority of "twenty millions" of
the American people, entered the head of
MIR. Horace Greeley, we suppose be had lit
tie idea that his communication, if ever
reaching the eye of his distinguished cor.
respondent, would receive from that CORES.
poDdent the honor OF response. Still less
could be have expected or wished that that
response should be of nature to give so
much more satisfaction to the twenty mill
lions" of loyal men in whose behalf be as
sumed to speak, than he, their self-elected
organ, is likely to End in it. We hope,
however, that when Greeley has duly pom
dered the pitby sentences of the Presidents
letter be will be able to rejoin, if he propo
ses to continue the correspondence" in a
spirit which shall be slightly less arrogant,
dictatoria, and acrimonious. "Twenty mill
lions" of bis countrymen have right to
claim this at his hands, in Difference to the
high Office whose incumbent be ventures to
arraign before the bar Of public opinion in
their name.
THE WAR IN KENTUCKY.