The New York herald., 1862-09-27
/ The Rtxhc OF Secession Maintafued by
\ Horace Greeley.


In yesterdays Tribune, over his own proper
signature, Horace Greeley publisheda letter. in
which he declares in favor of the riehi al
secession, not only IN the case of the rebellious'
States of the Sout.l, but even of the Pacific
States and Territories, should they desire to SET
up new government for themselves. He lays
down this general principle, applicable to
every State in the Union: 'What have taught
and believed and still maintain is the right 0,
a people to form and modify their political in
stitutions without the necessity of fighting for
such change" He denies that county or two or
three counties can lawfully secede from State.
For example, the people of Nantucket coulG -ot
be permitted to secede from Massachusetts, mol
the people Of Long Island or Staten
Island from the State of New York. But
the case is different with a sovereign State, or
even colony which is not sovereign. For
example, he says, 81 believe our Revolutionary
fathers had a right, for reasons which were CO
gent and seemed to them conclusive, to terminate
their connection with Great Britain, and that the
British were wrong in resisting their claim to do
30. And the right which claim for our fathers
and for ourselves l will not deny to Others"
Then he goes on to say that IF the people o.
our Pacific States and Territories shall at some
future time have very generally attained the
conviction that they could do better as an inde
pendent nation than rs a part OF this country,
and should kindly, frankly, firmly express thai
conviction" he would say let the bonds be dis
solved And SO likewise in the case of the
Southern States The following are his Words
Tnis is the doctrine tried promusate in the wnte
Of 1s63-6i-ii seems with i'll success. But still insist
thai II it had been proved that the people o. the say
Statesor OF the ton states aione--had really lie
sired to dissolve the Union, aud had peacefully debe
rateiy and alhortatiyey expressed that wish we shout
have assented to IL. At all events, sh0od. But they
chose another method. The leaders assumed their right
peacefully and sumnariy TO dissolve the Union without
the consent OF their fellow citzensa least their cl
allies their equal copartners Of the free States.
1t is said that an honest confession is good for
the soul Greeley has owned UP at last. Many
a time we charged him with promulg gatins
these doctrines, and quoted extracts from
his journal in vain He either denied the
soft impeachment or was dumb Now, after
contributing in SO vast degree to break up
the Union, he expects forgiveness for his
treason, like the penitent thief on the cross
but his repentance is not sincere Let
him, therefore, like Judas Iscariot, 20 and
hang himself "on sour apple treo," SO as to
save the people the trouble of doing it here
after If the right Of State peacefully to Sc
cede exists the accident of war cannot alter the
right; and if the cotton States had right to
secede on the ground that they had Every gene
rally attained the conviction that they could do
better as an independent nation than as part
of this country" then we had no right to pre-
vent their doing SO by force, and were the
aggressors in making war upon them, whereas
in taking up arms they were only defending a
sacred right. Even in the case of seizing the
forts and other property of the United States
they were only seizing part of the common
property, to which they had as good right as
the free States, '.their equal copartners" Ii
this was all that was the matter, the account
not have been necessary. In fact, the
war, according to tho reasoning of Greeley.
is on our part the most atrocious ever waged
against any people, and even more unjustifsble
than that which Great Britain waged against
these States when they were colonies under her
sovereign sway and threw of her yoke. There
can be no doubt that the people of the States
which have seeded are more unanimous than
we're the colonies at any time during the Revo-
lutionary war.
1t is very evident that Greeley is of the same
opinion now that he was in the winter of lS6O-6l:
that the Union is not an indissoluble govern
ment, but rope of sand; that it may at any
ho .La
that he is in favor of the dissolution if the South
really want to go. This appears more clearly
from an editorial article in yesterdays Tribune,
headed "Inklings of Peace" in which he says
There must be an accommodation (between
the North and the South), and, that fact esta-
bished, it seems to us very easy to settle the
terms" So, then, all the blood that has been
shed, and all the money that has been expcnd-
ed, and all the sorrow and calamity that have
befallen the country, are in vain, and Greeley
is willing to let the South 60, even without the
emancipation of single negro. We submit to
the President whether this article and the let
ter of Greeley to Mr. McChesney do not come
under the prohibition of the last proclamation of
the President, and whether the writer ought
not to be seized by Provost Marshal Kennedy
and sent to Fort Lafayette as "disloyal per-
son." "discouraging volunteer enlistments, and
thus affording aid and comfort to the rebels.n
The CONVENTION OF GOVERNORS ADJOURNED
FROM ALTOONA TO WAsHINGToS.-It appears that
the radical Governors, whose ''secret conclave''
is condemned even by some Of their organs here,
adjourned to meet at Washington, where they
had an interview with Mr.. Lincoln yesterday,
and where they hope to extort from the Presi-
dent, by fair means or foul, by wheedling or
by intimidation, submission to their dicta-
ton IS to what generals shall conduct the war
Being foiled BY Governors Bradford, Curtin
and Tod, In their attempt to carry the preposi-
ton to have Mcclellan removed and Fremont