The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-02-08

freedom TO the slave. Surely nine nunurou
thousand white men, with 10000 negroes and
the armies already In the field, will be enough
to crush tho rebellion and restore the Union.
Why should Greeley hang his harp upon tho
willows and give way to such dismal despair !
Lot him cheer up. The country is safe
"H. g." Sinking the Responsibility.
Whenever Horace Greeley has anything to
say which he deems specially important he
writes letter to somebody. in large editorial
type, over his initials, "H G." Mr.. Doolittie,
in the United States Senate, having day or
two ago said something against him which made
''the CALLED jade VINCE" "H. G." PUSHES into the
arena, steel pen in hand, and charges furiously
upon the Senator from Wisconsin, while at tho
same time he dexterously sndeavors to parry bis
mortal thrusts. Senator Doolittle accuses tho
Tribune Of aiding and abetting secession from
first to last "H. G." replies in letter OF two
columns-to which he gives the type and the
place usually assigned to the leading article.
but carefully avoids the issue made by bis op-
ponent He seeks to shift the onus from his
own shoulders and the shoulders Of the repub.
lican party and to throw it upon the democracy;
but he utterly fails in the attempt. The respon-
sibility sticks to him like leech, and he can no
more relieve himself Of the load than Sinbad
could shake of the Old Man Of tho Mountain.
Greeley holds that "the one vital animating
cause of this rebellion is slavery" and that,
therefore, the democratic party, who have al
ways sustained the Southern States in their
right to retain their domestic institution as long
as they thought ct, are chargeable with COM
plicity In the rebellion. This argument would
also prove that Thomas Jefferson, George
Washington, James Madison, John Jay, Alex
ander Hamilton, and all the members Of the
convention who drew up the constitution, the
Congress which adopted it and the States which
ratified it, including those Of New England,
were traitors and conspirators against the
government, and that, in fact, the constitution
itself is highly reasonable document. Indeed,
Wendell Phillips, the Coryph@us of the politi-
cal school to which Greeley belongs, main tains
this position In 20 many words. But negro
slavery is not the cause of the rebellion It
might Is we'll be said to have been the cause of
tho Revolution in which the oolonists threw
off the British yoke; for 1t then existed in every
colony, not excepting Massachusetts,, and
1t has been an American institution
for over two hundred years. From the
period Of the adoption Of the constitu-
ton in 1887 till the present time negro
slavery has continued to exist as State
institution; and II that is the cause Of the rebel
lion why did not the medicine operate long
before IF 1t is the political poison which Ii
the source Of all OUT woes, it must be admitted
that it IL of the slowest kind known to man.
But it is not slavery-itis antislavery-whioh is
the cause Of our misfortunes. About thirty
years ago political sect started In New England
with the determination to abolish slavery in
every State or break up the Union, as "a cove
nant with death and an agreement with He'll"
It succeeded at last, with the aid Of the Tribune
and other abolition presses, In effecting q dis
ruptlon Of the Union; but II has failed to put On
end to slavery. II has worked upon the slave
holders Of the South with such influences AZ to
drive them into rebellion In self-defence. They
have madly taken up the sword to protect their
menaced institution, instead of trusting to the
good faith of the democratic and conservative
elements of the North, which would
have crushed to powder any serious attempt to
meddle with the domestic institutions of the
Southern States had those States continued in
the Union, and not resorted to the desperate re-
medy of taking the .war into their own hands
Thus the antlslavery crusade in which Gree
ley has played so conspicuous part il the
primary cause Of the rebellion, and till the sect
are crushed, root and branch, the country can
know neither peace nor union.
Again, Greeley holds that the democratic
party is responsible for the failure heretofore
Of the war for the Union, because 1t has refused
to cooperate heartily with the administration.
Never was such an unjust accusation. Never,
foreign or domestic, did an opposition party so
lay aside its prejudices and give so hearty
support to the government. Twothirds Of the
volunteers who took up arms for the Union are
democrats, and men and money were voted
without stint to the federal administration,
and every Northern State government We'd
with its neighbor in enthusiastic real
for the war. In truth the democrats
were far more jealous than the republicans
for the war, so long as IL appeared to be war
for the Union. They never were in favor Of
war for abolition, and they are net now, and
never will be; but they are now and ever will
be the ardent supporters Of war for the resto-
ration Of the Union on the basis Of the constitu-
ton a. It Is. II change has come over the
spirit Of their dream a regards the conduct Of
the war and tho administration, II Il because
Congress and the administration have changed
the programme under which the war was inau-
gurated-changsd II from the basis on which 1t
was placed by the Presidents Hrss proslams-
ton, his subsequent message to Congress, and