The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-01-15
s4aahrille 94niutG.
WN. CAAEkON s CO. PubIIsher..
SUNDAY, JANUARY Is. 1895.
President IIpeoIu and Mr.. Greeley :

/ ls Time they were made known. he
/ opened the famous Niagara Falls negc-
| tistion with q letter 70 the President.
informing him of the presence Of Geo
n. Sanders, c. G. Clay, and the rest, on
the Canadian frontier, and urging the
importance of grssping st every chance
to make peace, enforcing his advice n
! that particular by most gloomy pic
ture of the condition of the country,
and especially the financial situation.
Mr. Greeley proceeded to give his no
tons of the terms upon which peace
might be honorably made, and men
toned the abandonment of slavery by
the rebels, an appropriation Of four hum
dred millions to compensate loyal OWL
eTs, liberal policy toward offenders, &c.
The Presidents response was a prop.
CstiOn that Dir. Greeley should in per-
son visit Niagara, and see what the So
called rebel Commissioners had to say.
Greeley reluctantly proceeded upon
this mission, after exchanging two or
three notes with the President on the
subject. The next thing wss a tele-
gram from Greeley, at Niagara Falls,
ID the President, stating that "the cor
FsspOndenee" had been shown the rebel
Commissioners, and that the terms of
peace were satisfactory. It did not oc-
cur 70 the President that all the correa-
pondenoe had not been shown, and
ne was astonished to believe himself
informed that Messrs. Sanders, Clay
snl Holcomb had agreed to the
Abandonment of slave J, as had bsen
suggested by Mr.. Greeley. lie there
fore, in order to give his consent, wrote
the ITO whom it may Concern" letter,
not laying down, inezorably, the only
terms upon which he would make
pesee. but simply following the pro-
gramme chalked out in Greeley letter
and which he understood, from Gree
ley's telegram, had been agreed, TO as
satisfactory, and needed but his au-
thority to take more definite shape
lhe next thing, he found himself pun
lished as prescribing the terms named
in his letter, and placed before the
world in 8 false position The Con
federate commissioner had accom-
plished their purpose of making pO-
litical capital for their friends about to
assemble in the Chicago Convention
And BIr. Greeley not content with his
share in the blunder, and apparently
unconcious chat "To Whom it may
Concern" letter, was merely phara-
phrase of propositions of his own,
published in the Tribune an editorial
bitterly denunciatOry of the lack of
policy displayed in it, and charging
that its authorship must rest with the
Secretary Of War, as there was no one
else so gifted with stupid temerity as
70 be equal to the task Of composing
it, He forgot that in placing before
Sanders and others "the correspond
ence" showing his relations in the affair
with the President, he lad omitted his
own letter opening the subject. and
that be WAS himself responsible for the
deception of the President
Mr. Lincoln was not little irritated
and embarrassed at the attitude in
which he found himself placed, and it
would not be surprising If he did, as
As ne il reported to have done, de- |
uounce Mr.. Greeley as "a crazy man"
1t was the opinion of Mr. Lincoln that (
the public good demanded the publica-
ton of the truth, in the form Of the
correspondence between Mr. Greeley,
and himself which would explain it.
self n order to have it iBconvenient
form for examination, he sent the let
ters to little printing establishment
at the War Department used in
in the printing of military orders, and
had the correspondence put in type,
and a few fair copies Of it taken.
Upon reading it over, it seemed 10 him
that the publication in such a ccnnec-
ton, and at such time, of that part Of
Mr.. Greeleys letter drawing such q
dismal picture of the finances of the
country, would be injurious So ne
drew, with a red drawing pencil
a mark about Dir. Greeley's pau-
iaky paragraphs, and sent the
document to him, requesting him
to publish all but the part thus
stating that he thought the
effect of publishing the whole would |
be damaging, while he desired very
much the publication Of that part which
would place him in q proper position
before the country. Mr.. Greeley re-
fused to publish any of the correspon-
denoe, without giving the whole Of it,
as, IF the part which Mr.. Lincoln de-
,ired should be omitted we're left out,
be (Greeley) would appear in an unfor~
,unate attitude
So, Mr.. Lincoln concluded to take no
aurther action, and let things work
His conduct ia this affair shows that he
vas neither indisposed to listen 70 pro
Dosals for peace nor induced TO pre-
oribe arbitrarily and restrict within
he limits Of his personal wishes or Of
partisan policy, the conditions upon
which it could be made; and he also
appears in the becoming character Of
me willing to suffer misrepresentation
md personal detraction and embar-
'assment, rather than permit himself
o be vindicated through means that
10 believed would be damaging 70 the
rational cause .......-
In our judgment his error was in IS
.ribing undue importance to Mr. Gree !
ey 3 desp sponding,. letter The whole Of
dr. Greeleys letter might have been
,iYen TO the press without the slightest
ietriment to the Republic. But the
ourBe Of the President was faithful ac-
ording to his convictions, and the pub
ic knowledge Of his action viii increase
be general regard in which he IS held.