The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1867-05-30
THE OTTUMWA COURIER
n. G." In Defence.

! ley is out in leading editorial in the
Tribune Of the goth instant, over the
initials I'll. G." defending himself in
a "most lame and impotent manner
against the we'll merited excoriationt
received at the hands ofan indignant
loyal press Of the country for the
alacrity and indecent haste he exhi.
bited in going to Richmond, and bail.
out Of prison, the arch-traitor of the
late war.
The following extract is the stron.
gost point made in the article:
"Several Republican journals have
asserted that / thrust myself into
this matter-that | sought the dis
tinction, &c. Nothing like this is
true. l went to Richmond and sign
ed the bond, simply because the lead
ling counsel for the prisoner deemed it
important. IF any o.her name void
have answered as we'll, they would
not have proffered mine; for they
could easily have given Ten Millions
of Dollars, all of it by men who were
worth double the amount for which
they became responsible and each OF
whom would have esteemed signing
the bond privilege. But the coun-
sci believed it emincntly desirable
that they should present some
Northern names, of men who had
been conspicuous opponents Of the
rebellion perhaps because the appli-
cation to admit to bail would other
wise be strenuously resisted. l know
nothing Of their reasons; | only
know that they would not have re-
quircd me to face this deluge of mud
if they had not belived it necessary.
No one doubted the extreme anx-
icty of the greao criminal, or his
Counsel, TO procure his release, and
the absurbity ofshowing this natural
desire to escape we'll deserved pun
ishment, as good and sufficient rea.
son for Greely's qualification and
'debasement Of himself and the loyal
cause of tho North, Of which he has
been to some extent a representa-
tive man, will be apparent to the
most stupid reader.
He winds up by quoting the com.
placent and patronizing editorials Of
the Richmond Wig, Lynchburg Tir.
ginian, and Baltimore Sun in approval
Of his course in this matter.
1t is indeed an amazing spectacle,
and proves that "the times are sad
ly out of john" to see Horace Greely,
r,duced to the necessity Of defending
his conduct by quoting from such
rebel sources.
TO sum up his argument lift may
be dignificd by that term-he wen,
TO Richmond and bailed Davis be.
cause Davis and his attorneys asked
him to do SO. we'll knowing as they
did, that he hadn't back bone enough
to refuse, and that having received
the condescending approval Of these
rebel sheets, and having been feted and
toasted at the Richmond banquet
given on the joyful occasion, by the
chivalry, and received the welcome
plandits of every red handed and
blood stained traitor in the South
and their equally guilty but vastly
more cowardly confederates, the cop
perheads of the North, therefore, his
slack-twisted conscience is justified
and everything is lovely, the small
matter Of the righteous indignation
Of loyal people, and the bitter con-
domination Of the entire loyal press
of the country, to the contrary. not
withstanding.
1t is hard to say who has the great
est reason to rejoice over this exhi-
bition Of moral cowardice and dish
water philanthrophy, Jefferson Da-
Wis or Andrew johnson. To the for
mer it is q virtual endorsement Of his
Innocence, from tho great apostle OF
liberty, the chief editor of the princi.
pal Republican and war journal Of
the country, and to tho latter total
justification Of his liberal exercise
Of the pardoning power, and lenient
treatment generally Of rebels, and to
both and to the world at large, an
announcement that the trumpettoned
war cry of "On to Richmond" and
that "treason should be made odious'
SO often proclaimed in the New York
Tribune, were but the catch penny
terms Of q hypocritical, back -boneless
political mountebank and an unscru.
pulous juggler in meaningless words
Tennessee.
We SEQ by the Memphis Post, one
Of the sterling radical papers Of the
south, that Col. VIM. P. Hepburn
formerly Of Iowa, and late of the I'd
Iowa sCavalry, but now practicing
low at Mamnhsn u ~ fho od;nNl