The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-06-07
HORACE GREELEY,

SOuiSo - 'Si DAItSElJ auU NLuu4OtlH0Ay
denounced by two extreme classes, OF
which Wendell Phillips and the editor Of
the Lawrence State Journal are represen-
taiivs men, and such epithets as ''gooss. -
philosophical fool, "good na.ured fOol''
''sickly sentimentalisL" and ridiculous
toadyism" are flying in al! directions.
| Shortly after Mr.. Greeley's return from
Richmond to New York, be received a
notice from the president of the Union
League Club, announcing that meeting
of that body had been called for the pur-
pose of taking official action upon this sub
jet. Mr. Greeley al once responded with
letter which attempted full justification
of his conduct during and since the war,
and in which he showed that his recent
action was fully consistent with the policy
of amnesty and compensation which he
had always urged. He closed with the
following rather pugnacious language:
Gentlemen, shall not attend your
meeting this evening. have an engage
meut out of town, aud shall keep it. do
not recognize you as capable Of judging,
or even fully appreheudipg me. You ev.
identity regard me as a weak sentimental
list, misled by maudlin philosc ply. l
arraigu you as narrow inded blockheads,
who would like to be useful to a great and
good cause, but don't know how. Your
attempt to base a great, enduring party
on the hate and wrath necessarily eugen-
dered by bloody Civil War, is as though
you should plant q colony on an iceberg
which had somehow drifted into tro2ic
al ocean. tell you here that, out of a
life earnestly devoted to the good of hu-
man KIND, your children will select my
going to Richmond and signing that bail
it did more for Freedom and Humanity
than all of you were competent to do.
though you had lived to the age of Me-
| thuselah.
ask nothing Ofyou, then. but that you
proceed to your end by direct, frank,
manly way. Don't side of into mild
resolution of censure, but move the ex
pulsiOn which you purposed, and which
deserve if deserve any reproach what
ever. Al. care for is, that you make
this a square, stand-up fight, and record
your judgment by yeas and nays. / care
not how few vote with me, nor how
many vote against me; for know that
the latter will repent i: in dust and ashes
before three years have pas sed. Under
stand, once for all. that dare you aud
defy you. and that propose to fight it
out on the line that / have held from the
day Of Lees surrender. So long as any
man was seeking 10 overthrow our Gov
eminent, he was my enemy; fIOm the
hour in which he laid down his arms,
be was my formerly erring country man
So long as any is at heart opposed to the
National unity, the Federal authority, or
TO that assertion of the Equal Rights oil
all men which has become practically
identified with Loyalty and Natio na!ity,
l shall do my best to deprive him of pow
er; but, whenever he ceases to be thus,
demand his restoration to all the privileges
of American citizenship. l give you a
fair notice that shall urge the reenfTan-
cbisemenl of those now prescribed for Re
bellion 30 soon as / shall feel confident
| that this course is consistent with the
freedom of the Blacks and the unity of
the Republic, and that shall demand a
recall of all now in exile only for parVici
paLing in the Rebellion, whenever the
country shall have been so thoroughly
pacifed that it's safety will not thereby be
endangered. And so, gentlemen, hoping
that you will henceforth comprehend me
somewhat better than you have done, l
remain,
Yours. Horace GREELEY.
NEW YORK, May ,23, 1867.
The Cub met without the offender. A
committee appointed to draft resolutions
expressive lie sense ofthe meeting, re-
ported at considerable length, condemning
Mr. Greeley's action a fierce debate en-
sued, lasting from to e. P. NJ. A sub
stitute was finally adopted, declaring that
it was not within the province of The
Club to take any action upon the question,
aud 80 the matter was ended.
However much we may condemn indi-
vidual acts of Horace Greeley, we must
certainly accord to him the merit of an
unselfsh, boundless philanthropy, and
| uho"OlNIuS AOHCStJ' AAiS OSSneiOualiJ
erratic conduct must be attributed to an
i'll balanced judgment, rather than to any
wrong purpose.
As to this particular af4ir,it seems to
u5 that too great significance has gener-
ally been attached TO it. People talk as
if Horace Greeley were solely responsible
for the fual and unconditional release oil
the state prisoner. Let US see.
For about two years, Davis has been ~
ing in prison at Fortress Monroe. That
be has not been brought 10 rial, Is fact
whose responsibility rests wholly upon
Andrew Johnson and Salmon p. Chase .
Prolracted' imprisonments without trial
are specifically forbidden by the constitu-
ton; but traitor President and timid,
time-serving Chief Justice have shirked
their duty. The writ Of hG6eas corpus, in
obedience TO which Davis Was released
from military custody, was issued by
Judge Chase himself, and the military
commandant at Fortress Monroe unques-
lionably acted under instructions from the
President. The U. s. Attorney refused