The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-17
Horace greeley and Jefferson D"vIs...
HUT ..D...u.o1ratIya Raeu ar tho Trro.

rne Representative Slen OF the IRE,
Dre-.Ible Conflict.
Editors IntellIgencer;
ueet' was illustrated In Horace Gree
ley's travelling from New York to Rich
mond and offering himself, unsolicited,
as the first man to set JEFF Davis at lib
erty, when neither humanity, just
sense OF propriety, or good taste, would
seem to demand or warrant 1t, as there
were plenty Of his own party ready and
deslrOus to become his bail.
Each had headed one of the parties,
whose conflict during the past seven
years has no parallel, either in the eX-
penditure of blood and treasure, or
barbArities committed. In II has been
sacrificed, about - million of lives and
five to six billion of money; and Davis,
whom all sane minds must hold re-
sponsible, has coolly, and calculntingly
murdered from fifty to one hundred
thousand OF our brave soldiers, while
i'll his hands as prisoners of war-n re-
lntion held to be sacred and lnYtolable
by all civilized nations, and closed the
scene, as all thinking men believe, IN
either instigating or consenting to the
assassination of the President.
Greeley, seized with vague hope OF
glory and large support to his paper,
commenced the strife by stirring up
slavery with long poLc-long enough
to keep himself out of personal danger
and even pushed his side OF the prelim-
mary war OF words, until he end his par
ty had spread rank notification upon
the statue books OF fifteen of the north
ern States under the guise OF personal
liberty bill"-wanting only the covert
act" to complete the highest crime
known to the law. Believing all the
while the assailed party dared not fight
Davis and his party to protect the
larger pecuniary interest at stake
bition, madly threw Off the constitu-
ton, that had been and would have
continued to be, their shield, II retained
and faithfully adhered to, and commit
led the covert act" The life OF the
Government ut once became involved
in the issue, and to save that life fol-
lowed the mighty strife and sacrifice.
AS mere incident, or accident, IN
this strife, SO far as human agency
was concerned, as the loyal party olu
not seek 1t at the commencement
slavery has been destroyed. And as
the negro preacher said the other day
in a speech to his people at Petersburg,
Va, This race owed their freedom to
neither party-but to God"
We ali know and feel that the terrible
guilt of!treason of the deepest dye, rests
upon some Of the leaders, of one side or
the other, or both-but not upon the
honest indicators and defenders of the
Government when forcibly assailed,
nor on the mere deluded instruments
who blindly assailed It. And II the
whole was Providential, in order to
remove slavery, as some believe, 1t can
afford no plea In bar to an indictment
for treason in this case, nor be permit
ted to extenuate the guilt or mitigate
the penalty. The Divine Author who
said "OtfenCes must needs come" said
also, "woe unto him through whom
they come"
The Government, with its past and
present character, its future hopes and
safety, demand that tit expiration be
made for example sake for such grent
crimes, and not passed over as light and
trivial affairs, over which the head lead
ers may shake hands and call it square.
The widowed, orphaned, and bereaved
millions throughout the land, the bu-
dened tax payers, and nay, the spirits of
a million Of martyred dead, will claim
to be heard in this matter, and not
leave it to Jefferson Davis and Horace
Greeley, though among the principal
originators, to settle as II it was mere
lucy Iue
demand an expiation that shall deter a
repetition and "make treason odious,"
and ;the thought of attempting 1t hori-
flying. This is the policy of other ma
tiOns, and human nature is the same
with us as with them, and restrained
from crime by a fear of pun
ishment. The opinions OF some tran
sendental philosophers and humanita-
rians among us TO the contrary not
withstanding. AS 1 said before a great
guilt rests on somebody, and from what
took place at Richmond, we should
judge, neither on the Government, nor
Judge and Attorney representing it, nor
Mr.. Greeley, thought it rested on Jeffer-
son Davis, as the Cour. and Attorney
fixed the damage he had done ut $780,
900, and Horace Greeley was the first
man to help share that by travelling
all the way from New York unInvIted
for ought appears, and becoming his
bail. What was the motive and feelings
that prompted Mr.. Greeley to do this?
Was it a conscientiousnesS that he
ought to share the penalties, or to ingra-
tiate himself and paper, with the ''re-
constructed?"
Why talk of Christian forgiveness
over slayers of million and hang the
young culprit in an adjoining county
who has killed but one man?
Very Respectfully, G.P.