Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-05-29

going to Richmond to be bail for Davis.
Does he believe Davis innocent or guilty OF
treason? If he holds Davis to be innocent,
we can understand why he should be bail for
the Confederate president, but we cannot un-
derstand why he should have opposed the
war which Davis made against the govern
ment. If he holds him to be guilty, he must
regard the crime as the most desolating in its
effects of any ever committed in this country.
What need then was there that Mr.. Greeley
should go to Richmond to be bail for a trait
or? There was no lack of names for the
bond Why should Mr.. Greeley mix with
the crowd of the great rebels advisers ? The
letter certainly fails to give any satisfactory
answer to this inquiry. Davis would have
been bailed without his help, and he can be
pardoned without his help,-why then need
he interfere?
The inference from Mr.. Greeley's letter is,
that he is confidently of the opinion that
his act in signing the bond will tend to
eonciliate the South, and help on the work of
reconstruction. We have supposed, how
ever. this business of - Cancellation " had
been surrendered pretty much to johnson,
Seward Doolittle, Raymond, and the Demo
cratic party. They tried it in the Philadel-
phia Convention last summer, when the
touching spectacle of Massachusetts, and
South Carolina, marching in the convention
arm in arm, bands playing the new national
air of Dixie Doodle, was exhibited for few
days. THAT spectacle was not favorably no.
ticed as we recollect in the Tribune vet we
ina CINE the cheering in that 'ontivn over
the fraternal embrace of Couch and Orr, was
only the gentlest whisper of applause to the
thunder of appreciation which would have
then greeted Jefferson Davis and Horace
Greeley, could the convention have seen them
marching arm in arm to sign the bond which
should release the great rebel from the perils
of the law. Raymond was drummed out of
the party, and kicked rather unceremoniously
Of the Republican National Committee
for his part in that convention, and Mr..
Greeley now occupies Mr.. Raymond's place
on the committee and the Tribune favored
this party discipline of Mr.. Raymond. We
remember that Mr.. Beecher discoursed in a
letter to some gentlemen, who asked him to
oficiatc as cha plain of the Cleveland con-
citation - convention last summer, quite
el0quently of love, mercy, forgiveness. and
iratcrnal regard for subdued enemies, as the
strongest agenciesto restore the Union and
also remember that the Tribune famed
with indignation that Mr.. Beecher should
thus Join the multitude that would recon-
struct the Union by conciliating traitors.
If Bcecher was wrong, how is Greeley right ?
Greeley evidently does mt desire to be judged
by his own standard Of criticism.
But our purpose was only TO let our read
ers see the substance of Mr. Greeley's de-
fence of himself His appeal to the judg-
- holt" Every man who expects present
verdict against him. calls posterity to
vindicate his damaged reputation. If jeff
Davis were under the gallows he would APP
peal 70 the coming generations. 1t is con
venient court into which to move any bad
case, the chances are that posterity will
have sins enough Gifts own to attend to, with
out taking time to Judge those of its prede-
cessors. But it is tolerably safe to predict
that coming generations in this country
which are taught to abhor the crimes com
mitted by jeff. Davis and his confederatcs,
will not be struck with admiration of the
name which stands next his on the bail-bond
at least not until they have read the Gu
riously mixed philosophy and politics of the
Tribune for the last six or seven years and
then they may come TO the conclusion of the
Pittsburg (Va.) Inder. which has been SO far
Modified by Greeley's conduct at Richmond
to call him :. good natured lunatic.''