The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-01-06
4reely VS.. Butior.

yersaI suffrage and universal amRestys9to
which. Butler replied somewhat personally
and ssrcasticauy, Mr.. Greeley sends Butler
the second letter in which the 8 Philosopher
rather turns the tables on the General. Hor-
ace says: ~
Get me thank ysu once more for the
frankness with which the main point in the
controversy is presented in your letter You
state correctly that your position originally
was that the leaders in the Souther Rebel
lion should be punished as examples You
and | areboth aware that no iist OF those
leaders could have been fairly msde that
would reduce their number below one han-
dred, including the, Cabinet Officers, Mem
bers OF Congress, Governors of States, aid
Army ofdcers of West Point education and
grades from q Lieatenant-Colonsl upward
who abandoned the service Of tAs Union for
that of the Rebellion. YetyoH now suggest
that some half dozen, more or less would
have suficed for such exemplary justice
When Ave or moro years of peace have inter
lVened, | ara quite confident yeu will CONSIDER
that two ar thee examples would have been
enough and, after the lapse OF Ave mors
yesrs, you will be satisfied that to have
strung up in 1865, him who WAS your choice
for President In 1860 would have answered
the purpose. ~ -
a'as Let us thank you again that you preferred
truth to chiValry in reminding me that you
were in 1868 Republican candidate for office
when still more recently candidate, was de-
feated, in part by Republican ballots. do
not care to scrutinze your figures, since the
general fact is clear. Nay, more; had been
like you, volunteer, and not a conscripted
candidate, I think still more Republicans
would have refused me their votes on that
ground for am sure that the few thousands
who scratched my name off their ballots by
no means measures the strength of the ad
verse feeling evoked by nay early, persistent,
fbkaD hi
ty imbrLing its hands in the blood of adverse
ries Whollyinits power. beg you never TO
doubt that | fully comprehended this from
the outSet-knew that the course took was
not calculated 10 make me a popular candi-
date for office or,eXtend the circuistion Of my
journal. We had just closed in complete
triumph a long, exhaustiRg, bloody war,
which had carried mourning into nearly every
household and fully realized the peril, in.
voked by him who interposes bstweenl an
irate, bleeding victor and his PROSTATE, de-
less foe. | assure you, General, that if had
Office, enjoy popularity, and bssk in the sun
shine of power | should have taken q very
different course If / had not loved my coun-
try, and the party which had her honor in
keeping, more than loved honor and Office
and honors, l should have chlmed in with
Andrew Johnson's sing-song, 's Treason is .
crime traitors must be punished" and cal
led with you for examples to be made Of the
leaders of the crushedout rebellion.
But / had read some history, and the les
sons learned from it was the duty of resist
ing and if possible restraining the passions
Of party completely triumphant in the is
sue of desperate civil war. [ did not find
the seventies of Philip II. and his lieutenants
had saved the Netherlands to Spain-that
the ''blOody assiZesn Of Jeffrys after Mon
mouths overthrow had buttressed the throne
of James II Isaw that the execution of
Louis XVI. and his Queen had not saved the
French Republic--that the execution of
Marshal Ney did not penetrate the throne Of
the Bourbons-that the hanging of Macy
Sander and twelve more hungarian Generals
after Gorgey's surrender did not prevent
the recovery Of their country's ancient liber-
ties In short, if there be one lesson written
all over the face of history, il seems to me
that pride goeth before destruction''-tha
the couqueror in O civil fued who has glutted
his vengeance stands very near his final down
fall. I}shouid have known, if Shakespeare
had not said it, that a''bIoody instructions''
quite commonly ''return to plague the inven-
tors."1 And rs l stood by the cradle of the
Republican party, and fondly believed that
its benefcenct is not yet exhausted, I sought
to save it from fatal blunder, even though
at some personal cost. I Judge that the
hanging of jeff Davis would have cost that
party one hundred thousand votes while it
would not have saved it even that of the
original mouth piece Of the vindictiye policy,
Mr.. Andrew Johnson; and | did not believe
it had so many votes to spare''i
Mr.. Greeley argues that concilliation must
be practiced towards the ex-rebels as the best
and quickest method of reconstruction. He
says: sa
g AS to the other 1nreconstructed States.
one of US would seem grossly in error as to the
facts Can l mistake in saying that the Re-
publicans of Virginia carried their State
handsomely in choosing delegates to their
Constitutional Convention? that this Con-
made a i've ~ cti
tuition? and that President Grant having
submitted the proscriptive clauses separately,
they were Overwhelmingly voted down at the
polls? Am wrong in assuming that the
Republican party, thus identified with Pro-
scrlptiOn, was beaten, while their opponents
aided by many Republicans, trumphed ex-
pressly on the platform on which stand the
XIV. Amendment included? think l have
not mis- read the essential facts.
Now turn to Mississippi, where the Repub-
HcanS were badly beaten in their former at
tempt TO ratify the proscriptive Constitution,
but where they have now overwhelmingly
triumphed, having, by Gen. Grants help,
thrown Prescription overheard and planted
themselves on platform of All Rights for
All. Their candidate for Governor was not
merely Rebel, but Fitting Rebel yet be
is elected over the Presidents brother, in-law
who was no Rebel at all. In Texas, also,
Prescription was expressly thrown over
board, and Universal Amnesty made the cor
ner stone of the new political fabric. You
see and rejoice over the result. Win you not
comprehend its moral ?''
Mr.. Greeley closes his letter in these words:
Our friends across the Atlantic are proud
of the lesson of humanity and mercy we have
taught alike to insurgents and oppressors.
And, while I concede that majority of our
party here are decidedly with you, I rejoice
in the faith that it is a smaller majority than
1t was last year, smaller still than it was the
year before, and must steadily waste away
until it ceases to be majority at all The
murderer has but his hour; his victim has
all eternity says Lamarttne, contem-
plating the lawless execution of the due
d Enghein and, seeing how passions