The Portland daily press., 1870-01-05
DAILY PRESS.
Wednesday Morning, January s, 1870.
PORTLAND
Mar. Seward.

10 the Editor of the Press.
The Commonwealth, of last week, has
very admirable article on Secretary Stanton,
every word OF which may be endorsed with
single exception. Referring to the members
of the Cabinet when Mr.. Stanton entered it,
the Commonwealth says, Z" Mr.. Seward had
hardly got over his foxy idea of bribing South
ern leaders into betraying the rebellion over
to the hands Of the government, and was still
making driveling predictions Of ending the
contest at arms in thirty days-in this way of
bribery we presume, for there was certainly
no prospect of finishing it in any other"
Meeting Mr.. Seward on one of the early
days of April, 1861, the writer asked him if
the South would resist to physical force in or
der to carry their point. He said, it would
there was no doubt of it whatever,-a he
added that since the time that he decided to
accept Mr.. Lincolns invitation to become
member of his Cabinet, he had laoored to the
single end, that if there should be an attempt
to destroy the Union by force, it should be
made by the South without provocation or
excuse from the action of the government or
the North-that the South should be so clear
ly in the wrong, and so entirely !ndefensible
that all parties would feel the injury and the
insult so keenly that the whole North would
Iise en- the instant TO ayenge them; and, he
continued, with deep emotion, 1 thank God,
this result has been secured, and now, if they
fire ION Sumter therei will be but one voice
and one feeling among all parties at the North,
and when their patriotism is once aroused it
will take care of itself. If the country will
only rise upon the instant, it is saved"
Mr.. Seward feared and dreaded foreign in
tervention, and looking to the probability that
it might take place if the impression should
get abroad that the insurrection would be a
serious thing, and desiring also to keep up the
spirits and temper of the loyal people to the
necessary pitch, he spoke at the Astor House
in December, 1860, of the threatened rebell-
ion as possible disturbance or unpleasant
ness that would last but two or three months
at most, and at all times, and especially in his
correspondence, he was inclined to under
rate rather than exaggerate the power of the
rebellion. He was always predicting its early
fall, because he was always apprehensive ofin-
tervention if he acknowledged its fate 10 be
matter of doubt. That Mr.. Seward commit
ted grave errors while Secretary of State is
readily admitted, but the country should un-
derstand what explanations may be made of
some things which have been most severely
criticised; nor should it forget that with all
his mistakes, he never for single moment
tolerated the idea of separation in any con-
tingency. Here he was adamant.
Many things in his course after the delec-
ton of President johnson were an affliction
to his best friends. 1T was for long time
undoubtedly a struggle whether Mr.. Seward
or Montgomery Blair and the secessionists
should have the President. While agree
that it was an object of vast Importance 10
avert the calamity which Mr.. Seward, by his
"foxiness," if you will, did avert-the passing
over of the administration of Mr.. johnson
into the hands of the ex-rebes and their
sympathizers-I cannot persuade myself that
it would not have been wiser and better to
have resisted the President in the begin
ningas Mr.. Stanton and the great body
of the Republicans did. But Mr.. Seward
thought otherwise. He seemed to have for
gotten, what he had taught other men to be-
lieve, that slavery was thoroughly and entire.
ly bad, and that its effect upon men who had
grown up under its influence was too PERM
cious and deep-seated to leave them sufficient
ly reasonable, wise and just, to be at once en-
trusted with the settlement of the vital ques
tions of reconstruction and peace. But afte
all that may be said of the errors of his late
years, they will not be permitted to extinguisl
the glory of his earlier labors, so few men
living or dead, will history make the cause o
liberty and human rights a greater debtor.
JUSTICE.