Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-12-02
MIR. GREELEY AND THE PRESI.
80 nEN(yK
The Washington correspondent of the
bsa Baltimore Gazette writes under date of
Nov. 26 as follows:

The Washington correspondent Of the
hsa Baltimore Gazette writes under date of
Nov. 28 as follows:
ga gentleman. who SAYS he signed
paper to-day requesting Horace Greeley to
become candidate for President, states
that the paper contains the signatures of
. very large number Of leading Democrats
and prominent Republicans, among them
such names as William III. Evarts, James
OConnOr, Horatio Seymour, Senator Thur
man.
e0urinf0rmant says the paper bears the
signatures Of well known, influential Re
publicans in nearly all the Northern States
that it has been quietly circulated for the
past month, and that It is fair representa-
ton of the strength OF both parties. II is
found that some persons of each party, who
are willing 10 support an independent Re-
publican for the Presidency, refuse to sign
the above paper, because they are not will
ing to commit themselves to any particular
candidate at this juncture, and prefer to
await the result Of events that may trans
pire between the present and the usual time
for nomination of candidates"
+. This action appears to have been taken
after the following editorial from the pen
of Mr.. Greeley had appeared in the New
York Tribune Of the day before-Nov. 81.
"There is kind of opposition which calls
for different treatment, and to that we wish
to call the attention of our readers to-day.
3 Its chief mouth-pece is the New York
Tribune, and s leaders in this State are
Senator Fenton and Horace Greeley.
"Mr. Greeley's case differs in many re-
spects from that of Senator Fenton, and in
the main it differs for the worse.
Mr.. Greeley has committed the stupendslIs
folly CT permitting himself to entertain
dreams of securing the Presidency for him
selfn-Neto York Times.
Such imputations as the above may seem
to deserve comment.
Within the last six or eight months the
editor of this journal has received some
thirty or forty letters-nainly from private
persons-prOposing that he should be a
candidate for next President. That he has
answered few oftheSe oyertures was owing
TO no Indifference, real or affected, but to
his presumption that candidates are to be
made by others than themselves. There
was no doubt that, if chosen to that high
office, he would accept lido you happen
10 know any one who would not?-so that
he was the last, instead of the first, to be
addressed on the subject. But no one was
more fully aware than he that such a sum-
mer as these Oyertures contemplated is not
made by a few struggling swallows; and
then many important events must intervene
before the proper time for opening the Pres
idential canvass of 1872. Hence, SO far rs
he found time to answer at all, the spirit of
his answers to these volunteer correspond
ents is fairly evinced in that only one of
them which he remembers having seen in
print. 1t is as follows.
r-' LEAvENwoRTH CITY, KANSAS, April
%, 1S7l.--HOn. Horace Greeley-Dear Sir:
Your many friends in Kansas desire to have
your views in rela ion to your name being
brought before the next National Republi-
can COnveI ti0n, in 1872, for nomination for
President. Without any disrespect to Gen.
Grant, we believe that no living American
statesman has the claims of yourself for
President.
Very respectfully, your friend,
WILLIAM LARIMER.
q NEW YORK TRIBUNE OFFICE, New
YORK, May 4, 1S71.-My Dear Sir: l
have yours of the Goth, asking pointed
questions with regard to our political future.
must respond in great haste. / trust
never henceforth to be an aspirant for any
office or political position whatever; but l
fully purpose, also, never to decline any
duty or responsibility which my political
friends shall see fit to devolve upon me,
and of which l shall be able to fulfil the
obligations without neglecting older and
more imperative duties. l have not yet
formed a decided opinion as to the man
who ought to be our next Republican can
didate for President; but it seems to me
advisable that he should be steadfast, con-
sisteut believer in the good old Wing doc
trine Of one Presidential term. Yours,
HORACE GREELEY.
30 much has been said by malignant ad
vcrsaries of his aspirations to the Presi-
dency that he respectfully requests any one
1,1c dc 70 hav n aft
Horace Greeley Of different tenor from the
above to give it forthwith to the public.
And if there be any one who asserts or pre-
tends to assert that Ii. g. ever solicited, or
ifiimated a wish for, his support as a can
didate for any Office whatever, he is re-
quested and challenged to publish the fact.
II is very certain that he will never make
himself a candidate for President; it seems
quite improbable that others will ever make
him such. But those who have suggested
or may hereafter suggest him as a candi-
date have exactly the same rights as so
many other citizens-neither less nor more.
If they be few and humble, there is so
much the less reason for bowling them
down. or insisting that the next President
is already selected and all discussion Sn the
subject foreclosed.
We respectfully protest against the acri-
mOny, the malevolence, the prOscrptive
venom, manifested by certain journals
which have been set on to clear the field of
all intruders. If the majority have already
decided the Presidential question, there can
be neither harm nor danger in allowing the
minority to indicate their dissent. Let the
seInblance, at least, of freedom of choice be
maintained, and not drown all diversity in
a hoarse clamor that no difference exists.
1t is now generally conceded that our
next President must be a Republican. In
the ranks of the dominant party are many
better soldiers, though none elder, than he
who here pleads that fair consideration be
accorded to the merits and services of all
our able and patriotic statesmen, and that
the ofIcehOlders stand back while the tax
paverS are allowed to come forward, indi-
cate tlleir preferences, and fraternally COM
- u, tLnir nLnina for Prnsilanf