Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-05-08
: rTER THF CONTENTION.


organ of the liberal republicans, upon the
course pursued In the Cincinnati conven.
ton toward the New York delegates who
were opposed to voting for Greeley in the
convention, and were excluded on that ac-
count We now copy from the same pa
per concerning the result of the conven-
ton and the candidate for President. The
! Post says of the convention:
The action of the Convention at Cincinnati
was at once amusing and melancholy; anus
ing in the particular result at which it arrived,
and melancholy in its several processes 1t
was generally supposed, by those who were
familiar with the causes in which the move
ment originated-a deep dissatisfaction with
the present management of the Republican
party and general desire to bring about Ger
tain specific reforms--that the proceedings
would be not only dignified and earnest, but
courageous, prompt and effective. =
But alas for the vanity of human hopes
The Convention, so big with promise, and so
auspiciously ushered in, has gone the way OF
many similar assemblage; it has surrender
ed, stock and fnke, to the wire-pullers; it
has struck the flag of its lofty principles and
1t has sunk into commonplace chicanery, in
The above viii give a very good idea of
the Posts opinion of the convention In
another long article it presents the reasons
why Mr.. Greeley should not be support
ed for the Presidency" We copy the ar
ticle in full because we desire our readers
to see for themselves what a leading rev.
enue reform paper thinks and says of the
candidate the revenue reform convention
nominates. e.
What was at one tine regarded as good
joke, the nomination of Horace Greeleyfor
the post of President of the United States.
has by the recent act of the Cincinnati Con-
ventlon become sober earnest. 1t gives GER
tain air OF low comedy to the election in
which the country is about to engage, but, in
spite OF that, the subject is of such nature,
and the public interest is so deeply concerned
IN It, that we are forced to treat it seriously.
We shall therefore put together few reasons
that occur to us why the nomination of Mr.
Greeley is unworthy of support.
lie lacks the courage, the firmness and the
consistency which are required in a Chief
Magistrate of the nation. He showed this in
a remarkable manner when, at the outbreak of
the civil war, he desired to let the South have
its way and dissolve the Union of the States.
He was frightened, and feared to face the
consequences of rejecting the demands of the
southern politicians. The war, however
went on, and soon, though claiming to be a
unionist, he became frightened again. He
wanted to make terms with the rebel govern
ment at Richmond; he wanted to negotiate
with George Saunders and other agents of the
rebel government who had sought refuge in
Canada fip tha
letting the South depart with the chance of
preserving slavery. His whole career during
the war was lrresolute and cowardly, and
his counsels impoltic and unwise to the las t
degree.
Mr.. Greeley's political associations and in
timacies are so bad tina. we can expect moth
ing from him, in case, TO his own misfortune
and ours, he should be elected, but corrupt
administration of affairs. Everybody is aware
OF his close intimacy with Mr.. Fenton of the
Senate. II there Is corrupt and dishonest
politician in the land, there is no man who
has better claim TO be so considered than
Reuben f.. Fenton. His character is well
known to Mr.. Greeley; yet he is Mr.. Gree
ley's bosom friend and counsellor in politics
Without a single idea of what public virtue or
principle means, he is a most shrewd and
skiltul political manager. 1t was probably
through his intrigues more than through any
other influence that Mr.. Greeley succeeded
in obtaining his nomination. The same IA
cility for entering into close association with
dishonest men has marked the whole of MIR.
Greeley's career. He began his political life
as disciple of Thurlow Weed, and only re-
belled against his master when he found that
he was not to have any of the offices for
which political parties were quarrelling. In
letter which found its way into print, he ex-
1v IN, bnD
pany with that virtuous individual, Weed, be-
cause there was no proper division of the
game. He now hunts in company with Fem
ton, who is more generous. If he should be
elected, it is very likely that Fenton would
be the principle member of his Cabinet, and
that the other heads of departments would be
little better AS for the subordinate offices,
they would grobably be filled by the men
whom he makes his companions, such as
John V. Gridley, Waldo Hutchins, Benjamin
Wood, John Morrissey and Hank Smith, the
lesser lights of Mr.. Greeley's social firma-
ment.
Mr.. Greeley has no settled political princi-
pies, with one exception. 1t is serious OBJ
lection to any candidate for an Office of high
political trust that he has no well-defined
standard of right in his own mind by which
to try any measure or any course of proceed
ing that may be proposed. This is one OF
Mr.. Greeley's great deficiencies. Any aspect
OF public measure which looks plausible
satisfies him. and he drifts backward and for
ward upon the shifting currents Of expedi-
ency. 1t has been said of him as politician,
and we believe with some truth, that he has
been on every side Of every public question
that has come up save one, and that brings us
to another objection to him as a candidate.
He is a'thorough- going, bigoted protection
list, champion of one of the most arbitrary
and grinding symtems of monopoly ever
known in any country. To this hateful sys-
TEN he has remained faithful from the very
beginning OF his career as journalist; to aid
in fastening it upon the nation has been the in
veterate habit of his life; to devise the means
of shutting out his countrymen from free ac-
cess to the markets of the world has been his
constant study. 1t is lille to say that one of
the resolutions proposed at the Cincinnati
Convention as part Of the platform contains
a provision that this question is to be left to
the people "without Executive interference or
dctation." He may not dictate, but he will
advise; he may not interfere, but his oath as
Chief Magistrate will oblige him to suggest
those measures which he deems important to
/ tho r,nblin ,yalfora Nd bat 10 A. l..