Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-04-18
Letters from the People.
THE CINCINNATI CoNvENTIoN-HoRAC
GREELEY-INDEPENDE JOURNAL
IsM-GEN. GRANT.
RUTLAND, April u, 1872.

can be no mistaking the position which
your paper does and will take in the
Presidential canvass. Its tone is unmis-
taxable. But am mistaken in my es-
timation of your journal, if it is not al
ways ready to open its columns to a dis
cussiOn of social and political subjects
conducted in the interests of truth
even if you do not agree with what your
correspondents may say. 1t is with this
conviction that | ask space in your col
umns to say something of the aspect of
political affairs in our State. Do not be
troubled for fear that am going to con-
tribute to the discussion of matters that
belong solely to our State. This is in
other hands. Whether Mr., Billings,
Mr.. Converse, Mr.. Stewart or Mr.. Fair
banks or neither of them shall be Gov
ernor-whether Mr. Clark, Mr.. Dale,
Mr.. Taft or Gen. Ripley shall be Lieu
tenant Governor, is not my concern in
this article OF course | have my idea
of the fitness of things. I would have
our Governor lone of the people" not
above them-a man who is ''hOnest and
true" and who knows how to write a
good sound, solid "Thank giving and
Fast Day proclamation and if he has
good sound common sense, no matter
whether he is vcrsed in constitutional
and international law, the people will
trust him. Our constitution was made
by very pIajn people, and it was, even in
/ its very inception as good as the average
State Constitutions of these days. |
should not be at all surprised, if, when
the people shall assemble to nominate a
! Governor. they should drop all the dis
tinguished gentlemen that have been
named and take up some man whose
name has not yet been mentioned.
There are great many such up and
down the State.
As to the Lieutenant Governor, his
principal duty win be to preside over the
Senate. 1t is more difficult to find the
right man for this post. To do it well
requires a familiarity with current legis-
lation and parliamentary law, which
only experience and study gives. The
action of the House is often crude and
indigested-the result of a large deliber-
alive body, made up usually of men in
experienced in legislative machinery. If
a great regulator presides over the Sen
ate, the work of legislation will run
smoothly, a good business mana good
lawyer, a good scholar, is not necessarily a
good Lieutenant Governor We ought
at least to have a man in the chair Of
the Senate who knows whether the
"previous question" means the issues
in the last Presidential election, or
Calvinism and free grace" or some
thing else. So you see while | am not
to talk of these purely State affairs, |
would reach your ear on those more
weighty matters which pertain to the
future success and permanency of Re
publican principles.
l heard a man say once of Horace
Greeley that che welded more power
In the nation than the President of the
United States" We all know what the
power of the President is. When the
hundreds of thousands of office holders
and their friends are once arrayed in
blind obedience to the powers that hold
their bread and butter in their hands,
we can calculate what a torrent he must
encounter who would oppose it and
when we say of Horace Greeley that he
yields greater power than the Presi-
dent, we pay our compliment and trib-
ute to the moral power of the man and
the journal which has made his name
and fame world-wide-and the beauty
and glory and stability of this power is,
that it is not one of favor-nor servile,
but the result of appeals to the heads
and hearts of the people, and lies deep
down in the consciousness of the masses,
that he is both right and honest.
Mingling somewhat with the people |
hear of their political condolences and
distrusts, and hear of course denuncia-
ton of Greeley, of Trumbull, of Schurz.
of FentOn and others Men say of
Greeley, | wont have his paper; | have
stopped it | won't touch it Greeley is
a liar and scOundrel traitor Who
are these men Usually they are men
who want Office-who think they are of
political Importance, and | sometimes
think they take this course and occasion
to advertise their devotion to the party
supposing that they can do it more effcc-
tually on somebody's ruin. Most of
these men are such as you could not per-
suade the people of town to send to
the Legislature, and who will not be
likely to get there unless they are the
''spared monuments" of a greater ruin
than even they can hope to see in the
political wreck around them.
Other men say, have always taken
the Tribune; l have always had faith
in Mr.. Greeley's integrity-he is a great
power, and he has always exercised that
power for good-morally and politically.
While | have not always agreed with
him have not doubted his sincerity. |
do not mean to be so weak az to fear his
political structures on the party in power,
and no party need fear his political ar
rows if they are shielded by honesty and
truth. Let him fire away, nobody will
be killed or wounded, except those who
ought to be.
Which is the trustworthy Republican?
Through all doubts and darkness if am
to follow any man, | would cling to the
last man rather than the first.
There is wide denunciation of Mr.
Mr. Greeley. Vermont is quiet State
of no political significance in con-
test any way; and if we should have
close contest between two Republican
candidates for the Presidency would not
be considered of sufficient Importance to
call mass meeting to discuss national
issues within her borders. She would
be likely to cast her electoral vote for
Gen. Grant, If he is the nominee of the
Philadelphia Convention. But admit
hitting all this, every candid rational
man, whatever way he may finally con-
clude to vote, ought to regret the exist
ence of feelings and prejudices, SO I'M
= 8 L H. l. L.