The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-08-15
pr. Francis Ilabar OF Greelcr.

DI. EfdNtih Aitott oa oEctlci.
Or. Francis Lieber has written TO
a friend in Pittsburg, the following po-
litieal letter which viii attract public
attention.
NEW TORE, August 3, 1872
DEAR SIR: I have always ts.ughtas
= maxim OF fundamental importance
that he who has q right 10 vote is in
duty bound TO vote. Snubbing the
the polls IS undutiful. Voting for an
impossible candidate IS equivalent to
not voting, to not doing cur duty, es-
pecially il a country the policy OF
which is primarily founded upon gen.
eraI suffrage. We come down to
this: We must vote and can only vote
either for General Grant or for Mr..
Greeley. We cannot vote for 4 man
in the moon, nor ought we to abstain
from the ballot box. SoIOn made 4
law that in civil connections every
Athenian should take one side or the
other. Certain it is, that in peaceful
times-if mere absence of civil war
be called peaceful times the princi-
pie Of SolOn's law ought to be univers-
ally accepted and acted upon. Even
the nomination OF Greeley, and es-
pecially the peculiar method of the
nomination at Cincinnati, seems to
me a deplorable fact in the annals of
l our country, and the Baltimore ratifi-
cation is like cOncubinage between
/ Republicanism and Democracy, TAX
/ ing these words in their party mean
| ings. Mark this: The Democrats 90
not surrender to the Republicans.
On the contrary, Mr.. Greeley and his
/ followers surrendered to the DemOc-
raey. Elections, like battles, can
rarely be spoken of with certainty be-
! fore they are fought. But this
/ know. Should Mr.. Greeley be elec-
ted President Of the United States, we
shall have in him far worse Presi-
dent than we had in Mr.. Buchanan.
Is it not openly avowed by seceess-
ionists. who declare themselves for
Greeley, that that the ''lost cause''
will then stand once more a fair
chance? That pitiful States right
dOctrine-nOne can know it better to
] its inmOst fiber than myself-will Wis
! il Us again. It destroyed the noble
/ commonwealth of the Netherlands, it
brought our republic to the brink Oi
! ruin, and il would undoubtedly bring
upon Us, under that President, dislOy-
al disorder and probably sanguinary
confusion. AS 10 financial ruin, that
could not be avoided. Nothing will
be so eXtravagant to apprehend from
a combination such as must take place
under so weak and yet so reckless
man. Reputation, pensioning the
rebel soldiers, and perhaps assuming
the rebel debt-why not the glorifica'
ton of the Kentucky resolutions,
though if l recolleet right Mr.. Greeley
calls them in one of his works, rank
/ reas0n-and renewed civil blOOdshed
stare us in the face. Nowhere are
amiable factions more out of place
! than in craftsmanship, and q friend
of mine, whose name is widely known
/ in both hemispheres, would be obliged,
should this country really be visited
with that election, not indeed to
shake those hands which fOully
brought him to the verge Of death, for
they are bones in the grave, but to
shake hands with those who warmly
applauded and doubtless still applaud
! the cowardly and savage act. They
charge General Grant with central
I ism. Do they again cOnfOund nation
alism with centralism i? Have they
not vet learned from history and our
own times, that the Democracy is al
ways inclined toward absOlutism and
despotism ? All state rights men,
even hr. CalhOun-he was personally
nv friend-were severe centralists
| within their States. Their idea OF
of proper government in the United
| States was only the utmost possible
state Of opposition 10 the national gov
ernment, Just as it had occurred in the
Netherlands. Still you may possibly
object to this. The question is asked
whether the Democrats have not led
this country to q glorious develop
ment. 1 totally deny it. The cOun-
| try has grown great despite of that
which is charaoteTistically Democrat
ie-the elective Judiciary, disregard
ing the Supreme Court, distribution
of national funds, reputation, State
rights doctrine, idOlatTy of slavery and
I 4 civil war which fairly began to re-
sembIe the German thirty years war.
| With reference to the Democrats and
the success Of this country we have
the same old and often repeated er-
ror in logic. Because things exist to-
gether, therefore they stand as cause
and effect to each other. Storks love
the frogs Of the Netherlands, and on
every farmers house is stOrk's nest
The Netherlands was a Republic
therefore it used to be said, 'storks
/ like Republics" We are told things
ought to be forgotten. What have
the Republicans done? Has one trail
/ tor been tried 4? Has ever q people
shown such abserce Of fvengeaneea as tn
Union people of the United State:
have done? If, what pray God tC
avert, the Democrats come in agaiI
under Greeley, it requires no prophet
to foretelI that we shall see n very diff
feIent spirit on the part of the victO.
rious Democrats. 1 shall vote fOl
/ Grant.
Your obedient servant,
FRANCIS LIEBER.