Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-10-16
Greeley Estimated by his Speeches.

are themost remarkable productions
which our political history has seen.
Even the wanderings of Andrew
johnson, and the records thereof by
Mr.. Petroleum V. Nasby, furnish
nothing, for sheer and ..bstinate fol-
ly, which can equal this series of
wayside babblings. Had Mr.. Greeley
determined before setting out on his
journey, to justify every essential al
legation in regard to the foolishness
and waywardneSs of his mind, and
Its incapacity to deal with serious
affairs in a practical manner, he
could hardly have made 81 eeches diff
| ferent from those actually reported.
| 1t has been objected to Mr.. Greeley
as Presidential candidate that he
I was aVerse to cOmprt h. nsive views,
and likely to be carried away by no.
/ tions Of very inferior importance /
| Can any one deny this of II man who |
| de claTes that he is, "abOve all things, /
/ the Candidate of universal amnesty /
II. G., that be asks the country to 4
elect him President, that be may do 4
what he can to remove the disqualifi-I /
cation to no Office from bakers i
dozen of the original plOtters of Sc
cession in each of the lately rebellious
states His critics have declared
that he was unjust to his opponents,
and given to violent misrepresenta-
ton of their motives. Does not this
hnd ample proof in the malignant
attack made by Mr.. Greeley on the
Soldiers Convention at Pittsburg,
which he charged with endeavoring
to stir up hatred, and treated general
ly in most offensive and even sour
rllous tone? Even Mr.. Greeley's ad-
mirers admit that he is sometimes
blinded by partisan zeal to well estab-
iish historical facts. His opponents
believe that this is carried by him to
such an extent that il would seriously
impair his impartiality and indepen-
dence as the Executive OF the nation.
Who can doubt that il would, after
reading the gross misstatements of
Mr.. Greeley concerning the temper
of the portion of the South he now
represents with reference TO the con-
ditions of reconstruction? He de-
clares that the South surrendered
their arms, abolished slavery, aban-
dOned the rebel debt, relinQuished {
all claims for slave property, gave the
the negro a vote, and acknowledged
the perpetuity of the Union. In {
point of fact, all these things were
obtained from the South either by
compulsion, as was the Case with the
surrender of their arms, or by means
OF the negro vote cooperation with
the Republican party of the North,
as was the case with all the other |
matters mentioned. To all these
measures the Southerners. who now {
support Mr.. Greeley as the forlorn I
hope Of the lost cause, were bitterly |
and persistently opposed. Is man
capable of such wide variations from
familiar truths the kind of man re- T
for President of the United \
States? S
One of the very gFavest causes of
The universal distrust of Mr. Greeley [
IS that III financial and business mat
-ers be has the zeal of q theOrist COM Q
Oined with q rooted ignorance of the L
subject. Does not this view of him Z
exactly tally with the exhibition he =
made of himself before the Louisville q
Chamber of Commerce He there
his notion that the Govern q
nent ought to resume specie pay G
nents, without specie enough to pay II
with, aud ought TO part with all its q
gold tn prevent its falling into the e
hands of gold gamblers. The naked p
tatement Of these preposi erOus e
.rOtchets is enough to expose the h
character of the mind that could en-
ertain them. .-.-.-.al. -..
But the one thing which makes
and patriotic men fear to
ee MIR. Greeley in power is, that in Il
he trying period of our history he q
as unreservedly In favor OF grant Y
ng the right of secession. Could it "
'e supposed that after this nation had ~
one through what it has to bury that II
Doctrine fOrever-to wipe every Wis ~ ~
ige of it out of American politics a ~ ~
nan could be found who, in the char ~
cter of Presidential candidate, ~
7ouId renOunce this position, and de- ~ ~
lare his present as well as his "a a
asst adherence to it? AT Pittsburg u'
e asserted that he would have con Ie
anted TO let the Southern States 20,
/, on fair vote, they had decided To m h'
o so, and he says that if a similar
ase were now presented he would
axe the chances" That Mr.. Gree pI
sy's mind was weak enough to ad- ~
hit this crazy and mischievous idea VI
! 1860, Is enough to deprive him for ~
yer of the confidence of the Ameri -
an people but that, after all the les W WuN
,ns of the war, and after the exhaus- Ps
We discussion of the force and scope .Ss S
our Constitution. and the needs of "a "a
he nation to which the war gave rise, 20
e should now proclaim the same idea ~ ~
a guide for judgment of his future =,
'urse, is piece Of folly too glaring = "a
need exposure. We speak that -
hieh any of Mr.. Greeley's friends 10 10
IN confirm by very limited observa- Ia "
on when we say that these speeches an sli
ave given rise to a general impress ~ "a,
on that their author is forfeiting the vi
W chances of election he ever had. We
he vices of his mind are incurable. ~
-e may be more consumed by ambi- Sic @
on in this last desperate struggle for DS
lblic honors. But even this is We We
nerenee of degree, not of kind. The co
me erTatic, selfconfident, narrow ae
inded politician he is now he has ol
zen for many years. That neither on
mself nor his friends could prevent OF
s making this display of his unfit vi
sss for the grave and delicate Office ol
which he aspires, is matter for Pc