Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-09-25

when they have subserved the purpose fol
which they were created. / do not believe
that this country would continue to flourish
log under the exclusive domination OF any
political party. Scheming and corrupt
| politicians are sure to seize upon the organ
lzation of political parties; they soon learned
to " run the machine, as they say, and they
take good care to run it so that all the oil
drops into their pockets. ] trust that we
shall see frequent changes of parties in this
country. What we most.need just now Is
that Independent spirit which leads men IN
their love of country to rise superior to all
preJudices of political association and all ties
OF patty. | am free to confess and in no
way ashamed to admit that my party asso-
Citations are not the same now that they were
some years ago. The dangers which threat
ened our country in the past are gone. We
struggled and suffered together to preserve
the union of these states and not in the next
hundred years will any attempt to divide 1t
be made. What is needed now Is such
government as will enable all parts Of
the country to reap the fruits of victory
We want genuine peace and the complete
restoration of relations. 1t is time for us to
forget the animosities engendered by the
war. and 10 kindle, instead of baleful passions
a feeling of universal love. 1t is time for US
to invite those who stood opposed to us to a
seat around the cOmmo- table. There l.
room enough. am in favor of re-enfran-
chising all. Having done this, having buried
the di>cordS Of the past let see II we can
not do away with the col ruption which
prevails so largely in our local, state and
national governments. This is the great
work now set before Us 1t is for you to say
rhIou-h what instrumentalities this can be
accomplished.
1t Is evident that the philosopher has made
up his mind to take the stump and it might
have been expected as it is not easy for one
who has been active in every campaign since
1910 to be silent now. As usual, in this
speech, Mr. Greeley is partly right and part
iy wrong 1t is doubtless true that the
tendency Of all political parties is toward
Capitalization, caucus domination and
when the party has control of the govern
ment, corruption. Mr.. Greeley's abstract
proposition Is therefore we'll enough. But
when we are invited to put the Democratic
party into power as measure of reform, Mr.
Greeley must excuse US. He has told US too
many times, and in language too emphatic
for us to forget, that the Democratic party is
not the party of reform and the nature OF
the party is not changed because it has
chosen to wear, until after election, the
Greeley mask. The error Mr.. Greeley falls
into is in supposing that, in order to have
peace at the South, we had better let the
late rebels have their choice of President. 1t
did not occur to Mr.. Greeley, at the close Of
the war, when johnson was pushing his
peace policy, that any peace worth hav-
inc could be reached in that way and we
are unable to see what greater or better right
the late "adversaries and the Democratic
party have now to dictate terms Of peace and
reconciliation than they had then.
And it Is not exactly clear to Us who he
means by I'VE, when he says We strug-
-led and suffered together to preserve the
union of these states. If he means the
present Greeley party, our recollection does
not quite agree with his. If, however, he
means northern Democrats and Republicans
ne Is partially accurate in his statement but
how does that prove that the late disloyal
men should have things now their own way
If they refuse to be pacified except a that
price, whose fault is it that they do not get
a seat at the common table Or has It come
to this, that in order to have reconciliation,
to forget the animosities engendered by the
war, and ito kindle instead of baneful
passions feeling of universal love, we
must Danish Gen. Grant from this - common
table " and then Invite those who stood
opposed to US to a seat around it," Is it
not barely possible, if they insist on naming
he man who shall sit at the head of the
common table," before accepting an in
vitation to peaceably take their places as
American citizens, the country will let them
absent themselves and will hardly miss them,
any more than Senator Sumner said he miss
I'd Speaker Blaine, until they report their
tbsence