Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-26
WORCESTER
THURSDAY. SEPT. go, 1879.
ssreeIey,s Progress.

country. In the same speech he aYowed and de-
Tended the secession utterances of his paper, the
New York Tribune, in these words:
Il demanded that there should be open, free
discussion before the southern people, and an
honest, unterrifed, uncoustrained vote, ana if
they approve, if the people OF the south say they
want disunion, viii consent to it, know they
will not. know the southern people, the great
majority of them, would have voted as they
actually did that winter, not for secession, but
for clinging TO the Union, and now to-day, if
the nation were to be imperiled and there were i
Just two modes of saving it, to trust to the
chances of civil war or to the chances of a free
fair vote OF the southern people, would very
greatly prefer to take the latter chance rather
than the former"
At that time the candidate was evidently in
despairing mood; his prospects looked black and
gloomy; some one had been telling him the
truth, perhaps, that his election was impossible,
or possibly he had been looking over the field
himself, without his enthusiastic friend Tilton
at his elbow, and his political experience warned
him of certain defeat. Except in such frame
otlmind ne would hardly have ventured to insult
the men whom the people of the United States
have honored and will always honor for their
patriotic devotion and heroicsevice. But, feel
ing sure that he had nothing to lose, he vented
his illhumor in those spiteful sentences and defed
public opinion by an avowal of the doctrine of
secession.
But when he reached Cincinnati his mood had
changed. He had heard probably that that
eminent man, Eli Slifer, was about to declare
for him, and that gave him fresh courage
Thinking that there was yet a chance which it
would never do to throw away, and DESTROYS TO
repair, so far as possible, the mischief which he
had already done, he tried, in his harangue in
that city, to explain away his secession utter
ances at Piusburg in the following manner:
"Those remarks which ! made last evening
have been misrepresented, have been, think,
perverted into an expression of present belief,
present conviction, that any state has right
to dissolve this Union at its own good pleasure.
Fellow citizens, utterly repudiate and condemn
that sentiment. (Cheers.) ] do not believe that
one state, or that ten states, or that even a ma
Jorlty of all the states, have moral, legal or
constitutional right to dissolve our Union"
(Cheers.)
1t does not require a subtle intellect to detect
the Inconsistency between these TWO declara-
tons, nor the want of harmony between the
latter and all Greeley's utterances on the sub.
ject in the Tribune and in letters from 1860
down to 1871, which have been published all
over the country, and in which the right
of the southern states to secede, if their
people had deliberately made up their minds to
do so, is broadly asserted and placed upon the
same footing exactly as the right of our ances-
tors to declare their independence of Great Brit
ain. Has he repented of this error and reeanted
it2 He does not say so, but tries to make it
appear that he has been misrepresented and his
words perverted. The inconsistency, however,
is there, and it expresses the difference between
Greeley disappointed and defiant and Greeley
timorously hopeful.
In the same speech, or another at the same
place, Mr.. Greeley instructed the merchants and
bankers of Cincinnati on financial matters We
all remember how pertinacously and dogmatic-
ally he used to assert that the way to resume
specie payments was to resume, to post up a
placard over the doors of the treasury, saying
that specie would be paid there on all demands
against the government, and the thing would
be done. Instinct, or some other faculty,
warned him that this was not a theory to which
practical business men would listen with re-
spect Therefore, as he had no other 10 pro-
pose, he offered to the chamber of commerce of
Cincinnati this harmless, but not extremely val
liable, advice
What do here ask-what ask this chamber
10 onglnate-ls an inquiry and investigation by
men OF business and capital as to where the
proper remedy for these disorders of which |
speak is to be found. Let us be calm about it,
Let us take time; let us investigate slowly care
fully, and LET the business men of the country
come TO the conclusion as to the proper remedy
not for a particular disorder TODAY but against
the periodical recurrence of these disorders
This is what | would have the business men of
this country do"
II the renowned Captain Bunsby had Mr.
Greeley's facility Of expression, no doubt his
advice TO the business men Of Cincinnati would
have been identical with this.
But it was at indianapolis that Greeley made
the most unfortunate exhibition of himself as a
campaign orator. The spectacle of candidate
for The highest office taking the stump to advo-
cate his own election is rare and not in itself
particularly edifying. 1t might be expected of
such candidate that he would, at least, confne
himself to the discussion of public questions with
such dignity, courtesy and breadth of view as
he could command, leaving personal attacks,
elecuoneering calumnies and the other dirty
work, if the eXigencies Of the canvass REQUIRE
such work to be done, to his coadjutors who are
not ostensby seeking Office for themselves
This would certainly be more decorous although
there IS something to be said on the ground of
honor, If not Of expedeney, in favor of what
perhaps, is Mr.. Greeley's attitude in this mat
ter-we are willing to give him the credit of
1t, at any rate-that, if calumny aud detrac-
ton are necessary to advance his cause, he win
take his snare Of the responsibility for giving
them circulation, and bear the odium as well
as reap the advantage, if any is to be gained
from them. The infamous Credit Mobilier
falsehoods, absurd on their face, and hundred
times exposed and disproved, he rehearsed to
his audience, making in the course of his re-
marks many Misrepresentation and mis.state.
ments which he must know to be such. We
need not refer to them more particularly than
by saying that he repeated the familiar story
which had its origin in that ylest of newspapers
the New York Sun. Some Of Mr.. Greeley's or
gans profess to be in ecstaccs with these speech.
es' Ihey call them "the most trenchant and
siatesmanlike productions that have fallen from
the lips Of presidential candidate" The
World, however, while praising them, thinks
they may have "no great effect in promoting
ms electioni" and probably the World is right,
STORIES AND POEMS, by Mother and Dauob.
ter; Caroline Gilman and Caroline Howard
Jeryey. Boston: Lee & Shepard. This volume
Is very handsomely printed and bound and has
twelve or more full page illustrations. The
contents are divided into three parts. First