New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-10-03

! In his speech at Jeffcrsonvillc, or, as We
might paraplrasc it. ,Jeilersondayisvillc. our
wise ard bcnignant old Dolly Warden, Ifor-
ace Greeley, used the following language rs
we find it reported in the Tribune:
Il was, in the days of slavery, an enemy
Of sIuvery, because thought slavery neon
sistent with the rights, dignity, and highest
wcll-beinc of free labor That might have
been q mistake, but ii was at any rate an
earnest conviction"
Now, We are not disposed to deny that Mr..
Greeley did labor and write earnestly in the
3nti-slaYerv cause : we would not rob him CT
one iota OF credit ne deserves in connection
with that movement, but what we wish To
show by the above is. that Horace Greeley
is himself willing to cndanger his reputation
and record a. an abOlitionlst for the sake OF
tickling the prcjudiccS oi a pro-slayery audi
ence. II was, in the days Of slavery, an
enemy Of slavery,' he says, but That might
have been a mistake" Now, what the
American people want to know is how far
Mr.. Greeley VIII feel IL to he his duty to 90
in surrcnderin4 his principles and their in
tereSts to carry out his pet idea Of rcconcilia-
ton: Must Charles Sumner forthwith write
a letter from his quiet retreat in Paris, cX-
planning that lie was once a friend of the
black lace, but, "rerhapS, that was mis-
take ?' Must the Union soldiers OF the war
meet in convention and publish manifesto,
declaring that once they carried the starry
banner over fields of blood and swept from
our continent the stars and bars Of the Con-
iederacy, but, ''pcrhaps, that was a mis-
take?' Must the mothers, wives, ana
daughters OF the North, who gave fathers.
husbands, and sons to the cause of the ma
tons unity, say: I" We babe our boys God
speed, We followed them to the hospitals,
we made bandagcs for their wounds, we
prayed FOR their success, we welcomed them
back with tears for the slain. and sweet
rewards for their loyalty, gallantry, and
courage, but, perhaps, thai was mis-
take"' Must we qualify every loyal inn
pulse, every gallant act, every martyrs hero
ism, and all the humanitarian principles that
found expression during The anti-slavery
contest. bv saving" Perhaps that was a
mistake ?' We do not say that Mr.. Greeley
would go to the extent of affirming all that
we have written above, but it must lie clear
to all that his scandalOus explanations, adj
missions and concessions in his late speeches
open q path Of the most shameful surrender
Of all that the loyalists of the nation sup
posed they had won for all time that viii be
more discouragng TO loyal cndeavor and
eanestness in the future than anything else
that can be imagined. Mr.. Greeley, with
his accustomed cgotsm and OVerhearing OH
ciousncSs, is now parading himself before the
country as the leader and champion of recon
Citation and amity. IN doing this, he has
not hesitated to enter a city where the sol
diers of the Union had Just been exchanging
greeting with those who fought against them,
though without insulting themselves and
their cause by admitting that perhaps they
had made a mistake, and there proclaiming
before the whole country that these battle
Scared veterans had assembled "with the
single purpose Of rehmd!ing the bitterness,
the luminosity and antipathies, the fears and
civilizations of civil war Cor the advantage Of
Il political party" Who were these men
whom this moon-iaced man Of peace thus in
suited? They were the heroes of the great
est war in history, from men who had com
manded all the armies in the East down to
the private who had borne the musket faith
fully and brayCly through the heat and
danger of the contest. There were men there
who had stormed the heights of Eicksburg
and leaped with 4 cheer for Grant, the hero
of both victories, on the defenSes Of Rich
mond when the rebel hordcs- fed from their
capital. They were men who acknowledged
the gallantry of their foes, and with a mag
nanimitv that Greeley has never been in
position to display conceded terms III their
defeated enemies, which astonished the world
on account Of their generosity. 1t will be
Idle, however, to reason with this vain old
man and convince him that he has not earned
n title to the throne Of the Kingdom Of
Heaven for thir extraordinary leniency to-
wards those who took up arms against the
l'nion. lie blesses God that there was a
jeff. Davis, whose bail bond he could sign,
and his mania for clasping hands with sup
posed antagonists has taken such possession
of him that he would shake the bony claws
of Satan himself if he could find that illus
trious rebels headquarters, without spelling
his chances for the Presidency.
Mr.. Greeley is right in thinking he made
a mistake, but il was not in being an anti
slavery man--that was rather his glory.
His mistake was and is, in suppooing he can
become President Of the United States.