The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-09-05
THE QUESTION TO ne ANSWERED..

The question now before the Ameri
can people Is not whether the privas
character of General Grant ls more vor
thy OF commendation than that of IIor
ace Greeiey, or the morals of Henry
Wilson better than those of B. Gratz
but whether Grant and Wilson are better
calculated, as the representatives of tht
kepubilcan party, to- advance the inter
ests OF the nation than Greeley anc
brown as the representatives, of the Dem
oeratIc party. 1t matters little whether
Greeley goes with his pants tucked iu hi.
saocs or Gratz Brown is addicted tt
strong drink. We prefer to believe tha,
| these personal charges are exaggerated =
that both Greeley and Brown are me1
OF good personal character, and practice
the manners which ought to prevail
among a Christian people. Personalities
during political campaign should be
taken with great allowance. We know
that qhe personal charges against Gen
Grant are untrue, and that both his char.
acter, and the character of Henry Wilson
are above rerroach; yet both have been
slandered by Democratic speakers and reb
ell organs. In our opinion the ques
tion to be answered is not whether
our candidates are personally bet
ter men than those of the opposi-
ton, but whether our cause Is bet
ter than theirs. If the campaign could
be conducted with this simply question
as text we should have less of that
bitterness which robs victory of half its
laurcls and adds needless humiliation to
defeat
We plant our standard on our platform;
we point to the past record of our candi-
dates as the best evidence of what we
have right to expect in the future.
The public record of both Grant and Will
son IS without stain or blot. General
Grant, from the breaking out of the re-
belllon to the present hour. has been be-
fore the people. Not single act reflects
on his character as a private citizen, a
heroic soldier, or wise statesman. Both
in war and peace he has been tried, and
not found wanting. Henry Wilson has
been q tried public servant for thirty
years. AS the practical reformer advo-
eating the abolition of slavery, the eleva-
ton OF the working man, the cause of
popular education, and as the watchful
guardian of liberty and justice, he has
few equals and no superior. Both Grant
and Wilson are firm believers in united,
indissolublc nationality. Their past re-
cord proves this. What better pledge
can we have for the future
THE DISCIPLE OF CALHOUN.
Greeley has been and is noa0 believer
in that political heresy which has been
State rights doctrine. Can his friends
deny this? If SO we point them to his
own words in 1861, when he devoted col
umn after column Of the TibtN1e tc the
subject, and continued his labors in be-
half of Southern secessionists from time
to time during the progress of the rebel
lion. In his American Conflict" he
defends the doctrine, showing that his
original views had undergone no change.
In his letter of acceptance he forcsha-
dows the same doctrine when he speaks
of the ''Federal subUersiouof Tie inter
nal polaty Of the seueral States, and the
necessity ofloaains tho Seata- g E.oo- TO
enforce the rights 0adpronoote the a0elE
being Of its t,eltabitants 6y such means ds
the 2,tdgnient of ats o1Oh people shalt pre-
scribe. lf his language in the past. and
his well digested views as expressed to,
day, fail to prove him disciple Of Cal
houn, then there is no force in language
Do the American people want Presi-
dent IN the present state Of affairs who
believes in the right Of secession ? That
is the question to answer. 1t is folly to
say that the State rights doctrine will
never recover from the blow it received
from the loyal millions. 1t has recover.
ed it is the only distinctive plank in
the Liberal movement, it prompts the
present yindictive opposition to General
Grant and the Republican party, and il
not efectually rebuked in November ii
will again plunge the nation into another
bloody civil war.
This we do know Of the past, had
Greeley been President instead Of Lin
coin the Union would have been destroy
ed, and a slaveholding confedcracy would
have been esta blished. He would have
followed out his convictions, as express
ed in his editorials, and permitted the
''wayward sisters to depart in peace. u
What he would have been in tie past
he may be in the future, if intrusted witt
power.
We dare not run such fearful risk
This fatal doctrine which supports the
Greeley movement has already cost the
nation too much blood and treasure fol
the people to place its advocate In the
Presidential chair. Let every loyal citi
tizen, whether he be Democrat or Re-
publican, think Of this and join hands il
saving the Republic from so great cal
amlty.