The weekly Louisianian., 1872-08-24

l
cal ocean, and then, and not till then, he
cast in his fortunes with the party Of lib
erty: His anti slavery principles had
failed to control his politics to an extent
sufficient to make him willing to do any
thing that would hurt shareholders or
slaveholding. The same spirit governed
him when in 1860 secession was threatened
and ho declared against the legality of
measures. looking to defense of an i'm
periled Union, and expressed his willing
ness to let the rebellious States go in
peace.
Imagine our condition had his policy
prevailed up in the prison house of
the South, with no hope of help; tor the
friends who had protested against the
wrongs done us would then have been cit
izens of a foreign country, with no right
to say or do aught in our behalf; wo should
have been doomed to centuries more of
slavery. .-sp:.
Yet this enrnest and consistent oppo-
nent of slavery was willing to consign us
to that literal hell upon earth.
Mr. Greeley ae1iss Eesident Lincoln to
offer the Shareholder hnndred mill
lions of dollars for 1hesf This car
nest abolitionist, whom NJ. Sumner so
much ad,nires, and fol- he advises
us to vote, was..willingt to burden the labor
ing men of the North with debt of four
hundred millions dollars to pay to the
masters of the South that sum for releasing
their unfoundcd claims to tho bodies and
souls of their slaves. Had the proposed
donation been to tho slaves there would
have been some Justice in tho demand,
The whole Nation had been guilty Of the
crime of slaveholaing, and reparation was
duo from the whole Nation; but to havo
paid it to the masters would have
been monstrous. No wonder the South
accepts him IS its candidate. They SEQ in
his election tho way opened for tho pay
ment for slaves, redemption of rebel
bonds and pensions to the rebel soldiers
never suspected Mr.. Greeley of Presi-
DENTAL longings until I read his Vicksburg
speech made at tho time of his trip to
Texas. He there proclaimed desire to
1.-Two to see the day when Americans would
be proud of the deeds of Stonowall Jack
son and of Robert E. Lee.
protest, in tho name of this Nation,
rescued from tho pcrils of q great rebellion
against any such sentiment. hope to
live to SEQ the day-indoed, the day has
come with me-when Americans will for
give tho crimo of Robert E. Lee, and
Stonewall jackson; when tho Nation shall
be willing to spread the mantle of forget
fulness over their deeds; but that We shall
ever be proud Of tho deeds of the men who
sought to destroy this great Nation, that
they might found on its ruins o common
wealth whose-coraer stono should be hui
man slavery is sentiment unworthy of a
patriot, ana he who entertains it is an un-
safe head for the Nation.
But all wonder at tho ready acceptance
of Nh. Greeley by the rcactionary Democ-
racy of tho South is removed when we
read this from the third paragraph in his
letter Of acceptance:
"There shall be no Federal subversion
of the internal policy of the several States
and municipalities, but each shall be left !
free to enforce the rights and promote the |
well-being Of its inhabitants by such |
means as the judgments of its own people |
shall prescribe"
One has to recall how completely the |
mania for tho Presidency changes the |
mental and moral man to understand that |
the writer of this sentence is the same
Horace Greeley who favored the adoption
Of the Thirteenth Amendment, which took
away from States and municipalities the !
right to enslavo their inhabitants. The
same Horace Greeley favored tho adoption
Of the Fourteenth Amendment, which took
from States and municipalities the right
10 deprive their inhabitants of American
he favored also the Fifteenth
which denies to States and
municipalities tho power of depriving an
American citizen Of tho right to vote on
account Of race color or previous condi-
ion Of selvitude. The Civil Rights Bill
Ilso which compels States and municipal
ties to receive the evidence in Courts of
IL citizens, and guards their rights. irres-
,ective of the judgments Of States and Il
municipalities, met his favor. He then
new, in the language Of Mr.. Groesbeck,
hat war legislates. He was then aware
# the fact that . revolution had taken
lace in American anairs. He knew then
hat the old doctrine ofStates rights, un-
Ter which slavery had been nourished
nd in the name Of which the rights of
citizens white and black, had s
cen alike trodden in the dust, had gone &
nder in the turmoil of the war, and yet q
Q deliberately brings it forward as doc
line worthy Of acceptance by the Ameri- L
m people, II Mr.. Greeley is right in ID
,is, if tho citizen must look to his State I
" the vindication Of his rights, then his p
|legiance is due to Tho state, and not to d
10 Federal Government. II Nr. Greeley d
right, then Robert 3. Lee, and Stone il
all Jackson, and Jefferson Dayis were il
ght And what is more, we were all d
rong. Resistance to tho rebellion was D
rons. emancipation was wrong, every a