The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1872-06-06
Horace Greeley.

Mr. Greeley was never what
could be considered a professional
politician-that,is is, he never stood
pledged to the entire platform ot
any political party. He always con
sidered himself an independent
worker, and out of this alone grew
his first success as a Journalist.
When lie started his paper It was in
the face Of many embarrassing diff
culties, for the ground seemed to be
All taken up by strictly partisan
publications; but he thought he saw
an opening for a political Journal Of
no particular school, end he went in,
and it happened that he had not
been deceived.
At first it was not certainly
known which of the political parties
then existing had the strongest
claim to the new candidate tor pub
lie favor; but soon Mr.. Greeley
came out strongly on the side of o
high protective tariff, and that iden-
titled him with the Wings, and kept
him with them On that question so
long as the party existed Is an or
ganization. he was the warm
friend Of Henry Clay and. advocated
him on every occasion when oppor-
tanity offered.
In later years the free7s5il ques1
tion sprung into prominence, and
Mr.. Greeley took sides with that,
believing, as he did. that slavery
was wrong and ought not TO be exs
tended. His great weakness, a.
some Of the people style it, seems
ever to have laid in his humanity
for man. Knowing nothing Of slay-
cry from personal observation, he
naturally accepted the horrible sto-
ries of it generally prevalent at the
North, and in the honest conviction
that he was serving humanity he
made free -soiIism his. second great
principle, a protective tariff being
the first. This eventually carried
him into the Republican party. He
was with the. Wings because THAI
party favored his pet principle Of
protection, and afterwards he was
with the Republicans because Re
publicanism professed TO oppose the
extension Of slavery into tie terri
tories. He was never in favor of
interfering with slavery in the
States where it existed, as his posi-
tion, set forth in the next para
graph, clearly demonstrates.
When Oureectionai troubles arose
in 1861, and arrangements were be
ing made with a view to dragging
the seeding States back into the
Union by- force Of arms. Greeley's
humanity again displayed itself;
for, to the great damage of his per
son Il interests, he came boldly out
and urged that the North, to use his
own words. ''Let th3 erriHg sisters.
depart in peacew He believed
the South had erred, but still he
could not feel that the error justi-
fed q resort to force, or blOedshed.
The war was carried through
the Southern States surrendered TO
adverse circumstances and superior
while the successfully
hordes were crying for more blood
clamorous as n band of vic
tOrious Indians for the stake and
faggot-a voice clear and earnest
rang above the tumult in an elO-
quent pleading for meTc cy; it was
that of the old white-eoated phi
losopher, Horace Greeley! That
voice was a power which could not
be easilv.scotfed down, for Horace
Greeley had many friends humane
as himself; and as a consequence,
we do not doubt, many are walking
Gods footstool to day who would
have been living only in
the records of martyrs to the Lost
Cause.
And, when still later, one who had
been considered the most prominent
actor on the Southern side of the
war was led forth lrom long impris-
oument and admitted to bail in con
sequence Of the heavy pressure
brought to bear by Greeley and his
friends-admitted to a bail which
it was thought could not be given
our old hero was the first man to
step forward and extend in a freud
ly greeting to Jefferson Davis the
hand which IN n minute afterwards
was writing the name Of Horace
Greeley upon the bonds! We well
remember the howl that went up,
and can form some idea Of the loss
which must have resulted to the
Tribune; still there was no evidence
Of a single consequent pang in the
heart of the actor--we fully believe
he would have done just so had be
been assured ofbankruPtcy the next
moment.
Still later, when the party with
which Mr.. Greeley was identified
refused to hear his plesdings on the
side of humanity, but continued to
grind the Southern people without
cause or mercy, he dropped every
interest which he had in it, and
his friends about him, en-
tered manfully into a war for right
and justice. The reader knows the
rest. .-NO5ils Register.