, 1872-12-02
CHICAGO, MONDAY DECEMBER 2, 1872.

demand. He lived to see his conduct ii this
case approved and adopted as . rule by every
lending journal in the country"
There Is no difference of opinion as to MIR.
Greeley'g personal worth. He WAS good man.
Strict and decorols in. his relations to society,
he had, as has been well slid, that rare integrity
" that not only was never corrupted, but re-
PEELED all advances Of corruption, no matter how
insidiously or indirectly made" am not aware
that Nr. .ureeioy 7iotatud Id his oondnct either
Of the Ten Commandments. Certainly as o
husband and father his life YVES irreproachable:
have seen it stated in certain newspapers that
he used profane language frequently. can
only say, TINT mover heard him use profane
him frequently in New York, and they say the
same. Ny belief is, that he never, under any
protocatioii, used profana language at all, or
indulged in any Of those coarse and vulgar e.
pressions that too often greatly weaken tho
influence for good Of our public men.
h1r. Greeley dtirihg tho 1ats Presidential CAM
paign, it is not my purpose to gather up hero.
And yet there is one charge brought against him
which is 30 conspicuously unjust, and 30 false to
the whole genius Of the man, TINT cannot prop
erly omit to MAMIE it, Irefer to the charge that
he was an "in7eterate ofice-seeker." To those
who knew the man, this charge is absurd, for
hardly any characteristeric OF him was more con-
spicuous than his unseldshness He did not
work for himself, but for the people, for truth,
gard Of his OWN comfort and welfare: So far as
I can learn, he never held but two Offices in his
whole public career, and they were to fill out an
unexpired term Of three months in Congress and
single term as Senator in the State Assembly.
Had Horace Greeley been an ofice-seeker, had
he been the obedient subject Of his party, and
worked for his personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, What o.
fee might he not have had d,-nay, rather, What
scores Of offices mighthe not have filled
It is shame, 8 dlshonor to journalism, thus
to misrepresent public man.
That Horace Greeley had no ambition do not
SAY but do not think he has any more than
he should have had. Still he knew IN later years,
what he was to the American Nation. aud what
be could do. He had a right to SEQ these things
as they we're. Ambition be had, but it vas OF
thnt Kind which lofty minds feel. whose Leading
wish is to gain success, so as to confer the larger
benefit
That Mr. Greeley had any distinct purpose Of
ever becoming candidate for the Presidency,
until very recently I don't believe: His whole ca
such' q suppoaition improbable. And at cincin-
natl, Gays one OF our city papers, IN q condition
to know: sHe was made candidate, not by
the tricks Of politicians, but in spite OF them.
His nomination was opposed by every person 70
whom the term politician may BE- app1eha ILLS a1s
who called that Convention. It was an lnvolun,
tary tribute to his intellectual greatness and
personal integrity"
And it is remarkable that Mr. Greeley is the
only man who has been nominated for the Presl-
dency, simply on his own personal merits, With
out regard to those adyentitious circumstances
which lift many into prominence. Ho was taken
for what he was, and thousands teit that the
strength Of his character, his exalted personal
worth, would elect him. They Judged wrongly
but the fact is none the less clear that the NOM
iuation was tribute to his intellectual greatness
and personal integrity.
In several of the articles which have come IN
der my notice, suggested by Mr. Greeley
death, reference is made to his Mistakes As II
frequently in his life time, he had made prodig1-
ons blunders. have tried carefully to call to
mind those "mistakes." What arc they? It
would be we'll for those who SO deliberately
make these charges, to inform the pubic, n de,
tail, what these :" "mistakes" are, about which II
seems 80 necessary for the public to be inform
ed. ssAlr. Greeley was great anc good man,
it is said, s9but then he was very unreliable ane
was continually making blunders." 1sreforenct
had in such observations as these, to the lac
that Mr. Greeley signed the bail-bond CT JeHer
son Davis : Was that one OF his blunde1s
History will not so record it. The act, at tht
time, shocked the feelings OF many Of his friends
but the conviction is rapidly gaining gEohasd gos
that Mr. Greeley was wiser than those who con
demned him. .....
I suppose that alarge part Of this impression
| peated blunders, lies in the fact TINT he va
| often at yariance with his party. He was not
| good pa1ty-man. He often repudiated part
action. Politicians called him mvasci11atiDg, when
! in truth, he WAS simply honest.
| Judging Horace Greeley by the standard 0
| party fea1ty, his course is open to criticism
| Recognizing the decisions Of the party as ex
posed in caucusaes and conventions, or BY it
accepted representatives,, Us infailible. tn
maintained. But this is not q proper stand
point from which to Judge the man. He con
aidered o political party tho representative Q
| ideas. He was identified with particular part
because he believed that party, If successful!
his tiis devotion devotion to it. he never agree
to have no opinions Of his own, nor to declar
| the party right when he knew it was wrong. Th
New York Tribune vas not conducted a. On z;td mos
censure, but this party censure did not prov
" This is not saving TINT Horace Greeley neye
| made mistakes in judgment, and that ne had u
infirmities of disposition it is simply affjrnln
But. if the distinguished editor did something
write '"hasty nords," or did employ languaG
improperly severe, or WAS at fault In has ]ud1
uent is it any wonder, considering no" fnuc
he wrote. aud that about everything he said an
did did in ali those busy years, went to the type
and to the country2 Let us not be unreason'
Bile, The editor of q newspaper, however prom
inent it may be, is but . ma noan' "ath 1.;,a =
opportunities Of judging what Is wise
and best which arc not open
other intelligent people From the aaa'1 natu'
of his employment, be cannot want to cons4 u
his neighbors, or deliberately to investigate tt
subject in hand. The article must be Tr1tte Z
then md there. Is it any wonder, then, that tt
wisest Of men, 50 cizeumstancea, sometime
I'll; Tie large majority Of people make up the
minds on the basis Of other peoples thinkin
and one can quite certainly tell What most peoR
viii say On q particular topic discussed by u
morning papers, when he knows what pape
they Iead. Independent thinking, to man an
might bo numbered among the lost arts, on
that they never had it. And it would, at Leaf
be modest in those who si1npty echo other Pc y
, 1le's thoughts, to reflect that those VINO real
DO the thinking for them may sometimes be
, fault, like other people.
Do YOU never think, as you take up q mor9l
: paper, still damp from the press, who has 90 90
!. al this work ?-done, q large share OF 1t, ~ ~
/ YOU have been asleep. Rarely have i appreclat
The value Of an enterprising, intelligent 4eN
paper, more than on yesterday morning. ! ! =
nct heard Of the death Of Mr. Greeley until !, I
: announcement there met my eye: Ana tae 9
, hy the side of the sad fact, we're all the leaqn