Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-04-18

4
aoide not general. The first class of de-
nouncers are scattered broadcast over
our State and they are noisy They
appear to be great many, but in truth
they are not host, and their demonstra-
tive iargon finds no response in kind
among that great class, who have for
wears taken and still take the weekly
and semi-weekly Tribune. AS an Incl
dent in illustration l have heard some
men say, ut is shame that Mr.. Greeley
has been engaged to deliver the address
at our State Fair" and it would not sur
prise me to hear that these political fire.
flies are asking that the engagement
with him be broken. Of course it will
not be, but what a shame it would be
for an honorable and honest man, even
to think of it ?
done ? He has denounced the cor
ruptions that have bred fostering sores
in the commerce and politics Of New
York-his arrows have pierced the rot
ten shield behind which Tom Murphy
stood where Leet and Stocking were shell
tered-the root of the matter has been
lanced and the people have seen it eX-
posed. Wherever corruption has hidden
itself in the Nation, in the State, in Mu-
inequalities or in Legislatures it has not
escaped detection and exposure. Shall
he be denounced and villiied for this
He has sometimes been mistaken-has
failed to make good his suspicious and
allegations, and he has demanded inYes-
LEGATIONS against the Republican party.
Granted that all this is true what then
This is the business of a great refOrmer
and Greeley's whole life has been az
gressive, an aggression against all
wrong-a brave uphOlding of all right
a fearless denunciatiOn Of every system Of
oppression, and devotion to the inter
ests of the masses from whom he sprung
which, while it has given him the place
of ConQueror and the power of a I'resi-
dent, has at the same time thoroughly
imbued him with the spirit and purpose
of a martyr.
If there is no official corruption at the
National Capitol-if innocence and lOvli-
ness are safely wrapt in the official folds
of the Custom HOuse-if Murphy and
T,pct and Stocking are angels in disguise,
Greeley or Gabriel may blow their
trumpcts of reform and we shall have
resurrection of purity only and the whole
world will see how COmely and beautiful
it is In no way can party so Justify
itself-so build itself up in the hearts
and affections of the people as to invite
the most rigid public scrutiny of all its
acts and dOings. | have no question
that Tweed, Sweeny, Hall, Connolly
Genet and the ring" of New York city
generally are more bitter and hostile to
Greeley and the T1t5au1e thanit possible
for the most fanatical Grant man to be.
] +I,I -, hoe
more deep seated corruption followed
bya more general and thorough exposure
But Mr.. Greedy is a traitor? This has
a bad sound and especially since our late
domestic strife, it has a bad sting in it,
It reminds us unpIeasantiy of Davis and
TOOmbs and Lee and Jackson, and the
the nation to kill it. Nobody charges
that he is q traitor in any such sense as
these men were. He has denounced
slavery as a crime since he first began
to talk in his own vernacular He stood
with us all pxulted in that " iOv I'M
speakable," with which we welcomed
the first overthrow of the rebellion, and
the consequent salvation of the govern
ment.
NOW IL llC Il u NCCC| CliII
Why Mr. Greeley has come to the
deliberate conclusion that some other
Republican than Gen Grant, can be
the people and of more service to the
country than he, and to use a common
expression he Z" goes for " that man, no
matter who the man is, but he must re-
present the principles of the Republican
party.
Does this make him traitor | take
it not. Fealty to the party, its princi-
pies is not to be Judged by devotion to
the preferment Of Gen. Grant " Prjn-
cipIes not men has been emblazoned on
the banner of the Republican party and
as long as men have brains, it seems to
me it is important to keep this in view.
When we are ready to reverse this and
90 for men not principLes we may as
we'll dispense with the mere Formally of
elections and inaugerate a ruling dy-
nasty.
But Mr.. Greeley has announced that
he is going to the Cincinnati Convention,
and this means that he will abandon his
party. Possibly so, unless it shall turn
out that the party t0lIoao him. Certaily
it means that he is not to contribute one
iOta of his power or influence for the re-
election of Grant, provided that Con-
vention shall nominate a republican
whose views are those to which he has
devoted the best years of his life.
1t has been Mr.. Greeley's custom to
go with a party Just as far as he APP
proves its action and no farther-to de
nounce it just as fearlessly when he
thought it in the wrong, as he denounced
no alSaJH-hpva o1oH To PC-1ncal y,1,
position to any man or set of men. even
on a republican ticket. if they did not
come up to his standard Of purity in
personal and official life Better to have
a bad democrat than bad republican in
office, because he can be fought out cas-
Ter and to better advantage This
has been the tone and tenor of lis
teachings always. Any one who
has been in the habit of raading
his paper knows this. and now when he
proposes to apply this rule to his own
political action he is denounced as ''ren-
egade and traitor"
Now | believe Horace Greeley has
more political influence in the nation
than any president can WELD. North,
South East and West his name is asso-
ciated with all that is high toned in NOR
ais and politics, the whole civil
lized world over, and will you al
low one who has little to do with po-
litical maneuvering, but who has
watched political movements with
interest, venture here and now the opin-
ion that the political party which feels
able to court his opposition or defy the
moral and political power of hislifc-long
teachings, is making mistake that will
end in disaster
Can Gen. Grant be elected with the
opposition that Mr. Greeley's departure
will engender? think not Mr.. Gree
ley. with the characteristic candOr of the
man has defined his position. The world
of politics will take notice what it is,
and that [ may be exact, quote it here:
1. If there shall be Democratic candi-
dates for President and Vice-President in
the field, we purpose to support that Re
III til,