Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-17

more evil than good 1t would rekindle
passions that have nearly burned out or
been hushed to sleep; il would fearfully
convulse and agitate the South; it would
arrest the progress of reconciliation and
kindly feeling there, it would cost large
/ sum directly and a far larger indirectly;
| and-unless the jury were scandalously
| packed-it would result in management
| or no verdict ! can imagine no good end
! to be stibserVed by such trial; and, hold
ing Davis neither better nor worse than
several others, would have him treated as
| they are"
Is it conceivable that men who can read,
and who were made aware Of this declara-
tion---for most of you. were present and
shouted approval of Mr.. Fesssnden's con-
deLnnation of my views al the club, two or
three evenings thereafter-can now pretend.
that my aiding to have Davis bailed, is
something novel and unexpected?
Gentlemen, shall not attend your meet
ing this evening. I have an engagement
out of town, and shall keep it. do not
recognize you as capable of judging, or even
fully apprehendiDg me. You evidently re-
gard me as a weak sentimentalist, misled
by q maudlin philosophy. l arraign you as
narrow minded blockheads, who would like
to be useful TO a great and good cause, but
don't know how. Your attempt to base
a great, enduring party on the hate and
wrath necessarily engendered by bloody
civil war, is as though sou should plant
a colony on an iceberg which bad
somehow dried into tropical
ocean. tell You here that, out of a life
earnestly devoted to the good of humanity,
your children will select my going to Rich
mond and signing that bail bond as the
wisest act, and will feel that it did mora for
freedom and humanity than all of you were
competent to do, though you had lived to
the age of Methusela. l ask nothing Of
yeu then, but that you proceed to your end
by direct, frank, manly way. Don't side
off into a mild resolution of censure, but
move the expulsion which you proposed,
and which l deserve, if deserve any re-
proach whatever. All care for Is, that you
make this square, stand-up fight, and
record your judgment by yeas and nays. l
care not how few vote with NE, nor how |
many vote against me; for know that the
latter will repent 1t in dust and ashes be-
fore three years have passed. Understand,
once for all, that dare you and defy you, |
and that propose to fight it out on the line |
that have held from the day of Lees sur |
render. So long as any man was seeking TO
overthrow our government, he was my |
enemy; from the hour in which he laid |
down his arms, he was my formerly erring |
So long as any is at heart |
opposed to the national unity, the federal |
authority, or to that assertion Of the equal |
rights of all men which has become practi-
cally identified with loyalty and nationality, |
shall do my best to deprive him of power;
but, whenever he ceases to be thus, l de-
nand his restoration to all the privileges of
American citizenship. l give you fair no
ice that l shall urge the e-enfranchise-
nent Of all those now prescribed for re-
1ellion as soon as shall feel confident that |
his course is consistent with the freedom OF
he blacks and the unity of the Republic,
Ind that l shall demand recall of all now
n exile only for participating in the re-
,ellion, whenever the country shall have
,een SO thoroughly pacifed that its safety |
Will not thereby be endangered. And so,
gentlemen, hoping that you will henceforth
me somewhat better than you
lave done, remain, yours,
HORACE GREELEY.
New York, May %, 1867.