The Portland daily press., 1872-05-09
THE PRESS.
THURSDAY MORNING, MAY 0, 1879.
.h....m I;n.o,n and Horace Greeley.

-----S ~---ANAH
of the relations existing between the present
Chief Magistrate of this country and the edi-
tor of the New York Tribune their verdict
concerning the relations of the latter gentle
man and Abraham Lincoln has long since
been made up. Among the Affections that
saddened the last month of the martyred
Presidents life was the persistent misrepre-
sentation, the causeless hostility and the mis-
chievous activity of him who now asks TO DE
his successor. 1t is almost incredible that
man protesting to be philanthropist ana re-
former, fully i'm sympathy with all the pur-
poses which Mr.. Lincoln was endeavoring to
carry out, should make such record for him
self as Horace Greeley did, between 1860 and
1855. In his war for the Union, Mr.. Lincoln
was prepared to meet the armed assaults of
the Rebels, and to Withstand the open or CO.
vert attacks of the unpatriotic men who will
go into history as "Copperheads." But he
was not prepared for the captious fretfulness,
the ungenerous criticism, the distrust and the
blatant circumstances of the editor of the
leading Republican paper in the United
States. This was the one obstacle that he re-
garded as unnecessary-the one attack which
he considered cruel. A brief recital of the
circumstances attending the Niagara Falls
peace negotiations in July, 1854, would con-
vince every intelligent and candid person that
Mr.. Greeley is not discreet or safe man to
intrust with the management of important
public affairs. For months the Tribune had
from day to day been sowing the seeds of dis
trust far and wide. 1t instructed its readers
that no progress had been made in the sup
preston of the Rebellion and that the Wash
ington authorities were distinguished only for
their incompetency and disregard of their du-
ty. All its vaccinations were of the most
lugubrious character, till its readers imag-
ined the editor in constant state of
putting ashes ON his bald head and
rending his garments. The administra-
ton was of course exceedingly annoyed at
these proceedings since it weakened the con-
fidence of the people and discouraged the
soldiers in the field. Just then the notorious
adventurer and hair-brained enthusiast sfCol-
orado Jewett' sent note to Mr. Greeley tell
ing him of Southern s'ambassadors'' on the
frontier who desired safe-conduct to Wash
inston. This tickled the vanity Of the Old
White Coat exceedingly. He Immediately
wrote anote to Mr. Lincoln inclosing Jewetts
communication, and courteously assuring the
President that there was widespread con-
viction that the government and its supporters
aoere not anrious for peace" Mr.. Lincoln
promptly replied saying that if the s'ambassa-
dors' had any authority in writing to pro-
pose peace on terms, embracing the restore
ton Of the Union and the abandonment of
slavery he would gladly see them. After
wards Mr.. Greeley went to Niagara Falls and
found there G. G. Clay of Alabama, Jacob
Thompson Of Mississippi, the famous George
A. Saunders and Prof Holcombe of Virginia
He was informed by these gentlemen that
they were not accredited from Richmond at
all as the bearers of propositions looking to
the establishment of peace. This changed
the aspect of affairs materially, and of course
Mr. Greeley could not offer them the safe
conduct he had been authorized to make use
OF In case he found them what he believed
them to be. On communicating these facts
to the President, the latter sent Major Hay.
his private secretary, to Niagara Falls, with
the celebrated note addressed 1'To whom it
may concern" in which he reiterated the
statement that asafe-conduct would be grant
ed to any person duly authorized by the Con-
1ederate government to propose peace on the
basis OF the restoration of the Union and the
abolition of slavery. Hereupon Clay and his
associates, instantly went off in huff, declar-
ing that the President had beguiled them.
and that, after offering them safe.conduct
on condition that they could obtain from
Richmond power to negotiate for peace,
ne had suddenly proposed new con-
ditions when the first ones had
been fulfilled. Mr. Greelea had ne,er
informed them that the President had first,
last and all the time imposed the same cond;-
tons. This serious oversight may have been
the result OF carelessness or of malice. How
ever this may have been, the result was the
same. 1t placed the overburdened aud care
weary Chief Magistrate in false position be-
fore the country, and added immeasurably to
his anxieties. He felt sure, however, that
the publication of his whole correspondence
with Mr.. Greeley would set the matter right.
Accordingly he applied to the latter for per-
mission to give to the public all the notes
mat mad passed between them. To this very
reasonable request Mr.. Greeley peremptorily
declined to accede, unless certain passages in
MS own letters, having nothing to do with
the matter in hand, but representing the co,,n-
try to De on the cerge Of destruction, hintinq
az me possibility Of Northern resurrection,
and referring to the Importance of affecting
Jdcora6ty the North Carolina election. could
be reproduced in full. Of:course Mr.. Lincoln
feared the effect of such idle predictions on
the South as well as the North. 1t would he
giving aid and comfort to the enemy in the
most effectual way. He preferred to rest for
years under most unjust and false imputa-
ton rather than expose his country to any
unnecessary peril. Accordingly he contented
himself with depositing the letters with Mr..
Raymond to be used for his own personal
vlndicatlon when it could be done without
danger to the country. 5Hd
Mr.. Greeley assuredly was. not Rebel or
Copperhead, but it would be difficult for
anyone to point out gentleman belonging to
either of these classes of bad citizens who
did more for Davis and Lee during the sum-
mer of 1854 than the present Democratic can
didate for President.
WE understand that Hon. F. A. Pike will
not be candidate for nomination as Repre-
sentative to Congress in the Fifth District,
and that Mr.. Hale will be nominated without
opposition. Mr.. Hale has attained marked
eminence in his Congressional career and his
return will be received with pleasure through
out the State. a.I-l -uF
THE new Iowa statute abolishing capital
punishment, provides very wisely that no
pardons shall be granted except with the con-
sent OF the. General Assembly. Some such
law here would at the same time remove the
anomaly of a law which is never executed,
and prevent too free use of the pardoning
power vested in the Executive.
The Washington Patriot, the central organ
ol the Democracy and rejecting the views of
democratic Congressman, in its Wednesday
morning issue.makes a bitter assault upon
MIR. Greeley and severely denounces the
'scheming demagogues' who propose to
barter. 1t says:
Mr. Greeley is an original Aboltionist and
radical Republican, afflicted with many wild
and obnoxious theories which have navar ~