Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-09-25

Mr. GREELEY EXPLAINS TwIcE.-In Mr..
Greeley5 speech at Pittsburg, last Thursday
be made the fJI5win. remarks respecting
his proposition in 1871, To let the Southern
States 60:
Here stands one who is charged By them
with being a sccessiJui>t. Could that be
true, fellow citizens Look the facts 10 the
face. hen Lincoln had been elected, and
this conspiracy for secession began 10 advance
itself, we Republicans were told by our own
men, and told stI.l more by those out Of the
circle. you must back ont IF your Republic
cinism, you must surrender your opposition
to the extension of slavery or consent u
great civil war. Thi. they said. was the
only alcernative-b. and devastation
over the whole country. or you shall sur
render the principles ON which you have Just
carried the election. | was one OF those who
SAID no, there Is 10 such alternative. | deny
that the southern people, the great majority
of them, are against tbs Jnian. | De mtnd
that there shall be a far, open, tree scussIon
before that Southern people, and an honest,
unterI lied. uncunstralned vote, and II they
apprOve-if the people OF the South saw they
want dlsuui5n 1 will consent t. it. | n W
q at the Southern people, the great mJ1r-
ity must have voted, they actually did that
y inter, not Tor secession, but tor cllnglng To
the Union. And now to- ay, IT the nation
was to be impetlied, and there were Just
two modes Of saving it, 70 trust 10 the chances
81 civil war or To the chances OF a free vote
o. the Southern people, | won d very greatly
prefer to take the latter c1auce rather than
the fol mer. Fur, teilOw citizens, they do
greatly misunderstood or malIgu thus AmerI-
can people when they assume That IN cold
blood before there had been any clash OF
than the People in the North. desired DIS
union. In rs conception, in It's origin, the
great masses OF thoec VINO consented 70 this
secession movement meant nothing by it but
u back down tie North and make Us consent
To tie extension OF slavery. That was their
purpose, and thar purpose | did my best To
resist and defeat
Mr.. Greeley found, when he got to Gin
cinr att the next day, that his speech at
Pittsburgh had been criticised, and had been
interpI eted to be an cxpres-i N Of present
belief in the right Of 5. cession, and he ex-
planned again as follows:
/ Fellow-citzens, utterly repudrate and
condemn that sentiment. | do not believe
that one State. or that ten States, or that
even a majority OF all the States has legal
or constitutional right To dissolve our Union.
/ That Union Is founded on constitution
which is a charter OF government, not mere
/ league. 1t does not create league merely
not confederacy but nation under a gov
eminent Of limited and definite power, but Of
unlimited duration. | believe that the Union
is not only destined to be, but was intended
to be perpetual, and believe that our great
civil war, if there ever was any reasonable
doubt ss to the nature Of that Mon, has
settled the nature Of that doubt for ever.
That slavery is dead, and that the nation
abides for ever, is the sum and substance OF
the verdict pronounced through the issues
of our great contest. There Is no longer a
question. There can never again arse a
question as to the perpetuity OF the Union. .
Mr. Greeley will hardly advance much in
explaining his former political opinions if il
takes one speech to explain his record and
another speech to explain his speech
However, we are not sorry that he has taken
the stump in his own behalf Mr.. Wilson
is doing it for our ticket, and we see no OBJ
lection to sir. Greeley and Mr.. Brown doing
it for their ticket.