Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-10-03
The Two Points of Greeleyism.

WE have no wish to say harsh things of
Horace Greeley. His feebleness as a can
didate appeals to ones pity. The instinct
which makes a looker-on sympathize
with "the under dog in fight" prompts
compassionate consideration of the
luckless Horace. But his tour should be
viewed dispassionately. "Naught extern
uate, nor set down aught in malice" is a
rule that should be applied to this case.
The New England trip of MIR. Greeley
was for the most part a studied avoidance
of political discussion. He evidently
started out firmly resolved to confine his
public remarks to the interchange of
friendly greetings. But before he got
home he was too full for silence. Accus-
toned during long and busy life to have
his 'say" upon every subject, he broke
out at last in Portland. He there let out
the secret that if elected to the Presi-
dency he should remember his friends in
the dispensing of patronage, instead of
adopting the civil service plan. He COM
pared any departure from the old Demo
cratic rule, ''tO the victor belongs the
spoils," to the ingratitude of man who
should kick out of doors the very men
who had Just saved his house from the
flames. That was the cat let out of the
bag on that trip, and the 1000 Repub
somewhat less had that speech never
been made. The application of the
ouse-bdrning story exposed most
plainly the insincerity of the Lib
eral pretense of civil service
reform. The Liberal candidate for the
Presidency looks upon the Federal ap-
pointive offices as premiums to be dis
tributed among those who have contribut-
ed most to the election of the President.
In that light he is a suitable candidate of
the Liberals, for their real grievance is
that President Grant took a different
view of the subject. The President holds
the question of fitness for office to be the
supreme consideration, party service
| being subordinate question. If he
could have his way, he would break up
entirely the spoils system, and apply with
thoroughness the system embodied in the
civil service rules. His election will be a
popular Endorsement of that reform and a
rebuke of Greeley's house-on-f fire policy.
The second grand swing of Horace
Greeley has another and still more vital
significance. The first tour furnished
occasion to show his sympathy with
Jackson on the spoils question; his
second furnished occasion for him to
show his accord with Calhoun on the
State Rights question. Here are his exact
words:
"And now to-day, if the nation was to be i'm
periled, and there were just two modes of saving
it. trust to the chances of civil war, or to the
chances of free vote of the Southern people,
would very greatly prefer to take the latter
| chance rather than the former"
These are plain words. They mean
that if the Southern people should say
through the ballot-box, "We want to
form nation by ourselves, severing all
connection with the North" Horace
Greeley, if President of the United States,
would say, "Wayward sisters, depart in
peace" His language is susceptible of
no other possible Interpretation. Every
body will put that construction upon 1t.
The rebel element will be stimulated TO
renewed zeal for his election, knowing
that it would make secession possible,
and in some of the States probable. 1he
Union element of the country Will also be
nerved to renewed zeal. There has from
the first been a vague fear that the South
would in some way attempt to secure by
suffrage what they failed to get by fight
ing, but noone could guess when or how
that attempt would be made. Greeley has
given us a peep behind the curtain. We
now know that the time has come to at
tempt peaceable secession. General
Grant led the loyal forces to victory over
armed rebellion; he is is our leader in de
feating treason's new departure.
Mr.. Greeley can now go home and stay
there. He has blurted out the whole secret
There is need of no more light. He has
said enough. If he should talk steadily
from this time on TO the evening of ;ht
election, he could not add any materia
fact, nor could he undo what he has done
The word once spoken, says the proverb
. can not be recalled.-Ch1cGgO JOltrRR,