Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-08-19
NO. 1877.
PHILLIPS ON GREELEY.

Wendall Phillips has written long let
ter to the colored men of Boston advising
them to vote for Grant From it we make
the following extract:
If General Grant is set aside who is Of
fered us in his place ? Horace Greeley.
l need not tell you, my friends, what Hor-
ace Greeley is. We abolitionists knew him
too well in the weary years of our strug-
gle. He had enough of clear moral vision
to see the justice of our cause. But he
never had courage enough to confess his
faith If events had ever given him the
courage, he never would have had princi-
pie enough to risk anything for an idea.
A trimmer by nature and purpose, he has
abused even an American politicians priv
iege of trading principles for success.
But for lack of ability he would have been
the chief timeserver of his age. never
knew till now any of his eulogists SO heed
less and undiscriminating as even to claim
that he was sincere man. As for his
honesty-for twenty years it has been
byword with us, that it would be safe to
leave your open purse in the same
room with him; but as for any other hon.
esty, no one ever witnessed enough to
connect the idea with his name
MIR. Sumner trusts him as "a lifetime
abolitionist." This is certainly news to
you and me. You and know well, when
dbolttiontst, was term of reproach, how
timidly he held up his skirts about him,
! careful to put wide distance between
himself and US. You will find few work.
ing abolitionists who stood in the trenches
from 1910 to 1860, willing to trust the ne
gro race to Horace Greeley. / can re-
member the day when he and his fellow
republicans quoted our criticisms upon
them as certificates that they were no abo-
litionsts. We can give him just such
certificate now with clear conscience.
Judged by the files of the Tribune itself.
there naver was an hour when Horace
Greeley could have been trusted with the
care of the black mans rights.
No man has known better than he how
to manufacture political and pecuniary
success out of the convictions of other
men. For himself he never had con.
viction. Men contrast his former praise
of General Grant with his fault-fnding
now. Neither his praise nor his blame IS
of any account. Neither comes from the
heart. Both are measured and weighed
out with shrewd calculation for effect. Ex-
anime the files of the Tribune and you will
see that whenever mems convictions on
any subject got keen edge. Mr.. Greeley
was always ready to blunt them with
compromise. He is only acting now the
part he has always played. Men laugh
when some stirring and loyal sentence is
quoted from the Tribune of 1862 or 1864,
and Horace Greeley Immediately proves
that he did not write it, But you and
always knew that three-quarters of the
loyalty of the Tribune was smaggled into
| it in his absence, or in spite of him. If his
letters and communications to Lincoln,
during the dark years of 1862 and 1868,
are everpublished, the world will see what
you and | have always known, that he
could hardly have aided the Confederacy
more unless he had enlisted in its ranks,
or taken seat in its cabinet.
If, as Mr.. Sumner says, Mr.. Greeley, is
"lite-time abolihonist," how comes it
that, till within three years, Mr.. Sumner
hardly ever got a kind word and never had
any hearty support from the Tribune
How often have Mr. Summers friends
heard him eXpatiate at length on this
point ! On the floor ofCongress he has
stood, for many u year, the incarnation of
the anti-slavery movement. But he has
| again and again complained that, instead
OF giving him any support, the Tribune
has constantly belittled his efforts and put
obstacles in his way.-cheering his oppo-
nents and carping at his measures, or at
best damning them with faint praise. My
recollection of these wel-grounded COM
plants is so fresh, that look at Mr.. Sum
ner's picture of Mr.. Greeley with unfeign
ed astonishment. Even the supposed con-
version of the southern rebels is not so
wonderful as that of the Tribune into q
supp orter of Charles Sumner.