St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-07-19
The Man Himself.

The Greeley organs note the fact that
Republicans do not appear to take such
a iocose view of their candidate as they
did, and do not seem to find so much
that is comic in his nomination as they
did after the Cincinnati Convention. IL
is very true The qualities III Mr..
Greeley which have created amusement
hitherto, and have even awakened SYM
pathy and added to his popularity. be
come source of apprehension and
alarm, when considered i'll connection
with his possible elevation to the Pres
idency. Nero's tiddling while Rome
was burning had something comic i'll il,
but it was fearfully overbOrne 10y the
tragic elements of the exhibition. Mr.
Greeley is not Il Nero, but he has weak
nesses which, in the most responsible
post of the Government, might intlict
imcalculable injury, if not peril, upon
the nation. Suppose, for Instance, he
had been President of the United States
at the time the seceSSlOnISts rose up
with their demands for Il dissolution of
the Union. In his paper he could SAY,
as he did say, that they ought t" he
granted, without doing anything worse
than to add somewhat to the miSchIeN-
Gus influences then rife. But as Presl-
dent. he might easily have SO officially
strengthened the secession conspiracy
and committed and tied the hands of
the Government, that Congress would
have found itself utterly powerlcSs to
save the Union.
All this would have come from the in
diligence in the wrong place of one of
/ H., 4 81 I
rs. The same difficulty and danger
might he predicted of Il like official OPP
portunitN to carry out MI. Greeley ;
absurd scheme to negotiate peace
with the rebels. in his famous Niagara
Falls wild goose chase. and his prop"-
sal that the people of the 'nited States
should pay four hundred millions of
dollars in five per cent stock for the
emancipation of slaves. The same
might he said. also. of his proposition
| for the instant resumption of specie
pay mentS. and of the numbcrleSS other
| QuiNotic schemes which he has from
| time to time been urging upon the pub
/ lie attention. Most of these were harm
/ less as they issued from his pen his
enemies ridiculed them and his best
friends overlooked them in his good in
trnti"n> and his general ability as Il
writer. Such manifestations. however.
did eifcctmally prevent Mr.. tireelcI
from being promoted to positions of
responsibility and power so long as he
remained in the Republican party. not
/ With>tandimg his eager and persistent
aspirations for such offices were known
To all his acquaintamcc>.
BeN ond. however. these specific and
recorded vagaricS of Mr.. trrtclcN. lies
/ the fact of Il constitutional instability
and crotchctincsS. which always pre-
vents Won from telling where he will
turn up next. If he is right on amy
particular question to-day. it affords
not the least certainty that he may not
90 wrong tomorrow. only last octn-
Der. for instance. he wrote to Il Demo
cr.it that as he was "a ftrnciouS Pro
ttctioniSt." he could not become the
Presidential candidate of the DemocIa-
cN. for that. said he. would place lis
all in false position. Since then he
has not only >hutficd off his terociouS
protectioniSm. but has been intriguing
with all his might and main for the
/ Democratic nomination. and Is no doubt
perfectly delighted that he has got it..
This unreliability not only arises from
his mental peculiaritieS. but from the,
fact that he is-t" speak plainly he
most gullihle of men. This has always
been known. publicly as well as phi
valely. Now imagine such Il man elect
ed To the Presidency and surrounded
with the TammanN wire puller>. the
arttul rrpudiationiStS of the West. and
the gaunt and vindictiVe eX-rehelS at
the South. who would have secured his
promotion and what is there in the
prospect To assure amy thoughtful Amer
lean citizen Mhu has the least regard
for thc national progress already made
or amy hopes of the future !-Boston
.InMrnnL