The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-07-18
GREELEY, GRANT, PAINE
AND WASHINGTON.

The speech Of Horace Greeley at
Boston, has naturally attracted a
deal Of attention. He is the Demo
cratic candidate for the Presidency !;
and every word he now utters and
every act he commits are closely
scanned-very properly as there is a
possibility that he may yet be Presi-
dent Of the United States. Now it
is clear from the current Of express
sion in the press, that Greeley in
that speech developed the natural
weakness Of his character, and in
the very point too, which disquali-
fes him from being the executive Of
great nation. His enunciation is
briefly this and nothing more: He
has been a successful journalist, and,
therefore, must be a successful Pres
ident.
Now it must be understood that
Mr.. Greeley's successful journalism
is merely in writing; as business
manager he was dead failure. He
ran the New Yorker into the ground
when FL. G. was the sole proprietor,
and the New York Tri bune could
not be made to stand strong on it's
legs until McElrath was taken into
partnership with Greeley. McElrath
was a sound business manager ; he
made the Tribune financial success,
and that enabled Mr.. G. to develop
bis peculiar talents in journalistic
writing. McElrath did more than
Nh. Greeley to establish the Tribune
though he could not write q line Of
good English.
Now if Mr.. Greeley had been
successful business manager as we'll
as an able editor, there would have
been great force in his reasoning.
Merely fine writing can be obtained
any day for there are scores of men
who are good for writing and moth
ing else. Tom Paine was a much
better writer than George Washing
ton, but no one supposes that he
would have made either so wise or
SO safe President as Washington.
Washington wrote plain common
sense, and that is all that can be said
in his favor; but he had executive
ability aud that is what the people
want in a President combined with
sagacity in choosing men to fill their
proper positions. There is about as
much distinction between Grant and
Greeley as between Tom. Paine and
George Washington. Tom, Paine
was a fervid and effective writer in
stirring up the colonies against Eng
land; in that respect he was much
more efficient than Washington, yet
when the people came to vote for
President, they regarded the charac-
teristics Of Washington as much bet
ter for the Republic. The people
are very clear sighted on these ques-
tons, for they very well know that
men who talk the softest blarney and
write the best Of English, are often
the most wretched Of actors when
great measures are to be carried into
practical avocu+i0n
We feel no disposition to dispar-
age Horace Greeley, on the contrary,
we are proud Of him as a member of
our profession but we cannot over
look the fact that his speech at Bos-
ton betrays the very weakness Of
vanity when he does not fully COM
prehend the difference of writing a
stirring leader in the Tribune office,
and acting as Executive for forty
millions Of people. A mistake of
any kind in that trust is very differ
ent from mistake in composition,
because it may embarass the bust
ness, may compromise the dignity,
may affect the character Of the ma
ton, and in fine will be disturbing
element in the very quarter where
Of all others we need safety, prudence,
sagacity and conservatism EUe7a-
ing Wisconsin.
A few days ago a couple Of Bos-
ton runners entered a restaurant in