The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1872-10-26

VlotM w tuV VltiO VI ~A VII AAOA
secessionist.
II q majority of Southern voters.
that is, of free white men, would
deliberately resolve to go OUT"
he pledged himself to resist all CO. ;
ercive measures designed to keep
them in. What was the simplest
plan ever suggested for the disso
luton OF the Union and the perpet-
uation of slavery. What stronger in
vitation "to go out" could he have
given the South than that pledge
s'to resist all coercive measures
designed to keep it in?" Slave
holders, anxious "to go out" but
dreading the ''coercive measures"
read Mr.. Greeley's pledge repub-
lished in every Southern paper.
Its effect is we'll known. Among
the influences that changed the
doubling aad hesitatiDg white men
of the South into firm and ardent
secessionists, none was more effec
tive than Mr. Greeley's pledge to
ssresist all coerciye measures"
Whether that pledge was the means
of turning the scale, and giving
the active secessionists their ma
jority, we may not certainly know
until the day of final reckoning.
But this We do know, that for oil
the ruin, desolation and misery Of
the secession war, no man, North
or South, is more responsible than
Mr.. Greeley.
1t is worthy of note that Mr..
Greeley admitted the illegality of
secession. He admitted the right
of the Government to save the
Union by t'coerciye measures" !"
but insisted that the Government
should not exercise that right. II
he had thought the Union had no
right to defend itself, he would
have taken position where q
brave man entertaining that opin-
ion, might sorrowfully stand. But
admitting the right to defend the
nations life, he insisted that it
should not be defended, but he
basely surrendered without blow.
Ehe treason of his position was on
ly surpassed by its cowardice.
Mr.. Black President Buchanan 8
Attorney General } saw his bastard
| ly plank in Mr.. Greeley's platform,
and, under his advice given Nov
ember 20, 1860, Mr.. Buchanan, in
his last annual message 10 Con-
gress, took the ground that the
Government had no right to coerce'
a seeding State. Observe the
date and the language, and you
will see that, under Blacks advice,
Buchanan adopted Greely's secs
sion doctrine. all but the cowardly
part of it. The yenomous abuse
with which Mr.. Greeley followed
President Buchanan to his grave.
and Mr.. Black up TO the year ol
grace 1872, may be explained by
the fact that their rejection of the
pusil animous plank of his seces-
sion platform exposed him to uni
versal contempt.
When he found his secession
principles unpopular, and the sub
scription list of the Tribune falling
!, of,that paper suddenly advocated
an exterminating and merciless
prosecution of the war, notwith
standing a vast majority of the
Southern whites, encouraged by
his solemn pledge, had ''deliberat
~ resolved to 60 OUT
Suppose he hired somebody else
, to write the Tribune articles advo
, eating the prosecution of the wal
/ Is he irresponsible for hiring some
> body to write what he was ashamed
I to write HIMSELF / viii! do him n,
! injustice. have no doubt he vii
employ sombody else to write ar
e tieles in his paper advocating tn
use of 'coercive measures" II
\ is in principle, secessionist to-day
. as he was when he wrote that ar
ticle OF November 9. 1860. I oh
= serve he is stumping the countr
in his own behalf.
When he makes his next STUN
n speech, let any one ask him, in th
g face of the world, if he still hold
e the doctrine Of secession as state
4 by him on the 359th page Of hi
q "History of the American Conflict,
. and he may try to evade the ques
= tion; but if he is compelled to Civ
: direct, manly and true answer
q YES or "No,'' he will answe
4 ssYes." His secession faith is th
= basis of his whole political chara'
!. ter. On that basis he urged th
!. taxation of the country to pay tt
a Shareholders for their slaves, whe
he knew they would not sell then
d That plan was part of his systel
, calculated TO encourage secessio
; by convincing the South that tt
! North was trembling with terro
r and would do anything but figl
= for national existence.
, whenever any considerable Sc
tion of our Union shall deliberate
o ly resolve 10 go out, we shall resi-
all coercive measures to keep it in
v saws Mr.. Greeley. "Whenevel
!. includes the four years of the ne,
Presidential term. Suppose Oh
q during that term 'sa consid erah
nortinn 0f 0ur TInion ahall 0aliho
ately resolve to 60 out" Mr.. Gre
J, ley stands pledged ito resist q
coerclve measures designed to kes
it in." How much the election