New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-15
Ms Greeley and Sccessi0A-What
Greeley will do IL President.

The Hon. Philip Clayton, of Georgia, in a
recent letter denouncing the Democratic bar
gain and sale with Greeley, made very
| pointed objection to the Presidential candi-
dacy of the ex-editor of the Tribune, which
| acquires pungency and force in the light of
! Mr.. Greeley's utterances on the right OF dis
satisfied States to leave the Union if they
really wish to get out" Here is what Mr..
Clayton, of Georgia, says:
81 have another objection to Mr.. Greeley,
| to which, perhaps, you will express some sur
prise, knowing, as you do, my views upon the
subject to which am about to refer. If you
do not know it-you might as we'll be in
formed, and all the North--that there is not
a Southern State that would not willingly
leave the Union tomorrow, if they could do
SO unmolested. If Mr.. Greeley is elected,
with his known record on the subject of Sc
| cession, the question might be preciptated.
If the President, who has charge of the army
| and navy, did not prevent it what would be
| the consequence? The Union might be inn
perilcd by trick, and the result might be
more disastrous than the late effort of the
Confederate States. The late unfortunate
conflict has demonstrated to my mind the
folly Of attempting a dissolution of the Union,
unless by consent of the parties. This may
be brought about in two legitimate ways
first, when their interestS--and [ mean by
their, the majority-are not promoted by its
further continuance; and, second, if any po-
litical organization in this country should adj
vocate Imperialism"
Should this Republic be destined to the
misfortune of having Horace Greeley for
President, in view of the undoubted hostility
| and disloyalty which shoulder in the South
tho patriot may reasonably ask, "What
| would he do if President, and there should be
in any form a renewal of the attempt to dis
solve the Union ?''
What Mr.. Greeley has said is probably a
good guido for what he may door would be
if he were not, as he is, so cratic, vainglori-
| Gus and self-suflicient His record in lSGO-'Gl
| will so far to prove tho insutiiciency which
must always be part of such a career.
When the South began to speak in earnest
| about secession, and the establishment of a
| Southern Contederacy, Mr.. Greeley did not
! dissuade them, but gave them encouraging
laid and comfort" as will he seen by the fol-
lowing extracts from his paper:
"As to secession, Ihave saidrepcatcdly, and
here repeat, that, if the people of the slave
States, or of the cotton States alone, really
wish to get out of the Union, 1 am in favor of
letting them out, as soon as that result can
be peacefully and constitutionally attained.
But their case cannot be so urgent as to re-
qure that the President and his subordinates
should perjurc themselves in Difference to its
requirements. If they will only be patient,
not rush to Selling Federal forts. arscnals,
arms, and sub-treasuries, but take first DELHI
erately a fair vote by ballot of their own citi-
zens, none being coerced nor intimidated, and
that vote shall indicate settled resolve to
get out of the Union, will do all I caa to
help them out at an early y."-From the
| Nep Ior: Tribune of January ~, 1861.
what deman! is proof that the South
ern people really desire the selaratian from
the free States. Whenever assured that such
is their settled wish shall joyfully cooper
ate with them to secure the end they seek.
Thus far have evidence of nothing but a
purpose to bully and coerce the North.
Many Of the secession emissaries to the bor-
der slave States tell the people they address
that they do not really mean to dissolve the
| Union, but only to secure what they term
their rights in the Union. Now, as nearly
all the people of the slave States either are
or seem to be in favor of this, the present
menacing front of secession proves nothing to
the purpose. Maryland and Virginia have
no idea of breaking up the Union, but they
would both dearly like to bully the North
into compromise. Their secession demon
STATIONS prove just this and nothing more"
From the NeW York Tribune Of January 81
1861.
"Wc have steadfastly affirmed and upheld
Mr.. Jefierson's doctrine, embodied in the
Declaration of American Independence, of
the right of revolution. We have insisted
that where this right is asserted, and its ex-
ercise is properly attempted, it ought not to
be necessary to subject all concerned to the
woes and horrors of civil war. In other
words, what one party has right to do an
other can have no right to resist And we
have urged that, had the great mass of the
Southern people really desired dissolution
of the Union, and been willing to exercise a
reasonable patience, their end might have
been attained without devastation and car
mage; for we, with thousands more in the
North, would have done all in our power to
incline our fellow-citiZens to defer to their
request and let them go in peace. Hence
we have commended that the violent, terrorist,
outrageous proceedings of the Southern ia
| cobins-their seizure of the national forts,
armorics, arsenals, sub-treasuries, &C., cul-
minating in the bOmbardment of Fort Sum-
ncr--werc not ineXcusable in themselves, but
signally calculated to defeat the end they
| protested to have in view, Take the case of
our own Pacific Empire as further illustra-
ton. No doubt the people of California and
Oregon are to-day loyal and fervent in their
devotion to the Union. But they are mainly
natives of the Atlantic or Gulf States bone
of our bone and flesh Of our tlcsh'---and their
loyalty is a matter Of education, of feeling
and Of habit. Fifty years hence, when oul
Pacific coast shall have a population OF
100000 or 10000 900 mainly born on that
slope, it will be very different. Now, should
the time arrive in our day when the great
body of the people of our Pacific States shall
say deliberately, kindly, firmly, to those this
side Of the Rocky Mountains, You are
stronger than we-older, more wealthy, more
povcrtul-but we ask you to let us go; fol
we believe We can dc better by ourselves
than with you've shall respond, and urge
others to respond, Go in peace, and Heav
ems blessing attend you We believe tina
is the right, the wise, the Christian answer
to such request, and that the world will ye
perceive and recognize the truth. From
the Tribune Of May II, 1862.
But when the North rose up in arms Mr.
Greeley then asserted: "The Union canno
be dissolved" He was also ferocious in hi
denunciatons against the very people 70
whom he had expressed so much sympathy
. as passages like the following show:
eve hold traitors responsible for the worl
upon which they have precipitated us, and w,
J warn them that they must abide the full pen