The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-10-31


THE LESSONS OF THE CAMPAIGN.
We're Honest IN the, Heform
Movement.
The Greeley Campaign the most COM
zeal in AmerscaH History
from the New York Nation. ~. =,
We presume the most ardent pro-
moter Of the "benificent revolution
admits by this time that it has been
indefinitely poatponed,-or in other
words, the sGreeiey movement" has
virtually come to an end. The bawl-
ing and vituperation Of the campaign
will doubtless be carried on q fortnight
longer by the more jealous and irre-
pressible OF the disciples, but they
know perfectly well that the game is
up, and that the Sage will have to re-
main in the private station in which
he has won the admiration of so many
people, and in which he has rendered
his country so much real service. 1t
Is, therefore not q bit too soon to ask the
various "independcnt Journalists
'.thoughtful Democrats and "Chris-
tian politicians" who have been work
ing for Greeley to sit down few min
utes, for sober, profitable, though 1t
may be bitter rejection. sH
The first thing that must strike them
as singular and disheartening in the
present situation, Is that now the
Greeley movement has come to an
end, il leaves absolutely nothing be-
hind it With the disappearance of
the candidate the whole organization
vanishes into thin air. Not an idea,
principle, doctrine, maxim, or hope
does it drop in the political arena.
What we see after the combatants have
retired, is simply several hundred
yards of blackguard newspaper arti-
cles, and the PROSTATE forms of several
seriously injured politicians, who will
probably not be fitfor duty for several
months and some of whom we sincere
" respect and tried in vain to keep
out of this wretched scrimmage.
This is Of course, however, as every
one now sees, and as every one might
months ago have forseen, the natural
consequence of the conversion Of the
reform movement into mere person
al assault upon Gen. Grant. Mr..
Schurz never said truer thing in his
life than he did when he warned the
Cincinnati Convention that if it took
up the cry "Anything to beat Grant" "
it were better it had never had met.
In doing so it lost at one blow the sup
port of a large portion of those silent
but sympathetic spectators throughout
thee9nntry, who were looking eagerly
to IL for something in the nature of a
| political revolution. But even if it be
admitted TINT all the chaFgeeNf Messrs
Sumner, and d..Schurz, hAd made AsaiAst
Grant were true, and that-it was desir.
able to replace him by somebody else,
| and that campaign having for its OBJ
ject, his expulsion from the Presiden.
tial chair, and nothing else. was legit-
innate, the first condition of success in
such q campaign would be the selec-
ton of a candidate who would bear
scrutiny from all sides and bearit well,
aud whom the democrats might have
| rallied without patent basencss and
trickery on their part and without
tiipc-serying and regeneration on his
| AS there has to be a President, it was
clear enough that the people would not
turn Grant out without a very careful
consideration of whom they were tC
put inehis place. In otherw ords there
| was mouse in Summers, Schurz', or
/ Trnmbull's going about the country
denouncing Grant simply. These de.
| nunciations themselves produced LITTLE
or no impression. Few ifany would
form amy judgment.on them, until they
heard what had to be said about ths
man who 1t was proposed should sue
ceed Grant; for the faSI4ss Of one candi
date, and the merits of the O<lEr, form
in the voters mind one idea, comp1cS
il may be, but still one. To abus.
Grant therefore, and keep silent abou
Greeley, as many Liberal orators did
was political absurdity of the frs
order. To win in q personal contest
not only has your antagonist got to bt
a feeble man, but you have to be /
stronger man than he.
What was most injurious to Mr.
Greeley, was, however not Mr.. Gree
ley's own record, bad as that was il
many places, but his alliance with thu
Democracy. If it be asked why dem
oeraUc support should have proved
more Injurious to him than to AMI
other probable or possible Liberal can
didate-Mr. Adams for instance--th.
answer is very simple. Mr.. Greeley
whole career down to 1871 was of ,
kind that made any reconciliation ol
common action between him and th,
Democrats impossible without such ,
serious modification of opinions on hi
part as would shake all confidcnc,
either in his honesty or sagacity ant
for the purpose of the Presidency, i
made little difference in the popnla
eye whether he was knave or q fool
He may have been right in his Ian
guage or opinions during the las
twenty years but if he was, his sud
den change on receiving his nomina
ton was sure to destroy confidenc
in his virtue; if he was not right, hi
failure to find it Vht till this late peri
cd was fatal to his reputation for wis
dom. Moreover he Is one OF the me-
whom the democrats could not tax
up without exciting disgust. Thei
transaction with Greeley was not on
which could be hidden from tho pub
lie gaze. Everybody saw the Who'll
: by the suppression or Reputation G
. everything which served the demo
cratic organization as a reason for es
! isting. What it had To surrender, j
order to take Greeley, left no excus
: for its maintainance except make
! greed for office. The country woul
not swallow such Il combination
There were men in the Repuolica
: ranks or possessing Republican sym
, pathies, whose general ideas ON tn
subject of reconstruction, taxation
I State rights and general governmer
policy, made it possible for the Demo
Gratis to support them without an
. other abandonment Of principle tha
what hard facts had made plainly ne
essary but Greeley was not one !,
i these men. and the Cincinnati Convel
!. lion would not nominate any OF theT
( Moreover, the attempt to make Gre
:. ley the apostle of reconciliation W;
!. not only failure, but the most lud
: crons failure Of all. Reconciliation
). a process partly mental and part
. moral. Enemies are reconciled by u
mutual determination to forget pa
= differences, and by the springing ,
d OF mutual liking. In the absence
these facts there Is no rcconciliaiio
Whenever they exist between i
North and the South, the North al
s. the South will be reconciled, no matt
l. who is President. To talk of reco
ciliation through the election of a pa
ticular man. without reference TO I
10 state of uublic scntimenf. il absurd.