Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-08-16

Casey Postmaster at Petersburg,
Miss, a brother of o brother-in-law or
Mrs. Grant; and Geo B. johnson, Assessor
Of the Third District Ohio, who married
third cousin Of the President. Alex. Sharp,
q connection Of Mrs. Grant, was appointed
Marshal Of the District Of Columbia, and
Sllas Hudson, cousin Of the President,
Minister to Guatemala.
partisan, the speaker cited the cases OF
Adams, appointed Arbitrator to Geneva, and
Evarts, who was not his partisan, and Cush-
ing and Curtis, political opponents as coun-
sell
Referring TO the appointment of Thomas
Murphy as collector, he said it was made at
his solicitation, and that Thomas Murphy
was held up rs scoundrel, yet the records
show that he increased the collection of rev.
enne and diminished the percentage of cost.
Referring to the charge that the President
was surrounded with military ring, MIR.
Conkllng said "Thls ring consisted of
three persons who wrote for the President
without any expense to the treasury. Con-
cerning the Presidents seaside loiterings, the
speaker said he was only eight hours from
Washington, and that nothing could occur
demanding his immediate attention without
his being within immediate call, and It was
the practice of all rulers In all countries to
| tarry q distance from the official residence
| during portion OF the year.
Mr.. Conking then referred to the foreign
the success OF the Washington treaty nego-
| tiations
| The finance was the next subject taken up,
| which the speaker showed to be in a satisfac-
| tory condition.
Speaking of civil service reform he said:
| This was the best administration Of civil
| service the country ever had. Delinquents
| and defaulters have been ferreted out with
| the utmost vgor, and, when caught, moth
ing has protected them from punishment.
The senator then took up the charge Of
| centralism. He said the cry was mere
"fetch." Horace Greeley, and others, who
most loudly applauded the Ku Klux lav, are
| those who discover the centraliZing tenden-
! cies of the Government The speaker
! thought the real danger was from decentrali-
| zation, which means States rights In a Sc
| cession seIse. All the centralism we have
now, he said, is q strong and stable govern
| ment, under which the nation prospers with
safety to property, labor, liberty and life.
| Referring to the fourteen Investigations
ordered by both Houses, he said the only re-
! suit was to strengthen the Administration.
! Amnesty he said, is now dead issue.
The Senator then proceeded to examine
! Greeleys fitness for the Presidency, and
| claimed that the very talents he has shown
unfit him for the Presidency. The Republi-
| can party had been blamed for not gratify-
ing Greeey's ambition for office, but
the mass of the party, though APP
preciating his eccentric genius be-
| lieved him erratic and not possessed of prac-
| tical wisdom, moderation or business capac-
| ity to make a useful or safe officer. His
| course in the Constitutional Convention was
a series CT peevish attempts to do everything,
and resulted in his prematurely leaving his
post, after pouring upon the members vol
| ley of oaths. His affiliations with men have
| shown him to be poor Judge of human ma
ture. The worst men have stuck by him
! like baTnacles and his management OF every
business except editing a newspaper has
| shown him wanting in business capacity. As
| an editor he lacked balance-wheel to keep
| him from inconsistencies. His Investment of
| money, his ventures with Tweed, and the
| lending of his name to men unworthy Of
| trust, evinced unsound judgment. The epe
| thets and libels with which he pursues those
/ he hates or envies shows q strangely unchrs-
| tian and unbridled nature. Truthful history
! will never record that Horace Greeley owed
the Republican party nothing; but the YER
| diet will be, he spoke like a scheming in
| CRATE when he said: ~ am perfectly willing
| to pass receipts with the Republican party,
and say our accounts are now settled and
| closed"
| Mr.. Conkling next came to Greeley's rec
! ord. All his deeds are to be found in words.
| Extracts from the Tribune after the first
| election, and prior to the Inauguration of
Lincoln, were read to show that he invited
| secession by expressing a willingness to let
the South leave the Union peaceably; as
/ were also extracts from speeches by Gen.
| Blair in the Senate in 1871, making the same
charge. The "On to Richmond" articles of
the Tribune were also quoted as the incarua-
| tion of concet and folly, which drove the
| army headlong to Bull Run. Before that
| battle said Mr.. Conkling, Greeley imputed
treason to Gen. Scott, and after defeat he
| coddled up to Scott, whom he had tried to
dishonor less than four weeks previously.
| Greeley, early in Lincoln's Administration,
| became his enemy. This Lincoln knew, and
| was ever on his guard. This is noticeable in
| the Niagara Falls peace affair. Greeley had
| been for secession when secession might
| have been avoided. He had been for battle
| when the time was not come. He had been
/ in turn for war and peace, when each was i'm
possible, and early in 1864, when the rebel
/ lion was collapsed, and when everything
depended upon keeping the North erect with
a united and undaunted front. Greeley fell
into swoon of dependency and blamed
our authorities for not trying to make peace,
| The details of his negotiations at Niagara,
are given showing, said Mr.. Conkling, un-
deniably:
/. That Greeley was gulled by shallow
swindler.
2 That lie not only bit at the bait, but
pressed the matter upon Lincoln in a man
! ner showing an intention to carp at him un-
less he yielded to his views
| 3. That Lincoln punctured the fraud at a
glance and yet Greeley did not see it,
| at Niagara, or else purpOsely violated the
repeated instructions of the President.
5. That he tamely submitted to the most
unblushing effrontery and imposition from
rebels
6. That he expressly admitted, and stated
that Lincoln had been fickle aud untruthful
when he knew he had not.
Finally, that when Lincoln sought to vim
dicate himself by making the truth public
Greeley stihed the truth by threatening that
a IL
bearing on the case, but which would deeply
wound the public interest.
Who, said Mr.. COnkling, can wonder that
Stanton proposed the arrest of Greeley fol
holding unauthorized and injurious inter
course with the enemy?
Greeley's financial policy, first opposing
the legal tender act, then favoring it; now
opposing and then advocating the resump
tiOn of specie payment next arguing fol
taxation to pay the debt in ten years; first
favOring and then denouncing the income
tax were alluded ia, and the conclusion drawn
that one who changes his mind so often
could not be trusted to run cider mill and
be tinancier for it. Eccentricity and tickle
ness are his traits
He has bolted, and advised boiling; ha:
opposed the nomination or election of every
President who has been chosen for thirty
years. He has quarreled with every Admin
istration; he has assailed the character o1
those he differed with wantoEy and savage
ly, and has imputed corruption to Others
merely for not voting or thinking as he did
He sought by intrigue the defeat of Lincoln
after he had been nominated the second
time, and wrote secret letters, which have
since come TO light, to concert measures tC
prevent LincOn's election. He stroye tC
poison President Grant against capable and
honest Republicans and advised him to eX
clude from his councils men trained in pub
lie affairs. He has recommended unfit mer
I e. a fV,1fa knA hair int
ment. After indorsng and applauding
everything involving the principle, he ha:
struck at the President on account of pat
ronage, and bolJed the party after maneuver
ing more than year to get its nomination
He apologized forth Tammany robbers He
sought for two years before his open de
fectiou to divide and destroy the Republican
party. and finally, and in signing the call fol
the Cincinnati Convention, which adopted
the free trade Missouri platform, he turned
his back on the only political principle ol
idea prominent for the last ten years, o.
which he had not before been on both sides