Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-06-07
GREELEI' .F.N'D SECESSION.

The following article, from the Chicago
Evening journal, furnishes an explanation
of the otherwise unaccountable favor of
southern rebels for Horace Greeley's eleva-
ton to the Presidency:
Cyrus II. Mccormick joins Judge Cation
in urging the Baltimore Convention to ac-
cept the Cincinnati ticket. He uses only
one argument, viz, that Greeley would be
acceptable to the South. If Endorsed at
all, it will be on that account. At first
thought this Southern claim would seem
absurd. The New York Tribune was al
ways against slavery. To that popularity
its success is largely due. But slavery is
! dead beyond all resurrection. The United
States will never again tolerate such an in
stitution, whatever party may be in power.
| That issue will never arise in national pol
| itics.
But secession is not so absolutely dead.
Every man who has mingled freely with
the southern people, and heard them ex-
press their sentiments without constraint.
knows that they still dream of Southern
Coniedcracy. They say that slavery pre-
vented the success of their first rebellion.
II weakened them at home aud abroad
Then, too, they blame the leaders for pre-.
cip,ating the war. No attempt was made
to secure Independence by peaceful means.
The very conventions held by the several
States Haunted the red flag of defiance.
Every instinct Of Northern combativeness
was aroused, and while claiming secession
MS right under the Constitution, they pro-
ceeded from the first upon the supposition
that the Union could only be broken by
intimidation or force. This way OF looking
at the subject is natural. Having failed
by arms to achieve their purpose, the Sc
cessionists now regret that they did not
follow more closely the teachings of their
great master, Calhoun, and long for another
opportunity.
This being the Southern situation to day,
nothing could be more logical than the
Democratic candidacy of Horace Greeley.
If he is not of all the public men in the
country the most popular with the surviv
ing disciples Of Calhoun, it is because they
are not familiar with his record. The ques-
ticn with them is: II we should attempt
pCaceable secession, who, rs President of
the United State p, would be most likely to
favor our scheme and consent TO its con
summation? That is the political question
of the day, from Southern stand point
| There are great many Democrats who
| could not be trusted for, with all their
| Southern leanings they ale true blue I'm
| ionists. OF all the candidate balloted for at
Cincinnati and talked of for the regular
Democratic nomination, Greeley alone has
a secession record. To those who only
think of him as an ardent aboltionist this
may seem incredible, but there is no mis-
take about it. Adams, Davis, Trumbull,
Brown, Palmer, Cox, Hancock, Groesbeck
Hendricks and Hoffman, the only men ev-
er mentioned for nomination at Cincinnati
or Baltimore, with all their faults, never
by word or deed, even assentod in any de-
gree to the assumption that there is any
such thing as 1.-THE right of secession" But
look at Horace Greecy's record. Noyem-
Der 0, 1860, he said editorinlly in the Trib-
une;
"When ever considerable section of our
Union shall deliberately resolve to go out,
we shall resist all coercive measures de-
signed 10 keep II in. We hope never to
live in Republic whereof one section is
pinned to the residue by bayonets."
Two years later he reiterated this senti-
ment, declaring, ~ still insist that, if il
had been proved that the people of the
slave States-or even the cotton States a.
lone-had really desired to dissolve the
Union, and had peacefully, deliberately
and authorltatively expressed that wish
ace should have assented to it. At all events
should"
In the light of these incontestibe facts,
the Greeleyism OF such man as Cyrus III
Mccormick is no mystery. 1t is, rather
the most rational thing in the world. Dis
guised as his rebel sympathies were by hi,
hatred of slavery, and consequent Repub'
licanism, they were never wanting, anc
have never been repented of. There is M
reason to suppose that the secession views
expressed above are not still entertained
by Mr.. Greeley.
What greater folly could there he than
for sincere Unionist to support for the
! Presidency a man who believes in the