The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-08-06

WASHINGTON, August o, 1874.
DEAR sER:-I have seen the letter ad.
dressed to me, BY you, through the pub
llc prints, and ] notice especially that
while animadyerting upon my support Of
Horace Greeley you say not one word In
vindication Of that compound Of preten.
sious known as "Gran6sm," IN contradis.
tlnction, to Republicanlsm which you
would install anew in the government.
You are greatly concerned about the COM
pany keep. To quiet your solicitude, ]
beg 10 say that In joining the Republicans
who brought forward an original aboli-
ZIONIST, / find with so many olhers devot-
ed TO the cause l have served always,
that l had not missed you until you hast.
ened TO report the absence; nor had l
taken account Of tho South Secesslonists
who as you avert, are now operating
with me in support Of this original aboli
ZIONIST, except to rejoice that II
among my former associates some like
yourself hesitate, their places are supplied
In an unexpected quarter. .' -.I
You entirely misunderstood me when
you introduce an incident OF the past and
introduce on II an argument why should
not supper Horace Greeley. What has
Preston Brooks to do with the Presiden
tial election? Never while q sufferer did
anybody hear me speak of him in unkind.
less, and now, alter the lapse OF more
than half generation, l will not unite
with you in dragging him from the grave
where he sleeps. to aggravate the passions
Of political conflict and arrest the longing
for concord. And. here is the essential
difference between you and me. At this
junctHre i seize the opportunity to
make the equal rights Of oil serve
through peace and reconciliation; but
this Infinite boon you would post
pone. Seven years have passed since
we laid aside our arms, but un.
happily during all this period there
has been hostile spirit toward each
other, while the rights Of the colored lel.
low citizens have been iu perpetual ques.
ton. Seven years mark q natural period
OF human life. Should not the spirit be
changed with the body. Can we not
after seven years commence a new life,
especially when those once our foes repeat
the saying. "Thy people shall be my
people and thy God my Cod, i declare
my preference for an original abolitiOnist
as President, and you seekto create deyer.
sion by crying out that, Democrats will
support him. To which I reply, so much
the better, their support Is an assurance
that the cause he has so constantly guard
ed, whether OF equal rights or reconcilia'
tion, Is accepted by Democrats and this is
the pledge Of true union beyond anything
in our history. 1t is a victory OF ideas,
without which all other victories must
fail 10 intensity your allegation. You in.
sist that | am ranged with Jefferson Davis
and Robert Toombs; but pardon me, no.
body knows how the former will vote,
while Robert Toombs is bOisterous against
Horace Greeley, and with him are Ste.
phens, Wise and Mosby. This is all very
poor, and l mention it only to exhibit the
character Of your attempt. In the same
spirit you seek TO avoid the real issue by
holding up the possibility Of what you
call a Democratic administration, and you
have the courage to assert, as within my
knowledge, that by the election OF Gree.
lev Congress is handed over to the con.
troll OF the party who have positively de.
MED the rights Of the black men. You
say that l know this. Mr.. Speaker, l
know no such thing, and you should be
sufficiently thoughtful not to assertit lam
entirely satisfied that a canvass like the
present, where the principles declared at
Cincinnati are openly accepted on one
side and not contested on the other, must
result in larger number Of Congressional
Representatives sincerely devoted to the
rights OF colored citizens than ever before.
Democrats will be pledged as never before
to the ruling principle that all men are
equal before the law, and also to the con.
stituuonal amendments, with clause in
each empowering Congress TO enforce the
same by appropriate legislation. But be.
sides the Democrats there will be- the
Liberal Republicans pledged likewise, and
also yourself-peculisr associates, who, !
trust, will not betray the cause.
Senators and Representatives, calling
themselves Republican, have been latterly
In large majority in both houses; but the
final measure Of civil rights to which
you refer, though urged by me almost
daily.has failed to become law, less l
fear from Democratic opposition than
from Republican lukewarmness and the
want Of support in the present great issue
which the people are called upon to de.
eide in November, Is one President
And nobody knows better than yourself
that the House OF Representatives chosen
at the same time, will naturally harmonize
with him, so 1t has been in our history,
Now harmony with Horace Greeley in
wolves what most desire. With such a
President Congress will be changed for
the first time since the war. Equal rightE
of all will have been declared. The Re
publicans at the head Of the government
whose presence there will be higher sig
.nihcance than that Of any victory Of the
war, being not only testimony but a
constant motive power in this great cause
Of opposition, whether open hostility ol
more subtle treachery will yield to the
steady influence Of such representa-
tion, therefore, in looking to tht
President. ! look also to the Congress
which will take its character in a large
degree from him. In choosing Horace
Greeley we do the best we can for the
whole government, not only in the Exec
utive but in the legislative branch. While
we decline to support nepotism, the re
payment Of personal gifts by office pat
ronage, the siezure Of war powers and In
dignity 10 the black man, and the vaIiou!
incapacities manifested by the Presiden
and rings by which he Is governed, nOnt
OF which can you defend. You know
well that rings are already condemned
by the American, people in the form o
selfish government and 1t 10 without hesi
tation that prefer Horace Greeley, Will
any Congress possible on the Cincinnati
platform, to President Grant with his pre-
lentions and his rings, a vote for whou
involves the support of all pretentioni
with prolonged power in all the rings
| Thara mnat he another inf1nencI