The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-07-05
THE FATAL DESIRE FOR THE PRESI-
DENCY.
Chappaqna Wisdom and Consistency

The desire to be President has
ruined several of our American
statesment. It has tnrhed the heads
and subjected them not only to rid
icule, but to the most inconsistent
action. Danial Webster was an in
stance of the fatality of the Presi-
dental disease some years ago, and
Chase is a more recent specimen.
Until quite recently no one ever
supposed that Horace Greeley
would be ruined in the same way.
The approaches to the Presidency
are strewn with disappointments,
bankrupt ambitions and wrecks of
human greatness. Regulations gar
nered by years of care, foresight
and application, are wasted by the
all-absorbing thought of becoming
President. Men of unquestioned
ability sacrifice the true honors of
their lives to the insane idea The
disease is inveterate and incurable.
and when it gets hold of a man it
never leaves him. From the mo-
ment of the attack, he grows more
and more reckless and unprincipled,
repudiates his former most cherish
ed sentiments, turns his back on
old and tried friends, and
forms alliances with those who had
always detested him. But who ever
supposed that Mr.. Greeley, who has
SO forcibly noted this folly and rash
ness in others, should himself fall
into the same weakness? But SO IT
is. He is, perhaps, the most
striking and most lamentabIe vic
tim of the malady. Before he be-
came a subject, he was well ac-
qualnted with its symptoms, and
had clear perception ofits intract-
able and incurable character. At a
banquet given in Montreal in 1868,
Mr.. Greeley, in speaking of Daniel
Webster, made use of the following
language:
"Mr. Webster was not only gentle
man, but he had the elements of moral
greatness; and he had faults as well.
He failed only in one respect, and in
this respect differ from him-he
wanted to be President, and I don't.
But for that one misfortune he would
have been the greatest man America
ever produced. We have seen our
greatest man, Mr.. Chase, making the
same blunder. / have seen men who
had the disease early, and died of it at
a very old age. Gen. Lewis Cass died
at about eighty-two, and up to the day
of his death he wanted to be President.
No one ever escapes who once catches
the delusiOn. Being q reader and an
how it poisoned and paralyzed the
very best of our public men, and
have carefully aqoided it,
How Mr.. Greelcy's own words
burn him now. Four years only
have elapsed SINCE the utterances
above quoted, and already may he
be. addressed in the words of the
Roman satirist-"Change but the
name of thee-the tale is told"
Although always cratic and Wis
always welded to specious
always Astounding in con-
tradictions, yet he has now involved
in mesh of antagonisms
which are wonderful in comparison
with his former position.
If there was any one thing more
han another to which he professed |
In unalterable attachment, it was
he principle of protection, or as
ne expressed it, "protection to
industry" Yet, in order
% purchase free trade votes, he
brew overheard the child of his
Affection, leaving it to find favor or
as it could. Knowing
hat he has no possible chance of
getting so much as one electoral
Iote unless he is nominated at Bal
imore, by the Democrats, he is en-
'ioying every measure and every
.rtifice in his power to bring about
uch a contamination. He is in al
lance with the Tammany Ring, as
las been charged homo to him, and
las not been denied by himself or
The Tribune. A late number of
he N. T. Commercial -Adrertiser
ublishes the following suggestive
paragraph:
''We have the lion and the lamb "
1g Down together-free trader and
crossing their legs under
he same mahogaBy-Jew and Christ
lii iraterniEing in q most exemplary i
hammer. Tho files of the log Cabin,
nd OF The TribaRe would furnish vol
INNS OF seurrility and abuse which
Iorace Greeley poured out on the
oco Focos, Free Traders, Rum Party,
as he called them, and 70 (