National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-10-25
POLITICAL HISTORY
JAMES s. rlKtS LATE PAMPHLET,

IsIS-nr. sreeIry'- frieuus unu thetr
Attacks Upon the Administrator why
the Democracy Supported Uim-rrcsi-
dent Grant and Ex-Pr.sidert Johnspu-
The Mission OF the Republican Pnrtt-
Postmaster Gcutrni Crcswen mud the
ChorprnuiuG Claim.
The following article. relating to tic cam
paign Of 1872, Ia from the pen Of one Of the
ablest statesmen and jurlats Of the Republican
party:
James =. Pike has favored the public with an
essay on that abstfuse subject, "lIorace Gree
icy In isTg; his political position ani motives In
the late Presidential contest"
II flrst appeared In the columns NJ the New
York TribuRf, aud Ia now Issued IN pamphlet
form from the press Of Powers, Mcgowan 4
Sinner, corner Of Nassau and Frankfort streets,
New YORK. II Il printed on good paper, In plain
type and put up In paper covers OF lavender
tint. work so strElugly entitled, so ingenlousiy
composed and so neatly executed, ought TO re.
1elyo a share Of public attention, ana We pro-
nose TO 10 what We can to attract attention
to- II.
Mr.. riGc staiIS out upon his exposition under
a heavy heal Of Indignation, caused by the "in.
tlinaiion," which he says Is soften made" thai
Mr.. Greeley "not only lost cast as a Republican,
but lost character by becoming the candidate OF
the opposition at tho late election" and by the
fact that "thls chapter OF his life Is patroniy.
ingly passed over as one which might better be
treated with silence and left to oblivion"
The author objects that, ain the nrs. place,
no such thing Is possible In life az eminent and
conspicuous as that OF Nj. Greeley"
There Ia force In that objection. 1t ought to
be true. Lord Droughsm was right when he
a
corruptlng tendency, ever to let the flslts Of
statesmen pass unccnsurcd." lie was unioubt.
eddy right 10 shade on, as he did, his glowing
panegyrlc on the genius Of Fox with the faithful
recital Of those personal faults and those
political errors which dlshonoied him. And II
Breugham, standing at the grave Of that great
leader Of the patriot band which, during the
almost hopeless struggle from 1903 TO 1901. up
held the cause Of afflicted freedom, "stll felt com.
PEELED TO remember and record the faults which
darkened hts character, the honest historian
should hardly feel justified to buy the memory
OF Mt. Greeleys great aposfscy with his bones
Nevertheless, II was possible to DO so. Marx
Anthony lied like q Liberal Republican when he
afYirmed It TO he the usage OF the world TO cher.
ish the faults and to forget the vii .ues OF the
dead. On the contrary, while wo are apt to be
censorious toward The living we are hsbiiu,lly
the House OF Lords MacAulay testines he had
not ten followers 10 Parliament, Hut when he
was fallen all Engli I'd combined 10 honor him.
"Nothing was rem .nbered but his undisputed
services" And Mr.. Pike Is himself witness
that Mr.. Greeleys contemporaries were willing to
DO equally tender Of MS memory. Gratefully,
sesra ms long and bril-
nallsm-his singular freedom from avarice, We
nallty and malice, on which so many Statesmen
are wrecked-they would have been glad to bury
with him the memory Of that one consuming
lust, the luss OF place, which always crippled
| and finally broke him. Against the exercise OF
| such charity PIKE pro 1sts,,
says Mr.. Greeleys "friends challenge the
closest scrutiny on this as 90 every other chap,
ter Of his eyentful llfe,n We think Pike has
mistaken ne dsi vito GseeIey trend,
can safely invoke q criticism so unsparing. Mr..
9reeley was not one Of that few.
| While Mr.. PIKE stands before the public with
| that bravAdo on his lips, we decline to recognize
him As the friend OF M. Greeley, and we decline
his invitation to review Mr.. Greeey's life. We
shall have but little to say OF that last most ex-
md room Tor dispute As to the motive which IN.
| nuenced that act, But honest men cannot diner
a. 70 what the act was.
When sollngo,osss s "a, dismissed !. from the
TO Paris, and took the same once under the Pre-
| tender. When the Pretender dismissed him
| from his service he quilted PARIS and the Tory
party, and sought paflon and employ ment from
| the Wings. Through every desertion he claimed
| to have sought only the good OF Englanl. But
the honest Judgment OF history Is that Boiling
own good, quite regardless Of the good Of his
country.
II, 90 Sss n ne
only for the wslfs. . OF England. But 1t is the
honest judgment OF history that he was more
solioitous for his own preferment
Canning surrendered his ONCE and his life un.
/ der the relentless blows OF many headed oppO-
sition In 1896. His friend Huskisson declared
| with touching earncstness that his wounds
were too green and too fresh TO admit OF his
serving In the same cabinet with those" under
| whose blows Canning fell. Yet In less than
| eighteen months Huskisson re-entered once
had to reprOach him with having Joined her
| Husbands murderers." Huskiss0n claimed tu
| have been actuat2d 10y a diainterested love Of
country. hut honest history declares that when
| he took o1lce under Wellington n cloud settled
upon his fame which wa never J led. In isCj
Andrew johnson feit the commn. on Of the Re-
publican party and entered that of the Demo-
cratic patty. We remember distinctly thai
many OF his pal iisans proclaimed quite earnestly
IL was not because he loved republicansm
| less, but because he loved hts country more.
Judgment Of history upon Mr.. Johnson's mo-
| tives; and 1t may be too early to say what hts
tory may pronal1Ace upon the motives which
nut han al i q declare now rn,,
| he did In that memorable year. lie abandoned
the support OF the Republican party to which be
had devoted the labor OF his lie, and he entered
upon the support OF that Democratic party,
| whose various policies he had before opposed
with steadfastness that never faltered, and
whose practices he had denounced with an en-
ergy which taxed the utmost resources OF our
language In expression. He and they subscribed
Snsd she siSe in ssss G and sh natos
Nj. PIKE regards u az a coincidence that this
| support was given TO Democracy at the same
time that the latter, stlll bleeding from under
his relentless scourge, were seen 10 rally feebly,
| to be sure, because much exhausted, but with
remarkable fidelity, 10 the support OF MT: Gree.
that Mr.. Greeleys support OF democracy was
| the consideration for their support Of him.
Mr.. PIKE would nave Us beieVe that this
strange conjunction was caused by the enter
prislng spirit OF q newborn patriotism which
| last year swept the hearts OF Liberal and Demo-
crat alike: thAt at Cincinnati and Baltimore, as ct
Joffa and Cesane,s the vision Of q sheet, knit
together at the corners and well filled, was again
seen, and that again the lesson WAS taught that
especially u II promlsed them meat In due sea.
son; that he who is able to ra,se up children
unto A6r.hsm out q stones saw nt oy tran
dram 10 e;t.sIey out Of bemoersts. mai iIs,eoIng
s1d, ssir snasslns ' as Wnps,e Gssspsy o sne
ssving ,bsboid nv ,nnthsri ~
Sm.b NAV ~ ~ aoncl1s,on nj bIstorv. Tru,y
.us n rsr..inns IN ons s~s. mi - r.nssy
nj. ala II NJ innssr ,n,sr..,sJ !, r,oS ~,
mnt,vs. WhIrs scInstea III Gree,ey iast vesr
ThIa vorla howsve. ia mi sitogstSer InJ,nsr
snt n, 10 nhst MAJ hS mare ss,i ri b,s mo-
ti.ss Ana vs hays Few worl. 10 ssy con.
earning Mr. Pikea exposition OF Them.
Ssvs PIKE: aMr' I,reeley tbrew hlmaelf Into