New-York tribune., 1873-03-06

i
| Imark the epoch of the Crcswell traihac',ou w
aus Il v,as about TINT time that Mr. Greeieys hi''u
becor IN he moro impressed with the magnitude anu
cid ,s,rcad character Of the corrnpti0ns tna' a'
| seized hold Of tho country, ana whic' hv''
preoept nor the example Of tine natiohai "u", -.
tiop were calculated 30 choc4S. kevoNi"s VI, -
/ iecs in bis mind, he finally came TO the oo"oi"
that things ought not to 90 on III tno ou ~. 90
Iorqor. snd that n change was necessary -, 80
cordinqiy avowod his opposition TO uon' -,
nomination He used to speak prlVa'e'y " a,,a
in Washington as being rotten "'o's
tbrcurhD in Congress and The Depar'uio"'' ~" 10
pecialIy in the Post-Oifce Department anu h.,
I'D 600 no remedy except In complete on""e'
CoU'u 'o 80 hottnm particular point of discour-
acopent was that Cen Cox's efforts 70 Deg'n CIV
"eN,;oa form at Washington. while msInoer VI
tbo Cabinet were hooted a. and cost that auio anu
! L,os+ man his plaoe man high III the ionS eA'r
iso of bis Senatorial Office at Washington uSeu ''
tb time 70 regale the willing car OF the Piesioeh'
with his views of the absurdity or attempting a."
suob reform, and by volunteering his JudShens ''a'
Mr. Cox was only fit to be Secretary OF the interior
| in the Kingdom of Heaven" But this question
| afterward took ON such threatening aspecS 'i'i'
the President felt compelled at late day. 10 de-
clare himself convert to the doctrine to when CoA
had been sacrificed.
PARTISAN CONSIDERATIONS REJECTED
| But at length Mr. Greeley saw, what became owl
dent to everybody, that Gen. Grants RECOMMENDATION
WAS a foroordained event; that his reelection woulo
| only perpetuate and intensity state OF tnhgs
which he was firmly persuaded had gone on already
quite too long for the public good Mr Greeley ies
that he knew. The question with him at this june
tprs was. whether he would bow to this coming dec-
sion of the Republican i,rty, and support its nom-
! ba at
Mr. Greeley's position at this time was viewed ey
Republicans with groat interest and concern, and
many doubts were expressed as to whether no would
"stioky II was generally believed that his active
Republican sentiments and his old strong partisan
feelings would finally prevail to shape his action,
and that he would in obedience to them, do as ne
did In the canvass of 1913, when he determlnedly
opposed Gen. Tayors nomination. AT tnat tllAe'
after finding his opposition fritless he reluctantly
wheeled intO line and supported the ticket. it was
thought he would do so now.
But the event proved this expectation groundiess.
Mr. Greeley gave abundant notice frem time TO time,
in his journal that the period had arrived when he
would no longer be swayed by partisan consldera-
| tons but that no would renOunce the position OF
party organ and following the dictates OF his own
Judgment and conscience. throw himself ana ms
poper exclusively upon the general public intelli-
scentiously support the continuation Of the existing
state of things and would not cOuntenance by his
voice OF his vote the who cerriptly, as he
believed. controlling public affairs. Ho demanded
that these be given over to purer custodians lie
was not tired of Republicans OF RepubEcanism. HIS
faith was unchanged. But he hated corruption, and
he Ionsed for honesty and purity and moral percep
ton in administration. Hewas ready to make every
sacrifice and fight the battle forlorn hope rathel
than Weld his convictions of what the pubic good
demanded.
This WAS the position Of Mr.. Greeley of a period
anterior TO the call of . body of Independent Re
formers who were in motion FOR convention III the
interests of Civil Service and Revenue Reiorm'
MR. GREELEY STILL REPUBrIcAS.
II ia easy to say from partisan point OF view
that. in taking this position, Mr. Greeley left the
Republicau party. He did no such thing. He dis
sented from the action of majority of its repre-
sentatiyes, in their nomination of candidate for
President. He did this from high motives of public
policy, as well as in the interest OF RepublicanlsH
itself He did not wish TO overthrow it or defeat it.
but TO purify and vitalize it. He did not wish to
undo one of its great achievements He did not wish
to modify one of its great results. He still for
emanoipatiOn for eufranChisement, for the equal
rights of all men. in behalf Of which great war
had been successfully waged. He aimed at the
education and elevation OF the benighted children
of the African race on this continent and to that
not one right of theirs was abridged by any measure
of public policy. More than this, he aimed
to advance the Republican standard still
further forward in tho direction 1t had
been steadily moving since the Rebellion
began. and to gain in the future even greater tri
umphs than it had achieved in the past. He wished
to consolidate those triumphs by harmonizing the
antagonsms between the two races at the South and
by softening and removing the asperities between
tbe North and South which those triumphs had
created. He patrioticaly aimed at these lofty pur-
poses in the future thus to secure more completely
the Republican achievements OF the past. These
were his plain, transparent, we'll Defined often ex-
planned motives and purposes in the position he as
sumed after dissenting from the nomination Of Gen.
Grant.
Was this to cease to be Republican, or was it to be
more Of Republican than everf How absurd and
preposterous then to charge to intimate that Mr.
Greeley deserted his Repubicanism, on changed his
ground, or lowered his tone upon one single point
eabraeed in the original creed, any of its accre-
tions, of the Republican party. from the beginning
to the end of his luminous career.
He declined to support the Republican nOmina-
ton of Gen. Grant. He did 1t, as we have seen,
from high moral and patriotic considerations, He
aimed TO defeat his election still holding to every
political principle and dogma he had espoused since
the founding of the Republican party. And this is
all To condemn Mr. Greeley for this, or in review
of his character hold this conduct up for animad
version as rejecting upon his honesty or his truth
or his consistency even, is to measure him by a
standard and weigh him In scale which has no
recognition among the eternites. 1t is only by ap-
plying high moral standard that we can determine
whether man has acted unworthily. To refuse to
20 with the majority of ones party may be the hight
of virtue 1t depends on the motive and it depends
on the object. If these be pare, the act is commend
| able; and ii may happen that such act is the
Il IL Il 4l.o..4