Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-03-07
WEED AND GREELEY,
Thurlow Weeds Personal Recollec.
tions of His Junior Partner.

The most entertaining article in
the new Galary is Thurlow Weeds
"Recollections of Horace Greeley"
These recollections carry Mr.. Weed
back about thirty-five years. Before
he knew Mr.. Greeley personally he
had watched the columns of The
Neag Yorker and been struck with
the large amount of accurate politi-
cal statistics to be found in them
The Neac Yorker was neutral in
politics, but it was easy to see which
way the editor leaned. When it
was proposed to start campaign
paper to advocate the whig candi
date for the presidency in 1910 Mr..
Weed, who had been commissioned
to select an editor, pitched upon Mr..
Greeley. In company with Mr..
Lewis Benedict, chairman Of the
whig State committee, Mr.. Weed
visited New York and found Mr..
Greeley working at "the case" y
While Mr.. Weed was explaining the
meaning Of his visit Horace Gree
ley stood leaning on his case with
the composing stick in his hand. AT
dinner the plan Of the paper was
talked over and decided upon. The
name proposed by Mr.. Greeley
7He yetersonian-was accepted
Mr.. Greeley was to pass two days a
week at Albany, and Mr. Weed says
that when he ''first entered The Eve-
ming journal office, instead of seat
ing himself at the table which had
been prepared for him, he improv
ised sort of shelf, to which he
transferred his writing materials,
where he stood with his arm raised
as high as his head, and in this APP
parently most inconvenient and un-
comfortable attitude he worked all
day"
Mr.. Greeley was an ardent sup
porter Of Clay for the Wing nomlna-
ton. He was one of the last to see
that it nominated that statesman
could not be elected, owing to the
opposition Of Pennsylvania and
Ohio to re-charter OF the United
States bank. Mr.. Greeley was Sc.
Iected to visit Mr.. Clay and urge
upon him the propriet> of with
drawing. Mr.. Greeley declined,
and Mr.. Weed undertook the mis-
sion. Mr.. Clay, OF course, refused,
but promised his support to the
nominee of the Harrisburg owen
ton. Greeley was at first greatly
depressed by Clay's defeat in the
convention, but he soon rallied, and
became one of the most enthusiastic
supporters of "Tippecanoe and Ty-
Ter too" From letter written to
Mr.. Weed, and now published, it
appears that Mr.. Greeley was in IA
vor Of publishing campaign songs
set to music. Greeley says: 81 am
sure there is nothing takes better,
or gives better sale to the paper
that ! cannot mistake about. Our
songs are doing more good than
anything else. | know the music is
not worth much, but it attracts the
attention even Of those who do not
know a note" Mr.. Greeley, as ear
ly rs 1889, writes to Mr.. Weed: 81
will croak. If am not liar, that
nomination of Glentworth has ex-
cited universal disgust and much
deep Indignation. l don't know the
gentleman very intimately, but he
Is regarded as blackleg and gen.
,ecI loater, as well as an unprinci-
Piled adventurer, which he manifest
ly is," Mr.. Weed says Greeley was
quite right. The appointment was
one mot fit to be made" This ar
ticle contains a long letter from
Greeley, defending his attitude to-
ward "Fourierism," of which, in
ls4l, the editor of The Log Cudim
was a diciple. After expressing his
pleasure at the knowledge that not
Mr.. Weed but certain Mr.. Love-
ridge had wri ten Il review OF Four
ier and condemnation of Greeley
which had appeared in The Evening
"oHIA0f, MI. NIeeiey says:
"That, considered as coming from
you, seemed like the correction of !,
schoolboy by his master; from Love
ridge ] do not think impudence in
sutlerable. What does he know
how much did he ever think-about
the necessity and prac,icabili,y OF
elevating the condition of the labor
ing classes? Let him work twenty
years, as l have done, and feel the
hopelessness Of the great mass Of
la6orers, the dullness of their leis
ure hours (unlcss devoted to dissi-
pation,) and the emptiness and bar.
renness Of their minds, before he
attempts to lecture me.
II assure You that the doctrines
Of Fourier mean his fundamental
position with regard to the cconom.
lies of association-have received