The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-11
NEW BOOKS.
. Now Life OF Horace Greeley.

IL. la,es, addition 10 Apple, ons' series
.,.utsoric Lives is biography Of Horace
Crsaley by Mr.. william A. Linn, who for
In wears was managing editor OF the
S"g York Evening Post. What renders
his book peculiarly attractive Is its candor.
Tho author Is just. even sympathetic; out'
nJ,b the exception OF one or two incidents
oonnec- ed wit h Greeley's final retirement
t,on the Tribune. he holds back nothing
.rd .renua,es not hing. He tells the truth
-1garu,np Greeley's attitude toward seces-
nm nj The epoch just preceding the out
tceak Of the Civil War. and regarding his
.,,i,ude Of unfriendliness toward Lincoln.
NJ, only during the Presidential campaign
~ 1874. bu, up o The very night Of Lincoln's
sssassina ion. Most Of Greeley's biog-
r,nbers have shown an inclination to pass
over these things, which, In truth. were
cbsrac. eristic OF a man whose edit ORAL
career was almost as dist inctly marked
by weakness as by strength. and whose
lack Of foresight often played havoc with
bis Judgment. There is this, also, to be
said for Grecey's mist axes, that almost
always they we're re, rae; ed and regretted.
Contrast. for inst anoe. the post ions which
he took in December, 1850. and In January,
1891. wi reference 10 secession. II will
h, remembered that the announcement
of Lincon's cleo, ion was followed by threats
Of secession on the part OF the South. and
nv demands for concessions 10 the slave
rover hy represent, al ives Of business and
pot ical in, orests in the North. Mr.. Linn
recalls that Greeley met the sit Ua'ion In
the Tribune Of Dec. II, 1880. by taking the
ground that. IL the right Of the colonis,s
10 rebel against Great Brit ain was jusi-
fed by the consent OF the governed clause
Of he Declaration of Independence. that
clause would justify "the secession OF
5000 Sou,hrons from the Federal Union
in 1851" Jeferson's principle might, he
admitted. be pushed to ext RENE and
baleful consequences but, while he would
not uphold the secession Of Governors
Island from New York. yet IL seven or eight
con iguous s. a'es should secede from the
Union. he would not think Il right to 'sta and
up for coercion The author Of this biog
raphv thinks that II Mayor Fernando
Wood had not had free trade in view Greeley
might have joined him In his suggest ion
10 the Common Council OF New York city
on Jan. 0. 1901, that II the Union which.
he held. could not be constit III ionally kept
together by force. was dissolved. the city
should separate from the State and est alb
lish free city, which would have scheap
goods nearly free from duty A week
later Greeley declared that II any ak or
more Of the cotton Stat es want cd TO secede,
we will do our best TO help them out. not
that we want them TO go, but that We loa'he
the idea Of compelling them to stay Mr..
Linn points out that Greeley's declarai ions
were eagerly accep, ed by the most radical
defenders OF secession in the South. Toombs
used them to streng hen his argument
IN favor Of the consti l, vi ional right OF Sc
cession before the Georgia Convention.
On the other hand, they nat urally per-
picked and alarmed the friends OF union
In the North. and Lincoln. realizing the
harm which an editor OF Greeley's infiu-
ence could do to the Union cause, wrote
TO him cautioning him against expressing
such views. No moro arguments in favor
Of secession appeared in the Tribune. and
in the course OF January. 1851, Greeley
wrote. Il deny to one 81 ate. or to a dozen
different States. the right to dissolve this
Union. II can only be legally dissolved
as 1t was formed-by the free consent OF
all the parties concerned
There is no doubt that Greeley was OPP
posed to Lincoln's denomination for the
Presidency In 1884. The day before the
Republican National Convention met the
Tribune declared its conviction that the
every effort Of the loyal millions should
be directed toward the overthrow OF the
armed hosts OF the rebellion adding:
we feel that the expected nomination,
II made at this time. exposes the Union
party 10 q dangerous flank movement
possibly a successful one When the re-
nomination Of Lincoln was made. the Tribune
pointed out that there were at the North
large number OF men who were at heart
enemies Of the Union cause. and that the
denomination OF Mr.. Lincoln will inevitably
intensity their efforts and rebarb their
arrows Two days after the Democratic
National Convention had adopted a plat
form pronouncing the war a failure. and
calling for a cessation Of hostilities. Greeley
sent to the Governors OF the loyal States
a letter making the following inquiries:
is the reelection Of Mr. Lincoln q prob
ability Can your own State DO carried
for Mr.. Lincoln? Do the interests OF the
Union party require the substitution of
another candidate in place OF Mr.. Lincoln2'
The suggestion was rebuked by those to
whom it was addressed. on the obvious
ground that the withdrawal Of the Republi-
can candidate a few weeks before the cleo
ton would have been an acknowledgment
Of weakness that would have caused party
Generalization and certain defeat at the
ballot-box, no matter who might have been
put up in Mr.. Lincoln's place.
Still another example OF Greeley's feel
ing toward Lincoln Ia given In this book.
The biographer recalls that. on the day
when Lincoln was shot, Greeley had written
an editorial article which Is described as
"a brutal. bitter. sarcastic personal attack
on the President When the proof OF this
erticle reached the hands OF the managing
editor, Sidney Howard Gay. in the evening,
Mr. Lincoln was dying from his wound.
Gay suppressed the editorial art Gle. telling
the foreman to lock up the type. and tell
no one Of Its existence. The next day,
when Greeley found that the article was
not in the paper, he accosted Gay in rage.
saying. They tell me you ordered my
leader out Of this mornings paper. Ii 1t
your paper OF mine? I should like TO know
cannot print what choose in my own
paper?' Gay replied that the article was