Year: 1872

Last week we directed attention TO the
circumstances under which Mr. Greeley


became bail for jeff Davis, and said he


must now regard the act somewhat in
the light that Henry Clay did an act Of


his when lie declared in all the pride OF
his great soul, that he would rather be


right than be President" The history


of this affair is a proud incident in the
life Of Mr. Greeley. After be had gone
on Mr. Davis bond he was sharply ar
raigued for the act by Radical uewspa-
pers and politicians, and especially by
the Union League of New York, of


which he was member The excite


ment against Mr. Greeley in that body
ran so high that an effort was made to
expel him, but it failed. The following
is an extract from Mr. Greeley's defiant
letter in response to a summons to ap


pear and defend himself;


ENTLEMEN:-Is shall not attend your


meeting this evening l have an en-
gagement out of town, and shall keep it.


[ do not recognize you as capable of


judging, or even fully apprehendiug me.


You evidently regard me as a weak sent-


mentalist, misled by 4 maudlin phioso-


ply. arraign you as narrow minded


blOckheads, who would like TO be useful


to a great and good cause, but don't know


how Your attempt to base 4 great and


enduring party on the hate aud wrath
necessarily eDgendered by bloody civil


war, IS as though you should plant a col


ouy on an iceberg which had somewhe 9
drifted into a tropical ocean. / tell you


here, that cut of a life constantly devc-


ted to the good Of human kind, your
children will select my going back to


Richmond and sign ming that bail bond as


the wisest act, aud will feel that it did
more for freedom and humanity than all
of you were competent to do. though
you had. lived to the age of Methusel4h


[ ask nothing Of you, then, but that you
proceed to your end by direct. frank
and manly way. Don't sidle off into a
mild resolution of censure. but move the
expulsion which you proposed. and which
[ deserve if | deserve any reproach
whatever. All care for is that YOU
make this square stand up fight, and
record your judgment by yeas aud nays
| care not how few vote for me, or how
many vote against me, for l know that
the latter viii repent in dust and ashes
before three years have past. Under
stand, once for all, that I dare and DEFY
you, and that | propose to fight it out
upon the line that | have held from the
day of Lees surrender. So long as any
man was seeking to overthrow our gov
ernment he was my enemy from the
hour in which he laid down his arms he
was my formerly erring countryman Sc
long as he is at heart opposed to national
unity, the Federal authority, or to the
assertion of equal rights to all men
which has become practically identified
with loyalty and nationally, L shall do
my best to deprive him of power; but
whenever he ceases to do this, | demand
his restoration to all privileges of Amer
lean citizenship. | give you fair notice
that | shall urge the re -enfranchisement
of those now prescribed for rebellion. so
soon as | shall feel confident that this
course is consistent with the freedom Of
the blacks and the unity Of the repub
lie; and | shall demand a recall Of all
now in exile only for participating in the
rebellion, whenever the country shall
have been so thoroughly paci6ed that its
safety will not thereby be endangered.
And so, gentlemen, hoping that you will
henceforth comprehend me somewhat
better than you have done, | remain,


Yours, HORACE GREELEY.