Year: 1872

money enough TO buy,a silver-handled


coffin, with a gilt plate, for the late
EMr. Gray. No cards.


----aD.---


Mr.. Greeley's Record,


After Mr.. Greeley had gone to


Richmond to become bail for Mr.. Da-


Wis, and had signed lis bail-bond, be
was met on his retu.p to New York
by a letter from the President of a


body, known as the Union League
Club, summoning him to answer an
arraignment of his conduct over the
signatures of thirty-odd of them:


In order to show in singularly
strong light the character of the man
whose destiny has become of such
importance to the country, we extract
"a large part Of his reply to the inso-
lent summons. Having first demon
strated the consistency Of his course
on the subject Of amnesty and the
restoration of friendly relations be-
tween the North and the South, he
thus continued:


On the following day wrote
again ).


President promptly to do and dare
in the cause of magnanimity.. The
Southern mind is now open to kind
ness, and may be magnetically affect
ed by generosity. Let assurance at
once be given that there is to be
General Amnesty and no general Con-
fscation. This is none the less the
dictate of wisdom, because it is also
the dictate of mercy. What we ask
is, that the President say in effect,
Slavery, through rebellion, commit
ted suicide, let the North and South
unite to bury the carcass and then
clasp hands across the grave


II am for universal amnesty-so
far as immunity from fear Of punish
ment or confscation is concerned
even though impartial suffrage should
for the present be defeated. l did
think it desirable that Jefferson Da-
Wis should be arraigned and tried for
tresson !. and it still seems to me that
this might properly have been done
many months ago. But it was not
done then; and now l believe it would
result in far more evil than good. 1t
would rekindle passions that have
nearly burned out or been hushed to
sleep; it would fearfully convulse
and aeitate the South it would ar
rest the progress Of reconciliation
and kindly feeling there; it would
cost a large sum directly and a far
larger indirectly and, unless the ju-
ry were scandalcusly packed, it
would result in non-agrecment or
no verdict. I can imagine no good
end to bo subserved by such.a trial;
and-holding Davis neither better
nor worse than several others-would
have him treated as they are. =


Is it conceivable that men who
can read, and who were made aware
Of this declaratibn-for most o you
were present and shouted approval of
Mr.. Fessenden's condemnation Of my
views at the Club, two or three even
ings thereafter-can now pretend that
my aiding to have Davis bailed is
novel and unexpected?


Gentlemen, shall not tend your
meeting this evening. I have an en-
gagement out Of town, and shall keep
it. 1 do not recognize you as capa-
bic of Judging, or even fully appre-
hending me. Yop evidently regard
me as a weak sentimentalist, misled
by maudiin philo ophy. :. arraign
you as narrow-minded' blockheads, !,
who would like 10 be useful to great
and good cause, but don't know how.
Your attempt to base great, endur-
ing party on the hate and wrath nee.
essarily engeudered by bloody civil
war, is as though you should plant 4
colony on aniceberg which had some
how drifted into a tropical ocean. | !
tell you here that, outuf life ear
1estly devoted to the good of human
kind, your children will select my 60
ing to Richmond and signing the bail
bond as the wisest act, and will feel
that it did more for freedom and hu-
manity than all Of you were compe-
tent to do, though you had lived to
the age of Methusaleh.


1 ask nothing of you, then, but
that you proceed to your end by a
direct, frank, manly way. Don't ST.
die off into mild resolution of cen
sure, but move the expulsion which
you purposed, and which I deserve,
if I deserve any reproach whatever.
All l care for is, that you make this
a square, stand-up fight. and record
your judgment by yeas and nays I
care not how few vote with me, nor
how many vote against me; for l
know that the latter will repent it in
dust and ashes before three years
have passed. Understand, once for
all, that 1 dare you and defy you
and that 1 propose to fghtit out on
the line tnat I have held from the
dav of Lees surrender. So long. as
any man was seeking to overthrow
our Government, be was my enemy
from the hour in which he laid down
his arms, he was my formerly erring
countryman. So long as any is at
heart opposed to the national unity,
the Federal authority, or to that as,
sertion Of the Equal Rights OF a all
Men which has become practically
identified with Loyalty and National
ity, 1 shall do my best tc deprive
him Of power; but, whenever he
ceases to be thus, I demand his re-
storation to all the privileges OF
American citizenship i give you
fair notice that | shall urge the re-
enfranchisement of those now pro-
scribed for Rebellion so soon as |
shall feel confident that this course
is consistent with the freedom Of the