Year: 1872

The movement to defeat President


Grant is purely personal in its character.


1t is not the Platform that determines


the value of either party, but the char


aeter of these men who stand upon it,


and of those who sustain it. If Greeley


and his leading supporters had left


onr party because they differed with us


on some great public question, they


might have expected to carry others


with them. If our party had made


free trade one of its planks, then the


departure of Greeley with his pro-


lection views would have in


volved principle which would have


found many followers. Consistent pro-


tectionists in our party would have


Joined hands with him, for by remain


ing in the party they would be giving


announcement to a policy which they


were opposed to. So with other great


public questions involving some def


mite policy on which the people are d.


vided, their indOrcement or rejection by
our party night have been followed by a


bolt that would have seriously weak
ened our organization and made the op-
position formidable. But their with
drawal on purely personable grounds
has rendered them powerless to weaken
the noble party whose principles they
indorse, and whose leading measure
they accept. In politics as in religion
men are influential as far as their eff
fort to advance the cause. Their devo-
tion to the principles of the party for
which the labor is the cause of their
personal popularity. But outside of
this they are simple individuals, with
out influance.. Thousands of men can
be found who would willingly follow
Horace Greeley to the death in his as
saults on corrupt Democracy, or in his
brave defense of the Republican party,
not because he was Horace Greeley but
because he was the recognized leader of
a cause which they believed in and were
willing if necessary to die for. But
when the point of attack is to be their
own party and the stronghold to be de-
Tended nothing but Horace Greeley and
the Democratic party, few men can be
found foolish enough to follow him.
Greeley and his liberal co-workers,
Trumbule and Schurz, thought they
were neglected by the Administration.
Supposing they were neglected is that |
q plank broad enough to build a party |
upon? Yet that is about all this person.
al movement is based upon. 1t makes
war upon General Grant and the Re
publican party not because it disa-
grees with the national policy, but be-
cause Greeley, Trumbull, and Scliurz,
and few others did not have the share
of patronage which they claimed their |
importance demanded. For this reason
they left the party, set up the cry of |
and are now amusing the |
country by telling the Democrats how
'Siy NOiAuPb thc Psti ~ 70 ehae SdNC licH
political existence and for which they
labored so earnestly until it refused them
the control of the offices they wanted.
The movement has no strength in our
party, and is a sourse of weakness to the
Democratic party. We are not surpris-
ed that from all quarters comes the
same story: ''The Greeley movement
is failure. The Republicans are solid
for Grant, and the Democrats are dis
The effort to betray our
party has reached its high-water mark.
the tide is receeding. Its per-
sonal character is becoming palmer
every day, and if our friends work as
we believe they will Horace Greeley will
be so badly beaten in November that
he will be forced to look at the old files
Of the Tribune to see if he ever had
existence.