CHAPTER XXII.

THE WAR OF THE REBELLION BEGUN.

The Election of Abraham Lincoln Made a Pretext for War-Mr. Greeley's Opinion upon the Right of Secession -He Demands a Vote of the Southcrn People, Expressing a Willingness to Abide by the Result -A Reply to Mr. Thurlow Weed's Assertion that Mr. Greeley was a SecessionistA Candidate for United State Senator - The Tribune During the Early Part of the War-"On To Richmond!"- Mr. Fitz Henry Warren's Washington Letters - The Washington Extemporaneous Club of Critics - The Defeat of Bull Run-Its Cause - Mr. Greeley "Stampeded ” — Messrs. Dana and Warren Retire from The Tribune - Secretary Stanton - His Letter to Mr. Greeley — Organizes Victory for the Union Arms -The Policy of The Tribune.

SUCн, as has been described, was the home life of Horace Greeley, such, as has been related, were his labours on the Chappaqua farm. But it is not to be supposed that his services in behalf of the country were any less constant, or his work any less severe, after he came in possession of his farm than before. Though his life was ever a busy one, he probably performed more and more various labours during the last twelve years of it than ever before fell to the lot of one man.

The election of Abraham Lincoln in November, 1860, was made a pretext for civil war. The political leaders of the South had quite generally adopted two erroneous doctrines by which they were easily led to sanction a war against the Union. One of these erroneous doctrines was that which made th ́ State paramount to the Republic not only as respects t} domestic affairs of the commonwealth, but in all respects. T other was a belief in the political propriety and in the mo ity of human slavery. These doctrines made secession from the Union an easy matter with those who believed in them. They readily found in the election of an anti-slavery President a pretext for war.

It is to be observed that the people of the whole republic

were in one sense responsible for the terrible civil war of 1861-65. Slavery was not the cause of more unhappiness to the blacks than of utter demoralization to the whites. Nor were its effects worse in the often manifested barbarism of Southern politicians than in the cringing cowardice of many politicians of the North, these being held as representative of Northern sentiment generally. And not without much show of reason. A half century before the war, the nation, largely through the influence of Henry Clay, had declined to settle the question of slavery extension, but had "compromised" instead. Some twelve years afterwards, again largely through the same influence, the republic had failed to settle the question of nullification, preferring to creep its way out of the difficulty through a "compromise." And less than twenty years after this, still again largely through the same influence, even a more humiliating "compromise" than either of the others was effected. We were, therefore, a nation of slaveholders and apologists of slavery. When the history of the times and measures to which I here refer shall be written, with truth and fulness, it will be seen that the influence of Henry Clay was more unfortunate than that of Mr. Calhoun, whilst his genius was far less lofty and admirable. The compromises which gave Henry Clay the sobriquet of "The Great Pacificator" were of incalculable detriment to the republic, and one of the most potential causes of our costly and bloody civil war. They made half the nation devoted to iniquity, the other half to iniquity and trifling.

Hence it was no difficult matter for the adherents of slavery to make the election of an anti-slavery President a plausible retext for insurrection. They claimed that such an election as an abridgement of their rights, or would necessarily so sult. And they asserted that, failing to secure their rights within the Union, it was their duty to secede from it. They had plausible arguments in favour both of slavery and of secession in the political history of the country; whilst in behalf of secession they made powerful appeals to the people with the argament of natural rights, - the same upon which our revoution had been based and independence achieved. There was