■o? kP ^<* -K^^ ^> ' • « » *> °o -OV^^ .1^ ■ "-o/ :^^'- Vo^' .v:*1H--. ^ o V / ;; \/ ;I«|^ \./ ;^v %^ " " * ♦ a ,** .-j,L-, *f. ".. o. '^rs^ > 0' '"'i' ^" ,v .. ,.. ?■. *■!>«<''' /i ,-!> ^^. ^;s^'^ '^/ ;:!^p^h t -p' .^-n. >.•?■ ^ P » ' ^ %^^ :^M€/)h\ "^^..<^ V ,-0' >^* V V> >^>^V'*' .q>" "^ ^*'' ^^' 4 o V .^'^. ^^ %s- . • . 1^ %.^'' ' 4 o •^-1= D . ^ ij> P M -Vj The CENTENARY HORACE GREELEY PUBLISHED BY THE CHAPPAQUA HISTORICAL SOCIETY XHE PRICE OF THIS BOOK : ^ FIFTY CENTS, OR OVER, AS A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS ERECTING A STATUE TO HORACE GREELEY, AT CHAPPAQUA, WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK. ^CONTRIBU- TIONS SHOULD BE SENT TO MR. JACOB ERLICH, TREASURER, NO. 40 TO 46 WEST TWENTIETH ST., NEW YORK CITY r Gc 1811 His Birthplace — From Photojiruph Our Preface The New York World Editorial .... ()>.... SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1910 Horace Greeley's 100 Years To the many ixTsons still liA-in,u' who rcincinber Horaco (li'cclcy as a daily fijiurc in tlic life of New York the one hundnMlth anniversary of his l)irth. which falls on Fob. .'). 1*.)11. will have a special significance. By those of a later licneration no less is tribute due to the memory of a man who played a jKirt as editor, anti-slavci-y leado- and ardent sup- ])()rter of the Inioii that made him ono of the leadin he (^xercised extraordinaiy ])ower, and in the main that power was the result of moral itleals that can never die. it is well that steps shoidd l)e taken at once to bring about a lit ting ol)servaiu'e of the c(nit(Uinial of his birth. Chappaqua, Westchcsler Co. New York, January 30. 1911 THE Chappaqua Historical Society ORGANIZED SEIT. 15, li)|() dDfttrriii JOHN 1. D. BRISTOL. Pr.-sul.-m MCTOR GLINZBL'RG. \ k .•-Pnsiii lACOB ERLICH. Tn-.isunr EDWIN BEDELL, S>-crciarv I^oracc 6rcclrj[) i^lcmortnl Committee lOHN I. D. BRISTOL, CliainiKin \ICTOR GL'INZBURG. \ icc-Prcsid.ni JACOB ERLICH, Trcas.inr EDWIN BEDELL, Sccrciary MORGAN COW PERIHWAITE lOlIN MrKESSON, Jr. GEORGE HUNT lilRAM E. MANMLLE WILBUR HYATT A. H. SMITH GEORCiE D MACKA> L. O. lUOMPSON ALBERT TURNER 4- -■ (Lhappaova - , ' ' few •'-ykiK T/?^ Greeley Memorial Monument at Chappaqua Thk Ghound Plax is Shown in ( 'dKNKH THK L'iM'KR Left Haxd There will be some modifieutioiis. The statue proper will !)(' of L'liited States standard l)n)iize, with appropriate bronze taliiet inscriptions. Nati\c stone from the old farm of Horare (Ireelev will be used for tiie exedra (seats), with polisiicd and carved jxianitc for the finials and the base and cap of the pedestal. Tiie tiled platform in its entirety will l)e ai)out li) feet in lenel(\v lived when he received the nomination for the Presidency. The statue will face his old home. o(j('..u„.,.,t..„, L^ A5" !su, '''ft^UxJ> erf ^ ^^ ' <> ', /^ i^^ .^^ ^^ ^^ ^^-'; 6^^^>0 , ^^^ (W^-<- cT^^ /.o-v^ -.A/ c;»^ /c~-^r The l';un<)U> l.incolii I'caci' l.rttci ISO 1811 ^ >K*-i^^ *¥*' ■^^h His liirtlinliu place i.si;; sj 5 His I'irst Scliool House (Cuts photo-roproduccd fniiii " l{ccollectioii.s of :i Busy Life," 1S6S) 1858 His (ircat Coiici-ctc Barn at C'liaii|)a<|ua One of the Ivirlicsl liiiililiiio-; of tlii> .M<'tli()il of ( "oust ruction Ti"ansforiiiiM| into a iii'sidciicc Aflcr the liurninii' of His ■• Home ill the Wooils." Si'c itaiic '.) 1870 H^ "f m:'^'\wm> His "nome in tlie Woods" at Ciiappaqua Dostroved I)V Tire in 1S77 (Cut-s photo-reproduced from " Ilecolloctions of :i Busy Life," 186S) 7 TiiK Gfi.NZiuHc Plaque An Artistic CrcMtioii of .Mrs. \'ict(ir (!uinzl)ur! Pivsoiitcii l.y llcr to Tiic ('linpp:i(iu:i Historicnl Soriety NiiK' and onc-(|uart{'r Indies in (iiamotor Casts Can Be Purchased Proceeds for the .Monument Fund 1909 His (iroat ('(incrctc l>;irii. ;il ('h:ip|)ac|iia ( p. 7 ). 'riansloriiicil iiitoTlic ('Iciidfiiin Ivcsiilcucc. Al'tcrtlic I )cst nicticni l)y I'iiv of Hi> ■■ llonic in 'i'lic Wmxls" {\>. 7 ) 1910 Tlic I.ivintr liooiii of the ("iciKJcnin licsidoncc at ( lia|)|M'iiia, with 11 i~ Cradle on I lie Hearth, and His I'irturc Above tiic .Mantt'l Tlic Wind liivak Phmlcl l,y lliiii of TIh- Cliurch of Saint .\Iar\- tl Xortli of the I'rt'sciit Site ■ Niiiiiii. at Cha|)[)a(|ua 10 (!Ilnt^^nii^^ iCifr au^ linuraphg ....o(. TJinrarr (^rrrlinj 1811, February 3rd: 15i>rn at Ainlicrst, Hillsl)()r()ii('cu])ati()n of father, farmer. 1813: "'I'lie newspaper wliieli was iii\-en to him as a playt hiiiii', he exainini'd witii curiosity; in(|uirin,i;- lirst ai)out the piotur(\s, then tiie capital lettecs, tiieii tiie smaller ones." .Vttends school in his third winter at Londonderry. 1814: "Read eori-ectly any hook preparecl for children." 1815: Reads "any 'hook whatever." l^arly disliuiiuished for recitations and spellint:;. 1818: 1 at her in ^ra\'e financial trouble. 1821: lather financially ruined. 1824, January ist: Becomes a teetotal<'r and takes li'reat interest in tlu? temperance movement . 1826: Kilters the office of the Xoiihcni Sprrhilnr, at East I'oult- ney, \'ermonf. as an apprentice to the art of printinii;. Was "the real liiaiit " of the dehatiiisi schools. His fund of information had hecome so fjreat that he was reuafded as a .sort of walking- encyclopedia; and to "him the di.s- putes of the \illa,u'e were i-eferreil." 1831: ( )n failure of the pa pel' with which he was eniiaiieil, obtains employment as a jouineymaii in Jamestown and l.odi, in New York, and i'.rie, Pennsylvania. 1831, August 17th: Keaches New \'ork City with SKI.'-'") — "poor in everyl hinii except <:ood |)rinciples and indomitable conrafie." .\ftei' nmch (litiiculty finds employment as a compositor in the printinji establishment of John '1'. West, 80 Chatham Street, where he earned from fixe to six dollars per week with Ions hours. Next finds work in Ann Street, on a monthlv paper, which had but a short life. (Joes back to West's. 11 1832, January ist: Finds employiiiciit on The Spiril af l/ic Tii/i('.'<, (li'voti^l to sportinjf intclliiicncc. A tcrrihlc season of cliolcni and ^(■ncrtil financial (Iciircssion. Advocates tiie inti'oihu;- tion of ('rotrl: 'I'n'lnim is^m-tl, alxml 'jOO Mil)scril)i'rs lia\in,i:' hccii ohtaiiu'd. Tlu' cxik'Il^i's of the first week were ><.')•_'() receipts s'.cj. Mi'. lleiii\ .1. iiay- inoiid, celeln'ateii in after \cars in joutnaiisiii. I)ut llieii a lad fresh from college'. \\a> Mr. ( liceleyV first assi-taiit, a |iost whieli he coiitinueil lo hold for nearly eiuiit \ears. 'I'Ik 'rrihiiiii reaehed a >elf-su>tainiMii- liasis in ahout six months, when Mr. Thomas .Nhdllrath lireame a partner, investiiii^ S2,(UK). and lakini;- the husiness manaiieinenl and sharini:; equally in profits. 'I'his period in Mr. ( Ireeley'.s career marks the termin.ation of his tremendous struii'iiles for success. Tin Trihinu under his maua.tcement became the most widely noted |)aper of the Kami. "It nevei- forii'ot tho-e who weie -t m.^ii'liuti- for liln-rly in other lands, whethei- they were Iri-h. i'lufi-lish, or I'renidi. 1 1 iniiiarians or i'oles. it wa- the paper of universal humanity." 1 841, September 20th: 'Idle lony.' >trui;i;le with The Xric Yoi-Lir is over, and the la>l numher of the pa|)er issued. He pays i)aper makers, tvpefoiuuler, jouinevmen, etc.; suliscriliers owinii- som(! SUt.OOO in >uiii> of SI to SIO each fail to pay. 1848, December ist to March 4th, 1849: Ser\-e<| as a memher of the House of IJepresenta* i ves. i'ouiiht aiiainst the abuses of milea.iic and introduced a. hill to ili>coura,i;e speculalion in public lands and the cstablishnient of homesteads thereon. ( )pposed appro- priations for furnishin.ii- members with lil)raries at tlu; public ex|>ense. and sou<;ht to inaiif^urate other reforms. "No member was ever more faithful to his dutii's. and no one e\ei- icceiNcd smaller rewai"d." 1850: rui)lication of his "Hints Toward Kefoi'ins." 1851: \isits Europe and acts in London as one of the jurors of the n Congressional proceedings. It was at tliis lime that he was brutally assaulted by a member of ('oiifin'ss from Arkansas. "The Tn'hiinc wtit^ indicted in Nirjiinia — at least a man was indicted for uf'tlinji up a club to i)rom()te its (•irculation, and Mr. Greeley was indicted with him." 1859: .lourneys across the plains to ('alifornia. Ha- his well- known interview with I'.rinhani ^■oun,i:;. Cordial public receptions greeted him e\-ery where, es|)ecially in Sacra- mento and San I'ranciseo. The pul)lication of his "Over- land Journey to Califoi-nia" followed. i860, May: Attends the National Conventi(»n of the liepublieaii partv in Chicago as a delegate for Oivgon by recjuest of the liepublicans <>( that state. 1861: Name presented befoi-e the liepublican Legislative Caucus at .Mbany for {'. S. Senator. (Jained largely upon his opponents, but defeated in nomination by reason of the sup[)orters of .Mr. Evarts going over in a bod\- to Mr. Harris. 1864: I'^ngaged in effoi'ts for peace. See in this connection letter of President Lincoln, page ."). W.-is .•! Presidential Elector for the State of New York .-ind ;i delegate to the Phila- delphia Loyalists' Coincntion. The rebellion was crushed, and the President of the slioit-li\'ed ( 'onfederacy a piisoiu>r in the hands of the Federal authorities. The Constitution of the Lnited States was explicit, that "in all criminal proseciit i()ii~ the accused should enjoy the right to a speedy and public tr'ial by an imp;irtial jury of the state and di>trict wherein the crime shall ha\'e been com- mitted." (h-a\'e leg;d itn| lediment s Were in the way of trial or eonxiet ion. He signs the b;ii! bond of Jefferson Davis with .Mr. ( lerrit Smith, the eminent .\bolitionist, and others. This act of .Mi'. (Jreeley's has been most gro.ssly misrepresented. It almost stopped the .sale of his "History of the Rebellion," and lost him hundreds of thou>;inds of \()tes when he ran for President. 1867: \\as a I)elegate-at-Large to the New York State Con- vention for the Ke\ision of the Constitution, whei'e he was prompt and efficient in the p<'rfoi'mance of his official duties. His friends "were again an.xious to send him to the Senate, and before the meeting of the Li>gislature the almost unanimous expi-ession of the le;iding Republicans of the .-tale, as well as that of the principal journals of the par-ty, f;i\(ired his election." 14 1 868, September ist: Completes what is douhlless liis most intecestiiisi; woik, " Recollections ol a liusy Lite." 1869: " Al'ier I u() ()!■ tliice i;e|)ulilicaii cainliilales iiad Ix'cn nonii- natcil atiil ilccliiicci tn luii tur Stale ( 'onti-oller he accepted the position, and I liouuli deteated in tiie contest * * * h(> ran aliead of llu' entire KepuWhcan State ticket, seven candidates in all. with the sinule exception ol' (!en. I'r.anz Siijel. who receixccl ;i (■oii>ideraMe ( leiinan \-ote which was not c;isl lor the other llepniilican nominees." 1870: Ran for Conuress in the Sixth District, rednciui:; Demo- cratic majority- from L'.TOI) to al.out 1,01)1). 1872, May ist: Liiiera! ('on\-ention at ('incimiati, alleiide(l hy a \ast (kde.iration from all parts of tiie I'nion. .\ominated for the Presidency with l'>. (irat/ lirowii for N'ice-l'resident , anil many demonstrations ot' the warmest enthusiasm. ]n .lul\' follow ini;' nomin.ations endorsed hy the Demo- cratic ( 'on\'cnt ion at Baltimore ( )|' t he popniar \-ote he received L'.s;) 1.1)79; (leii. ( hain icceivinij ;^,r)<)7,()7(),with :;."). OU; >catterin,i;-. 1872, November 2Qth: " The earthly lile w hich had Keen so busy, so laborious, and .so fruitful, w.-is o\'er." " .\o man was ever more f^enerally respected — no man e\'er died moi-e fi'eiu'rally re.tji'ctted. He has jiassed from the husy scenes of earth, in which he was one of the most u.seful and busy; hut as the .self- cultivated man of letters, the |)iiilantliropist, the reformer and the unsurpassed jouiMialist, he will 1h> honorably rem(>mbered so lonsz; as the history of the Kepulilic .shall survive." ((Quotations from Thr Trihmif Almanac Biography — -to which wc are indebted for many other facts and dates.) J. I. J). B. 15 1 803 "O, ijtmil (irtiu liaui. iiIkiiii all nun knew" 1 sliall ;il\\;i>s tliiiik of Mr. (ircclcy as one of tlircc great Anu'rit-aiiH, the otlicr two hcing Franklin and Lincoln, lie was not I'rcsidcnt, to 1)1' sure; hut he was the maker of I'resident.s, and had it not been for liiui, Jvineohi, heloved and famous, miglit to the end of ins da}s have been nothing more than a faintly reinemhered Congressman, I couple him with these two men because the three were not only among the greatest of our own coimtry, or of any country; but they were peculiarly dear to mankind. 1 1 will be a long time, 1 fear. Ijefore we shall add a fourth to this unii|ue group. I doubt if we shall e\-er have another so intrinsically deal' to pulsing, warm-hearted luuuanit}- us was Horace Greelc}'. JoKL JiKXTOX. 16 At ('li;iii|i:n|u;i, 1S7_' 'I'hc Wliiii- (oat. 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