Daily national Democrat., 1861-10-16
General Shields.

ment of Brig ,dier General. having removed
from California to Mexico to recruit his fall
ing health.
This was so ridiculous, upon its face, that
we never published it. If General Shields
had been offered II commission and declined
it. we should have heard of it sooner than 1t
could have reached us by the way of WASH
ington
1t appears that General Shields has an
agent at San Francisco, who has attached
sufficient importance to the dispatch to digni-
fv it with a contradiction. The Monitor, in
his behalf, says:
We are authorized by Mr.. Cookery, the
agent of General Shields in this city, to say
that this cannot, by any possibility, be true,
and that it is much more probable that Gen
) has not, to this hour, heard of his appoint
ment Mr. c. receives and forwards all the
Generals correspondence, and it was only on
the first day of this month that he had an
opportunity of sending his commission and
other official letters 10y the steamer Pana
ma. The General is 100 miles in the interior
of Mexico.
1t is to be hoped that the General will not
accept the commission. As we have before
said, In these columns, General Shields was
very tardy in expressing his loyalty, at the
time when the roll was being called. His
tender hearted regard for the Southern An
archists led him, first to the support of Breck-
inridge, in 1860, and next, to fearing, in
1861, that "coercion" would hurt somebody.
He was not considered Union man until he
made Union speech after the taking of Fort
Sumter. On the contrary. his political asso-
ciates and intimates were of the Pacific Re-
public stripe. lie was believed 10y many to
be Pacific Republic man himself How
ever unjust these suspicious may have been,
it must be admitted that appearances were
sadly in their favor Even when the war
had broken out, and a formidable secession
party had reared its poisonous head in our
own State, Gen. Shields, in public speech
in this city, declared it to be his belief that
there were but few if any disloyal men in
California He knew better than that lie
is an old man has been among politicians
for many years, is thoroughly acquainted
with the secession leaders in this State, and
could not help knowing that treason was
strong in California and that the great ma
iority of his party leaders here (the Breckin
rdgers) were as guilty in thought and wish
as Davis hims elf was in act and deed In no
single Union speech made by him in this
State, did he ever recognize the fact that the
Secessionsts were in possession Of one of
the political parties. He preached "the ex-
ceeding sinfulness of SIN" but he knew of no
sinners outside the lines of the rebel army
When our State campaign was made up. and
the secession party was united upon McCon-
ne Il, while the Union men were divided be-
tween Conness and Stanford we heard moth
ing of the patriotic Shields Last Fall, when
"the South" $50 he called the Breckinridge
secession conspirators) wanted him to help
them by voting for Breckenridge, against his
old friend and Senatorial colleague, he did it
Not only so, but he found time and opportu-
nifty to communicate his views to the people
of California. When the Union cause needed
every friend it had and when the name OF
Democrat was being polluted 10y Secession
lists when a second Bariah Magoifn was
running for Governor of California, and all
the Uriah Heeps of the Secession press were
vomiting abuse upon the Government, and
;tl, -, eI,,
"McConnell and Peace" we heard nothing o
the patriotic Shields. But he has gone tC
Mexico for his health. Bah! He came tt
California for his health too. Cannot sicl
patriot write a letter of advice to the voting
people as easily when the Union cause is a
stake as when certain foul conspirator,
against the Government and the people wan
votes for boiling sham candidate for the
Presidency ?
Gen, Shields party organization had taker
a disloyal position before he left for Mexico
yes, and long before he made Union speech
| (See the reasonable address issued by tn
Breckinridge State Central Committee il
March last.) How did he regard the iina
action of his party in convention assembled
AS loyal, or otherwise? Did he approve
Tod Robinsons frothy threat, that the party
in this State would "tale the field" against
the L. S. forces Did lie approve the reso-
lutions Of the Convention, which declared in
favor Of 'peaceable separation" of the
] ITnion pp1ass tbn CAnst;tnt;n, oo,,1l l., r.,
altered as to suit the "two wings" of the ma
ton? Was he for Mcconnell, or against
him? Does he nor think there are any dis
unionists in the State? Who can answer one
of these questions to his own satisfaction
We repeat that, in view of the strange eager
ness Of Gen. Shlds last year, to d,ocat,
Breckenridge, to please what he was PLEASED
to term "the South, and his utter failure
this year to oppose Mcconnell, the Secession
candidate for Governor, it is to be hoped that
he will not accept the commission of Briga.
dier General which the Government has ten.
dered him.
Events show that it is impossible to con
quer the South, and that unless they can be
induced to come back TO the Union bv NO.
tives Of self-interest, division of the States
is inevitable. The time is fast approaching
when the great powers Of the world will re-
cognize the flag of the Confederate States II
will be folly then to resist the uncomfortable
tendency of things. Better have peaceful
separation and an end to this mutually ex
hausting and mutually ruinous war.-Sa,