Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1862-03-25
Military Partisanship.

1hls country has so long Decn spllG lhlo par
ties. that it seems utterly impossible for those
who have used lhese weapons of partisan strife
80 long, to lay them aside even in the most deadly
peril Of the country. Many honestly thought
when the North arose ~ one man at the call OF
the Government after the fall of Sumter that
party lines were obiterated. But they were
only Tor little while buried out Of sight. The
last New Hampshire election showed them as
clearly defined then US ever, and there can be
no doubt that elections everywhere, except where
Democrats or Republicans are in such hope
less minority az to make contcsI useless will
develop the existence Of the same party feeling
hereafter, as Of old. This political strife is,
however. carried on much after the war style.
1t is coming to be politco-military conflict.
Not much is said about the tariff The subject
Of internal improvementsi is dropped. The Ma
tional Bank, at last, ID deiunct lssue. No
mention is made of the annexation Of Cuba
The aatas Of the Territories is MT much dis
cussed But there is great activity on the
Slavery question and the conduct of the war,
and as great liberality as ever in denuncation
Of opponents.
Tor the last few weeks the battle has been
mainly fought over Gen. Mcclellan. especially
since the Presidents message OH the subject OF
gradual abolition for the moment placed all
parties so nearly in accord on the subject Of the
best way to get rid of Slavery Here the COM
bat has waved exceedingly fierce. One extreme
is quite ready to deny to Gen. Mcclellan any
ere lit any of the successes of the Federal arms
for the last sir weeks. The opposite extreme
is quite az unreasonable in claiming for him all
the glory, and pralsing him as the one man who
has planned and brought to perfection the move
ments of the forces that have wrought such a
change in the aspect Of tho war; and the coun-
try is in Just about Ms much danger from one
kind OF partisanshp as the other. 1t is not
the good of the country that either extreme Is
seeking, but the elevation or depression of
single man ; and while they work with this
purpose, the landation and the censure are alike
advance.
There is no style of criticism easier, or more
inviting, than indiseriminate praise or eensure ;
and in the present embargo upon all news re-
speeding the movements Of troops, the field for
conjecture Is so unlimited, that 1t requires but
small ingenuity to make every movement OF the
war straight or crooked as suits the fancy of
the writer. Whether the Government has done
wisely or not in withholding from the people
the means of forming an accurate judgment, at
j. NOT worth while now to discuss. But the
knowledge having been withheld, it is not quite
fair for the newspaper friends of Army Gener-
ais to insist tina, no fault shall be found with
what appears to be wrong, provided the COM
plant is made in proper spirit and with an
earnest desire to assist in bringing the war to a
speedy conclusion. The press, in this Govern
nent are the sentinels on the watch towers of our
liberties and neither Generals, Presideat, Cabi-
net, nor congressman are, nor ought TO be, ex-
empt from the sciutini2ipg gaze OF tbese guar
dAns OF the peoples lights impIeit- 0hWa-
veripg faith in officers, either civil or military,
is No more duty in time OF war than in time
OF pence, and wherever indulged. or compelled,
is either inconsistent with Democratic institu-
tons OK hastle TO them. Take, Tor instance, the
attempt to make Gen. Mcclellan the one hero OF
this war, ND what good result can be secured
by it il anything but political sense 1t
might I've us,k1l in advancing the suggestion
made some time Since by the New York Herald
in laying the iopslaton for a military dynasty
by using the Aray to ADJOURN Congress at the
p1n. OF the bayopet. alter the fashion of crom-
wells dealing with tbs long Parliament. But
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