The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1862-12-25
Ahc Sudden Collapse of OfHicClcIsan-
What EbScs il Iscan:
From the London Times. Nov. >.


ton, or want Of pluck, or is it policy?
Here Is maA occupying the first place in
the worlds eye. He had a great army at
his back, which respects 10 other leader.
He is the foremost member of par,y
which is coming into power. He is the
only iGan among tie Northern Generals
whom the enemies OF the North respect:
and perhaps We may even say he is the
only man among those Generals whom
!ho wo ord at large respects Yet. while lie
Is in camp with tho army, surrounded by
bis friends. la;e one night missiye is put
into bis hands from, President who seems
to have lost all influence, and from a Gov
ernnent which is sinking daily into con-
tempt, and Immediately :hiS powerful Gen
eral lays down his command, sinks into
private individual, aid with a short fare.
well to his mon, goes away into retirement
and almost into exile.
General Mcclellan obeys the law. He
appears 10 be the ouly man in America
who admits that the law has any force. II
! Mcclellan had wanted precedents anl pre-
texts for tossing his official dismissal into
his campfire. neither was difficult to fad
nor far to seek. II it wa; proper 10 re-
sist BY military force the process of the
Suprem" Courts, and to deny the kaJsas
corpus writ In cases Of arrests Of Ameli ,an
citizens surely great necessity might have
been pleaded to prevent the action Of Il
mere State Secretary's letter; and l. the
whole nun cipal laws and individual lib
critics Of America are rightly suspended
under the plea of military exigency, sure
ly a similar ilca might have justified a
resolution of General Mcclellan 10, to leave
his army leader!ess while in the face of
the enemy. 1t was bid exercise Of
power in Lincoln, one OF those bold exr
ciscs OF power which weak men sometimes
do, bnt seldom at tha proper time. T.
strike down this party foe, even a. the head
of the Army of the Republic, was an act
Of yigor which m:rht have had important
consequences, had the Generals ambition
b en- equal to his opportunity. If Geher
al Mcclellan hal refused obedience, there
is great reason to believe that tie army
would have stood by him, and that a large
party of the Democrats would have ap
p!auded him. To save the Constitution
by force from the iorcible violations By
the President, would have been fair par
ty cry. But Mcclellan has preferred to
play the part of the model constitutional
Democrat; he yields obedience even to
Mr.. Lincoln, that he may show his zeal for
The Constitution, and, with a smothered
complaint of doubt and coIiness' in some
quarters. he turns aside from the possible
dictatorship to till his New Jersey farm.
Mr.. Van Buren, proposes to run Nc
Clellan for next President; and, to a man |
who has made himself renowned for slow
and certain tactics, perhaps this is a better
chance than lha: offered by the opportuu-
ty Of bringing into immediate action tie |
army and the Democratic party. \ bold
patriotic man mi ght have been dazzcd by
the glory or impelled by the duty of dar-
ing every thing. in order to put an end to
the present oatpourlng Of blood and arrest.
ing the present rush to ruin; bu, SO far a
the world know General Mcclellan he was
likely to see things in a different light.
While matters are going so well for him
and his party there is no need of any great
coup. No doubt General Mcclellan has
confidence in Lee and Jackson il We have
not in General Burnside, and he naturally
thinks that operations, which lie did rot
bsleve to be wise 10 attempt himself, could
not be successfully carried out by the
General who has superseded him. A
great defeat in Virginia would bring bac'l
Nc Clelan with augmented power and repu- +,
tation, and would finish up the present d.
caying Government Such may be the
of the obedicnt General who !.
formed the Army Of the Potomac, and if ,
such be the thoughts that swayed him,
they seem to be shared by great many
others. During the few days which have
between his dismissal and our
last advices, rumois Of defeats have been
already rife in New York These are
probably only the whisperings of Gener :
Al apprehension. :;
The new commander must, of course,
10 something. If Mcclellan was super I
,eded because he refused to advance, Burn :.
'ide must have been appointed because he =
vas ready to advance. Every day during
which it can be said, as the news of this
morning says, that "the Confederate pick
is still show themselves on the Virginia
Idle OF the Potomac is day Of reproach T
. NJ T;nooln opd Ii, paw W