New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-12-20
ruR STATE or TIE COUNTRY.

A General Meeting of our Citizens, TO
express the opinion of this community with
regard to the Conduct Of the War, is called
to assemble at Cooper Institute this evening.
Tie names sigued to this call are OF the high
est respectfully, though among them are
those OF citizens whose hostility to the War
for the UniOn--tO any war Tor the purpose a.
maintaining lis territorial integrity ana V.udl-
eating the constitutional authority OF lis Gov
ernment-has long been decided and uncon-
cealed. But il is right that these, among 9th
ers. should be present, 60 that, if what Is re-
solved at this meeting is to 60 forth as the
voice of New-York, it shall be, on every
point covered, the voice at least Of great
majority OF her citizens. To this eld, let none
be deemed excluded, bur let there be a free
aud fair consultation, and let nothing be set
forth as the voice OF New-York which does
not command the very general assent Of Ler
citizens.
"Tlise ore tines tia. tfy nea'. sou.f"
The true and the sham patriot the lover Of
be coul;ry and tie venal ee.ffceher, the daunt-
Jess and the cowsrd!y, the sterling and The
base, however the one may be bcei lad
tie other bedzened, will each exhibit his true
character in such a crisis. The deyOtces Of
Slavery, the sympa,hizcrs with Rebellion, are
al q. wo5k, deaming this taeir harvest Hos
lor this meeting MAJ be wi.ed into subsery.-
eacy to their ulachacwied.e d ends, tle record
OF is proceedings viii il due tiue disclose.
Tia, tie purposes Of many OF tie signers for
tIs meeting are pure aud patriotic none who
auow tLcm viii doubt.
Government by mass meetings has not yet
been reduced to q science and the legitimate
cope aud proper limitation Of their sphere are
as vet but vaguely defined. Thus far we
have not heard it claimed Tia. tlcy can safely
cali for the deposition of e lrcslLcut, though
10 is understood that IT, composition Of
Cabinets and manas emeut Of campaigns 80
WITHIN their province. St!!, b. ls mauirst
that tley cannot act inialAby in ignorance Of
the most r1o., rial facts Who among those
who viii figure at tae meeting tonight VII
absolutely know under what Oilers Gen.
Burnside acted las: Saturday AID on whose
responsibility tL,y we've gwen? We see aud
bear a grcl. deal confidently asserted with rs-
gard 10 ta0ae orders, but WHO da0'-s, and r.at
..oes he know After the War Committee
shall have reported on the Fredericksburg
affair To the Senate, we shall probably all bo
wiser.-that is, il We l0ok carslulIy--t0 tire es-
tabished facts rather than be content with
,st IL. PIT 40 nall 20.
be burli0g denunciatIOns right and left in ignOr-
ance Of those facts.
A careful study Of the journals That are
striving to Guido each other in tie work Of
exciting and intensifying dislrust Of tie Ad-
ministration aud It's War management, does
not tend to increase our confidence in the
STYLE of Government to which We are rapidly
tending One of tl.ese journals insists that the
Army of tic Potomac shall 30 into Winter
quarters where it now is--tAat it can DO
nothing else. Another very pert.nenty sue-
qests that this would enable Lee to dispatch
Fifty Thousand OF 50 of his soldiers to tho AID
of Johnston, Bragg 81 Co., in the South
West, and thus AID them TO oserwhclm our
armies in that quarter. One protests against
al distant expeditions and efforts, insisting that
our efforts should be concentrated on Viz
ginia, though this journal happens to be the
very one in which tie Anaconda strategy was first
developed and commended to an admirirg world.
Yet the samo authority that calls for concen.
tration Of our forces in Virginia observes that
our efforts seem to be successful in direct pro.
portion to their rcmoteness from Washington
which would make Texas capital arena for
US. We neither approve nor condeinn any Of