St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-05-07

delay is only the closing up Of the old
Mcclellan, get-'eady, rule.> Since Gen.
Hooker, took command itghas been sim.
ply impossible to get the army out Of the
mud in which that arch traitor had strand
ed it. The danger now lis that Gen.
Hooker will, not wait until a forward
movement can be made to advantage.
The time Of the two. years men expires
the first of June. So the War Depart
mcnt has decided, while the men contend.
cd that it was the first of May, the differ.
ence being that between the. time Of. VOL
untcering and the time Of being mustered
into service. Gen. Hooker is of course
anxious to give these men, who compose
about one-third Of his army, chance to
meet the rebels during the time they cal
culated their service due their country j;
and, at least, he will do, his best to
bring on an engagement before they arc
mustered out. -. ...a 90.
It is thought that but few of these
troops will re-enlist.
You of course know of the new policy
adopted about arming the blacks. 1 was
let into, the secret Of this purpose some
weeks before it, became public, by an
agent Of the colorcd men Of New York
who visited the President and related to
me the particulars of his interview. 1
wrote an account of it for the Chicago
Journal, and was not surprised to see the
strong ground taken in General Thomas
sreech. There is no doubt that the Pres
idcnt is very much in earnest in the mat
ter; and that he will do what he thinks
is best to make the colored soldiers eff
cient. But, like all his other measures,
it is half way In adopting anew policy
he should by. all means intrust the car
rying out of that policy to men who have
been its advocates and champions when it
was unpopular-to the men who have had
the wisdom aud craftsmanship to see, in
advance of others, what they have taken
at second hand.
1t is fixed rule in governments that
when new policy is adopted, the Old
ministers retire and the new order Of
things has fair trial by being intrusted
to the management of its friends.
Gen. Thomas has been one of the most
stringent opponents of any anti-Slavery
measures in the management of this war
and when events have proved how alto
pear as if consistency, selfrespeot and re-
spect for men whose judgments have been
proved to have been so much superior to
his own demand that he should resign, SO
of Seward and Halleck. SO of all tho pro-
Slavery, conservative officers. They
should resign or. be displaced. 1t is un-
just and preposterous to attempt to in
augurato great and important national
policy and place it on trial, IN the hands
of its persistent enemies, while its early
friends are to be held responsible for the
success Of the measures they devised and
urged; and, are carefully excluded from
all places where they might. assist to give
it efficiency. ...>-
1t is nothing more nor less than dishon-
est, :unmanly, mean for these old pro-sla-
Slavery conservatives to steal the thunder
of Generals Fremont, Hunter and Gamer
on. Had these men been permitted to
carry out the plans they announced VIC
would have been through with the rebel
lion now but it required two years of
war, the loss of two hundred thousand
lives, and more millions of treasure than
any one could count and dozen copper
head victories to bring our old fogies to
see what live men perceived at the first -;
and now, they have the hardihood to come
forward as the representatives of the poll
cy they kept back just as long; as they
could. 49, 3.
It is unjust and unfair in President
Lincoln to permit these men to retain
their places under the circumstances and
to continue to deny Gen. Fremont an op-
portunity to carry out his own policy.
Now, you must not send copy of this
letter to any Of those gentlemen unless
there is some hope they might be induced
to read it-for, as I depend on their for
bearance for bread and butter, it might
be Involvement to get a note informing