The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-09-30

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currency would continue to depreciate,
and the price of everything would con-
tinue to 60 up. The entire burthens Of
war in all its forms, would continue its
pressure upon us with increased weight.
How long think you we could stand it !?
Certainly not always, not many years,
probably not two years. We should GER
tainly break down sooner or later, and
then the South would assume her indie
pendent and hostile attitude, with slavery
as her chief corner stone.
| To give freedom to the slaves and hold
the South in subsection by military force,
is impracticable, impossible and absurd.
You can no more force the South to en-
brace AbolitiOnism at the point of the
bayonet, than you can force a change of
religious conviction by acts of persecution.
To re-elect Lincoln then, entails war
upon US as long as we have men who can
| be drafted into the service and can raise
money to support the army after which,
we fall into irretrievable ruin, leaving the
South with her slaves and slavery, to re-
organize and re-establish her confederacy.
The rebels having manifested a willing
ness to lay down their arms and return to
the Union upon the basis of the resolution
to which Mr.. Lincoln and his party COM
mitted themselves in the outset, the in
quiry naturally arises, why it was that Mr.
Lincoln repealed and refused to listen to
them, unless they embraced in their pro-
position the abandonment of slavery. The
reason is manifest. The Republican party
is organized and lives upon the single idea
of hostility to the South and slavery. If
the South should return to the Union as
proposed, it would end the existence of the
Republican party, for not only would it
be voted out of power, but could not there
after live on anti-slavery agitation. The
slavery question would no longer be
tolerated in the arena of politics.
With Mr.. Lincoln then and his party it
was question of peace and a restored
Union by destruction of their own party,
or an interminable war to abolitionize the
South in order to save their party in
power. They chose the latter course, and
all who are SO strongly attached to party as
to prefer war to abolitionize the South, in
the hope of continuing the Republican
party in power, instead of an immediate
peace and restored Union, will vote for
Mr.. Lincoln. But all who want peace and
a restored Union without reference to
party, will vote for Geo. B. Mcclellan.
You now pay from four to eight times
as much for coffee, tea, sugar, cotton
goods, hardware, and everything you buy,
as you did before Lincoln was elected, and
if you continue him in power, you must
continue to pay these or increased prices.
Because SO long as Lincoln is in power
there can be no peace, no restored Union,
only war, drafts and taxation. This re-
suits inevitably from his changed posi-
ton as to the object and purpose for which
the war is waged on his part. ''
Another consequence flowing from Mr..
Lincoln's change Of position as to the OBJ
ject and purpose of the war has been to
deprive the country of the ablest military
talent in the army. After DESERVING the
Constitution and the Union and having de
ternined to wage the war to force the
South to abandon slavery, Mr.. Lincoln
commenced wedding the army of all
Generals in it who were suspected of
entertaining political views az vari-
ance with his own, and among others
who had to be. thrown overheard, was
General Mcclellan. This alone has pro-
lOnged the war at a cost in blood and
treasure that can never be known or esti-
mated. but no unprejudiced mind can
look back over the past without being
forced to the conviction that had General
! Mcclellan been retained in command and
allowed the control of our armies, he
would have crushed the rebellion in 1852.
He was commander in chief from Novem-
Der 1861, to March 1862, about four
months, and during that time his military
genius gained us more permanent sue
cesses, and accomplished more towards
crushing the rebellion, than all that was
done during the two years succeeding his
| removal from that command. He planned
during this time and sent off the expedi-
ton with instructions how to proceed,
which resulted in the taking of New Or
leans. He organized and sent the expedi-
ton into North Carolina which, by follow
ing his instructions, gave Us all the foot
this time that we gained all the hold we
have in Soutb Carolina. He directed as
to the organization of the Western armies
and placed them under competent gener-
ais, who, by following his directions, drove
the enemy from Missouri, Kentucky, and
part of Tennessee. These were but the
incipient steps in the execution of his plan
for crushing the rebellion. He was pre-
pairing for the capture of Mobile, Charles
ton and Wilmington, and getting the ar
mics ready to move upon the enemy sim
ultaneously in the soring, when, on the
18th of March, 1862, his command was
reduced to the army in Virginia, and his
plan of operations thrown aside by Lincoln
and Stanton, who took matters into their
own hands, and after two years of fighting
we added no permanent advantages to
what McC lellan had gained in four months
time, except the taking of Vicksburg aud
q part of East Tennessee.
Gen. Mcclellan, when reduced in COM
mand to the army in Virginia, left seventy
thousand men for the defence of Washing
ton, and gave specific directions as to their
disposition, and then went to the Peninsula
with about ITO, 900 men to operate against
Richmond, As soon as he reached the
Peninsula the command of the forces left
for the defence of Washington was taken
from him. and his directions as to their