The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-01
From nc Tmes.

THlE NOMINATION OF McCLELLA N.
The Democratic nomination is made lie who
did more than any other Northern man t) save
the Rebellion nom its enemies in It's growth, Is
fdy put forward TO shield It from the finishing
blow in its decline 1he platform which demands
that "immedi,te efforts be made for a cessation
of hostilities.' finds It's appropriate embodiment
in the General who, of all others, did most to
thwart the progress OF those hostties.
II being deemed polite, hy the majority, tp
select military man as the candidate, in order
20 ahate, with the people, the OdiOus associations
of peace policy, the least warlike Of the generals
was th, very JACK at pinch TO serve this end.
Though the straight.Out peace men did not take
kindly ut first to any such management, they
were easily enough recOnciled 70 it ny the plea
that, without some such SHIFT, was imp is
sible and by the concession of the second pl ice
on the ticket TO one of their own number, Val
landigham appropriately and without hesitluon,
moved to make the uomiu tion unanimous.
What two.thrds Of the Convention recognized
in giving their first vote 10 Mcclellan is uuqucs-
tiOnaby tIue-that the platform of the COnyen-
tion is not Of Itself calculated to gain the favor
OF tine people. The reasons are two-one mega
tive, the other positive.
The negative reason Is that the platform does
not contain syllable condemnatOry of the Re-
bellion. Plenty of space is found for deuuncil-
ton of the Administration Mt Washington; but
not hairs breadth is allowed to even the
slightest censure Of the Rebel Government in
Richmond.
Now, whether the majority of the people Of the
loyal States believe that President Lincoln is
worthy of commentator may be disputed by
sane men but whether The majority Of the people
believe that the sO-caed President Davis is TO be
condemned is not to he disputed by any but
lunAtiCs. II may be that the people consider that
there has been naturalization, but 1t is in
fntely more certain that they consider that there
has been accursed tre ison.
Therefore II is that any party manifesto which
stigmatizes the official management of ths war,
and yet fails to testify against the Rebellion, eau
not receive the favor Of the people. II Is easy
enough to sec how the platform came by this
strange shape. To ropr0bate the Rebellion would
be TO offend the Rebels, wnom the party desires
TO treat with. Bot this does not mend the mat
ter. Such a reason for the omission is not whit
less Odious than the omission itself.
The positive feature OF the platform which will
condemn it with the people is this very commit
ment to the policy OF cOmpOundng with armed
Rebellion. The people have carried this war too
nearly to its cOnsummation TO abandon 1t for any
such object. They know no such thing as ga ces-
satiOn of hOstiltts," short of submission to the
rghiful authority 0f the National Government
1t was precisely to enforce that submission that
the hOstiltes were first immenced. The pro-
gress of these hostiities has proved their ability
to enforce il. Most assuredly they do not mean
to give up the enforcing of it, when near the
endg and to let their immense sacrifices OF trea-
sure and blood fail of their great recompense.
The platform being thus in itself an unpopular
one, the practical question now is, 70 what extent
this adverse feeling will De proptiated by nomi-
nation of this particular type. Will a platform
which would surely be rejected with such repre-
sentative civilian upon IL rs Valaudigham or
Thomas ii. Seymour be acceptable because that
standing. place is occupied ny Gorge b. McC lei
Ian in Major Generals uniform? To this we
answer emphatical'y No, and for two conclusive
reasons. First, General Mcclellan npturiously
is not man of any positive independence what
ever.
His nature lacks the element of resolutenes:
necessary 10 selt-assertion. He has uniformly
display ed disposition to yie to outside pressure
We do noS ay that General Mcclellan may no
have, for at ne at least, views of his own. We
do not say that bis language at West Point, IL
favor of subduing the rebellion, was not ther
sincere. But the troub!e with him is that he Lack.
steadfastness of conviction. His opinions arr
shaped mainly by circumstances.
The fact that he held war language in July is
no more an indication that he will not go In for
peace policy in Septem oer than the f,ct that h
one Gay arrested the Maryland Legislature by
military authority prevented his exclaiming, no
many DAYS after, against ali summary arrests
Ii has been said that his latter charge came from
his having been manipulated by politicians
Whatever the cause the fact of the change no
body disputes; and it is this very ch Inge tble
ness, thai want of consistency, that will make
impossible for the people to give him any sup
port that would be withheld from the platform
Itself.
But, again. he will unquestionably, in his lette
ofacoepaIce explicitly accept the pla form, il
act ordauce with the usages of all nominees whit
do not decline. Onr politics have not yet bee I'M
so bad that any man would be tolerated VIII
would accept The nomination of a convent IN. anj
at the same time repudiate It's platform. McClel
lan Is moi the man t. have any wish to di sociat
himself from that platform; but even il he haC
he could not do il. He must make the p aft pru
his own whatever he thinks of it. This Is emo Il
of Itself to decide his fate. No living man cveI
were he ien'old the person Mcclellan is, ou
stand on that platform from nov Until Isem
Der M unt Gle politically.
Personal consderati ms, though ever so favor
BILE or unfavorable, are in themselves nothing
over against the mighty determination VI tn
loyal men of this land TO night this war throug
until this Rebellion is subdued. There is prin
cipIe here ut stake infinitely beyond the power o
politicians 10 set aside or mOdify-the prncipl
of the supremacy of Government over rebellion
resistance. There is spirit, too, quite mucl
beyond political cOntrOl-a spirt that forbids tn
outraged flag-Old Glory, as it is styled-to hu'
the sufieranee of its enemies at price, It'd
viii speedily sweep in that will make a wreck q
this platform, and engulf every man on it o
near H.