Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-10-13
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE PRESIDENT AND GEN MCCLELLAN.

Times undertook some weeks ago 10 hmfn 'na'
when Mr.. Lincoln wrote his Niagara manifesto
addressed "to whom it may concern, he did not
mean to say or to imply that he would insist on
"the abandonment of slavery" as one OF the con-
ditions precedent to the reception OF amy propo-
s;tion" looking to peace and Union. 1t boldly
averred that the President was not bound by that
declaration, or by any of his former pledges and
commitments, to keep his faith with the slaves of
tho South when he g ordered and declared" that
they should be " moan, hencetorth, and foreser
free" and when he bound himself to "recog-
Mise and maintain their freedom by the army and
navy of the United States SO long as that army
and navy should be subject to his control.
In order to sub.erve what seemed at the time to
be an available party purpose, this journal was
willing to place the President before the country
in the attitude of self confessed and sefconvcted
prevaricator, but, since subsequent events have
seemed to make it more source OF danger to the
unity and success of the Republican party to sub
stantiate this proposition than to deny it, the Times
has subsidized into prudent silence on the whole
subject, being willing to leave such supporters OF
the President as Mr. Thaddeus Stevens, Mr..
Senator Sumner, ex-Secretary Chase, in common
with the great mass Of The men q principle in the
Republican party, perfectly free and unembarrass.
ed in their declarations that the President did
mean and ought to mean what the plain and IN
disputable purport of his language clearly indi-
Gates he sought.t to convey in that rescript
1t having been discovered Gas the Springfield
(Mass.) Republican has openly confes'ed) that the
recent revelation of POSTMASTER General Blair
with regard to the arrangement " concerted by
the President with Gen. Grant to bring Gen. Nc
Cellan again into the field as Grants adjunct is
doing the President nearly as much damage as
that unfortunate Niagara letter." the Times sgain
flies to the Presidents rescue in the following
laundering manner. We quote from its number OF
Monday last, when, after referring to the terms OF
the letter of Mr. Francis P. Blair, senior as pub
lished by us on Saturday last it says:
lir Rlair's positive and explicit statement that the
President had nothing to do with this conversation that
he knew nothisg of or of his interview with Gen Nc.
Celan ought to put qu.stas on .ae s'oly me o
position party and press too short OF material for car
ryng on the against President Lincoln to afford to
throw away telling fiction. And when we see the
National Inteigencer willing sacrifice its hitherto care
uynursed reputation candor and fair dealing and abor
ug through three columns Of sophsry to asten this
ton on the President in the lace of Mr. Blsrs distinct
disavowal Of all authority there not much reason to
hope that the less scrupuous organs oil that party VIII
take different course
If the New York Times would "nurse" repu-
t4tion for candor and fair dealing in any degree
whatever it would not intimate that we had ever
represented or charged that the original PROPOSE
ton made by Mr.. Francis P. Blair to Gen. Nc
AL dtrac
or with his knowledge and consent We have
distinctly placed the fact before our readers that
an the initial stages Of this negoidtion, Mr. Blair
acted entirely on his own motion. What we have
said and what we re-affrm is this: that when
Mr.. Blair reported to the President what he had
said and done, the President, instead of replying
that he could take no part in calculating an ar
rangement in which he so obviously had per-
sonel interest manifested no disapprobation Of
what his friend had done, but proceeded, as we
learn from the public announcement made by the
SON Of that friend, to concert with Gen. Grant
all the conditions of the bargain SO far as his
side of it was concerned; and if the compact
was never contaminated it was only because, as
the old proverb says, it takes two to make bar
gain--a proverb as true in political hucksterng
as in other forms of barter"
Perfectly aware that the subterfuge by which
it attempts to plead in avoidance of the question
at issue can little serve its purpose unless the pub
lie declaration of the Hon. Montgomery Blair can
be gotten out Of the way, the Times fatty denies
that there is any evidence that that gentleman
ever held the language ascribed to him. To this
effeot it says:
The Intellgencer also striving to make great deal
ont OF public statement said hare been made ty M
Montgomery Blair to the effect that the President had
concerted with Gen. Grant to give Gen. Mcclellan aeon
latter would turn his back on the Chicago mo-
nnaton We haze epidence that Mr. Blair erer made
any such statement"
AS we first saw the speech Of Mr.. Blair which
contains this statement in the columns Of the New
York Times, and as We have read the report Of
that speech in no other paper than the New York
Times, it will be easy for every body to perceive
in this illustration what respect that journal has
for the intelligence of its readers, or for the vera
city Of it's own editorial conduct. If the Times
has /" no evidence" that Mr.. Blair. "ever made
any such statement, we respectfully refer its
ductor df has any to its number for Wednes-
day, the 18th ultimo, in which it will find its own
report Of the speech made by Mr.. Blair at the Re-
rnhlican rnpetnu hold - NJ VI - Al. ouo~