Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1864-09-23
withdrawai or GEN. CoehTane,


A convention OF men OF various political
tenets assembled at Cleveland on the 3lst day
of May last, for the purpose OF dlscharging
from the suppression OF the rebellion the In
fraction of the rights of both individuals aud
States which attended It. The presence Of
contributed to my nomination by the conven-
tion for the Vice Presidency, preceded by that
of John G. Fremont for President.
The principles which dictated my acceptance
of the nomination approved themselves at the
time to very general regard, and have since, in
my opinion, lost none OF their original virtue
or vigor. Their practical assertion was re-
quired, 1t was thought, by the success with
which personal liberty had been aSsailed, and
the extremities to which constitutional freedom
had been reduced. Not the least inducement,
however, was the consideration that the redress
Of grievances in the manner proposed could
not interrupt, but would entirely consort with
q vigorous prosecution Of the war. II certainly
was not contemplated that the success Of the
candidates should In any degree impair or en-
danger that most important part of the plat
form which resolved that the rebellion must
be suppressed by force of arms and without
compromise"
Instead of the Democratic party, as was
then hoped and expected, cooperating at this
point, they hOuted the war, at Chicago, and
pronounced for unconditional peace. When, ''to
exhaust the resources of craftsmanship" and
TO allow "the spirit OF conciliation and CON-
promise TO prevail" General Mcclellan vlrtu-
| ally asserts that there should be Ga cessation
of hostillties," !" he Is In agreement with the
convention which nominated him. When,
| however, he proposes, In the alternative Of war,
that the rebellious States shall be restored TO
precisely their former condition In the Union,
| with precisely the same political representa-.
tion as whsn they departed from It, he rejects
a;convention OF States, on which as the peace.
able means, the Chicago Convention evidently
relied for reconstructing the Union out OF
States physically dehilitated and politically
shorn. While, therefore, General Mcclellan
resolves upon an impossible Union as It was,
| through war, the convention resolves upon an
| impossible Union as 1t should be, through
peace. That the candidate does not stand
erect upon his platform, though admitting a
question whether, II elected, he would nego-
| tlatC peace, permits none, that, II elected, he
could not effectively prosecute the war.
The success of the Chicago nominees would
therefore at the best but place In power party
of divided counsels, Of uncertain policy, and OF
indeeisive action. Clearly, such an ent would
be at the farthest from ga suppression of the
rebellion by force OF arms and without compro.
mise"
The Baltimore platform, however objection.
able at other points, is unimpeachable at this;
and while IL fails to vindicate personal rights,
| and the rights of free speech and the press Ii
does not fail to refer the re-establishment OF
constitutional liberty and the restoration of the
Union to the arbltrament Of arms, In which,
| and in which alone, the national safety Is to be
found. We stand within view of the rebellion
su Impressed Within hail of county reunited
and saved. War lifts the curtain and discloses
the prospect. War has given to us Atlanta, and
war offers TO us Richmond.
Shall we exchange the proffered victory for
cessation of hostilities :" No! AS we
fought at the beginning we should fight To the
| end; and when the rebellion shall have laid
down Its arms may we peacefully reconstruct
whatever the war for the Union shall be found
to have spared. "Lay down your arms" then,
| as 1t was at the commencement, so 1t Is now,
all that Is demanded by loyal Americans Of
their rebellious brothers.
/ would certainly prefer that the American
people could be brought to vote on the several
propositions peculiar to the Cleveland plat
form. The right of asylum-the one.term
pollcy-the direct vote OF the people for their
national chief maglstrate-the Monroe doc
trlne-the combining exclusively to the repre-
sentatlyes of the people in Congress the recon
struction OF States-and the amendment of the
Federal Constitution to prohibit slavery, are
principles OF primary magnitude and import
ance. But before all these is our country. Il
Is menaced by rebellion. Loyal armies alone
protect 1t. Should those armies retreat, and
our protection be withdrawn, or should they
advance, and our safety be established Shall
there be peace through the concessions OF poll
tlciaus, or peace through the action of war
That Is the question.
Peace and division, or war and the Union.
Other alternative there Is none. And, as | still
am of the mind that once led me to the field
with the soldiers of the Republic, cannot now
hold position, which, by dividing, hazards
the success OF all those who, whatever their
differences at other points, agree, as upon the
question OF first consequence, that the restora-
ton OF the Union caunot be effected without
the uninterrupted continuation Of the war.
], therefore, withdraw my name from the
Cleveland ticket. Very truly yours,
JoHE CoCHRANH.
NEw YORK, Sept. 81, 1864.