The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-09-16
THE UNION TICKET.
Gen. McClellan's Letter.

We print in our columns to-day Gen.
McCiellan's letter Of acceptance of the
Chicago nomination. II must strike ey-
cry one that he has attempted TO repudlate
the platform ON which he was nominated.
How could he do otherwiset A war
man on peace PLATFORM Can water
and oil mingle! Just as readily as the
ranking Ma or General in the regular ar
my, with his antecedentS. can stand upon
platform that demands - cessation of
hostilities." and declares the " experiment
of war a failure"
Gen. Mcclellan cannot stand upon the
Chicago platform without belying his rec
ord and eating his own words. Only the
18th of June last. about the time Mr..
Lincoln was re-nominated. Gen. McC lei
Ian in his West Point address said in re-
Spect 10 tins kebell0n
''Such rebellion cannot be justified
upon ethical grounds, and the only alter
natives for our choice are its suppression
or the destruction of our nationality"
Less than one year ago-Oct. y. 1863
in letter in favor of Judge Woodward.
and stating the harmony Of the Judges
views with his own. Gen. Mcclellan
wrote:
Il understand Judge Woodward to be
in favor Of the prosecution of the war
with all the means at the command of the
loyal States, until the military power of
the rebellion is destroyed"
We might 90 on enumerating instances
where this candidate of the cessation
ot-hostilities party has left his record in
behalf of putting DOR" Rebellion, not en-
couraging it, as the Chicago Convention
has done. But we will drop this part of
the subject with one more quotation which
one would think was about as strong anti
peace as could be made. In one of his
reports published a year ago, Gen. Nc
Clellan saws:
& I dcl'cra that necessary preliminary 70
the re-estdJlShmeM Of the Tnion is the en-
tire defeat or rirtual destruction Of tie or
ganlsed military po,rrr Of the ConJederates"
In his letter OF acceptance Gen. Nc
Clellan says not word about the platform
on which he has been placed. He must
have realized the insuperable difficulties
Of his position. Ii he is true TO his rec
ord the great western cessation-of-h hos
tlltles " party cannot vote for him. And
II he accepts and adopts this party's Chi
cage Platform. he eats lis own words and
allenates the war democrats and all the
soldiers. Such was the dilemma of this
" available" candidate for the Presidency
An exchange, in speaking of Gen. Nc
Clellan'S equivocation in his letter of ac-
ceptance very truly says: Without
openly expressing himself 50, he lays the .
substantial portion Of the Chicago plat
form aside, and substitutes himself. 1t is
coolly done All the carefully wrought
work of the Chicago schemers. with their
demand Tor Il cessation of hostilities
and their declared failure of the sex-
pertinent of war and all their array of
abuses growing out of war policy. is
brushed away and then candidate. the
work OF their hands. tells them what he
'upposes was their unexpressed senti-
ment. and intimates very plainly that ;
much of their expressed opinions had f
'een better let alone" t
Whether such prevarication and dodg-
ng the main issue will 90 down with the
1880 '''io iA'N' '' iiCtSO anu maze the
PLATFORM remains 10 be seen. Vallandio-
lam and Ben Wood say it wont. They
ay their candidate has GOT to stand on
he platform made for him or they shall
ack INN overheard Perhaps they will. I
Al any rate every person who reads and !
hlnKs must SET that two irreconcilable {
Jews OF our great struggle prevail among +
hose who call themselves democrats. One 7
ing regards this Shareholders Rebellion \
5 without excuse while the other w;no +
heart and hand in full sympathy with 4
he Rebellion While these schisms are 5
istracting the enemy it remains for the '
'yal North to push right forward and '
I've few more Vermont and Maine VIC =,
'rles In the political field, and till up our
rmes that Gems. Grant and Sherman
nay give the rebels one or two more At
an1a defeats, and the peace-at-anv-price
arty and the Rebellion will both 90 70
he wall together