, 1864-04-15
THE WASHINGTON STATESMAN
FRIDAY EVENING. APRIL IS, 1864.


Mcclellan. They call him a traitor, cop
perhead, a. grave-digger, and seek by every
possible means to lower him in the estima-
zion of the people and bring his fair fame
into bad repute. And why this unjust at
tack upon Mcclellan Simply because his
great popularity with the masses makes it
highly probable that he will be the candidate
of the conservatives in opposition to Mr..
Lincoln in the next Presidential canvass
As Mcclellan is now the worst abused man
in the North, by the radicals, it is natural
to infer that his chances to become the op-
position candidate are better than those
of any other man. Other prominent men
come in for their proportion of vilification
and abuse according to their respective
merits and popularity with the people and
their chances to become the nominee of the
Chicago Convention. But "little Mac" gets
the most of it. Here is a specimen of the
style adopted by the journals alluded to, ta-
ken from the Carson City Nevada To- hide
pendent;
"The Cepperheads of the North have
called Convention to be held at Chicago on
the 4th of July next, for the purpose of
nominating candidate of their persuasion
for the Presidency. We presume the grave
digger of the Chickahominy will be their
candidate The man who has done more
for the rebels, and less for the flag he was
fighting under, will make good standard
bearer for such party. If there is man
who deserves the execrations of all loyal
men, that man is Geo. B. Mcclellan. To
think of, desecrating the anniversary of our
National Independence by nominating a
traitor for Chief Magistrate of our Republic.
"Oh shame where is thy blush p
The writer of the above might we'll ask,
ooh shame where is thy blush y after un-
blushingly penning and giving publicity to
such villainous paragraph against the we'll
earned fame and name of one of the coun-
try's noble defenders. The editor in thus
showering his venom and maliguity upon
Mcclellan and in the same article giving
honest Abe fulsome puff for the Presiden-
cy, shows that he is at least "prejudiced.' .
1t might be in this instance that the trite
old saying "a man may smile and smile and
be villain" would fit his case. AT any
rate, whatever his case may me, whether he
be honest or dishonest, whether prejudiced
or blindly infatuated in favor of the existing
Administration and its entire policy, 1t is
certain that there are scores of editors who
are the mere tools Of corrupt officials and de-
signing men, engaged, for price, to applaud
the reprehensible acts of the party in power,
and to malign and villify the character
of all who dare bring those acts in question
or doubt their wisdom and infallibility.
But corrupt and venal press and the
combined influence of the hostof corrupt Of
fcials that disgrace the Offices Of the coun-
try will fail to induce the honest masses to
believe that Gen. Mcclellan is anything else
than true patriot, who loves and has la
bored to preserve the Union the Constitution
and the liberties of the people. The soldiers
Of the army of the Potomac who idolzed
him, while be commanded them and who
still revere his name, will hardly believe him
traitor when the charge comes from such
irresponsible sources. AS evidence against
McClellan's loyalty, the radicals assert that
he is the man of all others in the North that
the Southern people would best like to see
occupy the next Presidential seat. If that
be SO, and if it proves anything, it proves
that they would rather live in the Union
under the Administration Of a conservative
President than under a radical one whom
they would hold in contempt and despise.
BY this standard of ''loyalty," in choosing
for the next President the people of the
North should take for their candidate the
man that would be most odiOus and despica-
bic with the Southerners, as the one best
calculated to allay sectional animosities and
restore national harmony and unity. Such
President, once in power, the more he
could exasperate and embitter the feelings
of those misguided people, by whatever
means, the speedier would the two sections
embrace each other and be bound together
by ties of affection and brotherly love :! This
is sort of reasoning which sounds more
like deceit or insanity than common sense. 1t
is a sort of progressive logic which is be-
coming very common of late and which rea-
sons backwards from facts instead of for
wards. But such reasoning in fact looks
ike settled purpose, on the part of those
who make use Of it, to deceive the people
and make reunion an utter impossibility-
To denounce treason, secession, jeff Davis
and all those who labor to establisha South
ern Confederacy and break up the Federal
Republic, is certainly commendable, and
it is therefore commendable and Just to up
hold all those great and good men who have
aoi,Oht on the hloodv falds of bottIo 70 or,s II