The Portland daily press., 1864-09-23
-
A poi,.;cal Rip Van Wrinkle.

The Newburyport Herald has iabored ar
ticle touoted with applause oy 'ne boston
rour,ar portland Argus, ct i'd genus omne,)
- a.;a., Of which Is TO show that the ground
or which Gen. Mcclellan stands to day, is
,aa,,,cal with that occupied by Mr.. Lincoln
a. the beginning of his Presidential career.
.Mr. Lincoln declared" says the Herald. shat
he had no constitutional power and no desire
to interfere with the domestic Institutions of
any state. He was in favor of executing the
national laws including the fugitive slave law,
and his purpose was to maintain the national
government and preserve the Union, &C., &c"
The Herald tn proceeds to show that Mr.
Lincoln has falsely wandered from this orlgi-
nal position of his, whereas Gen. Mcclellan
stands exactly there to day.
Now, though we must really dissent IRON
the statement that the positions OF these Wv" w.
are identical, yet admitting that poiD' ~ wy
sake of argument, we put it to the co'''non
,ansa ot onr readers whether 10 would De pos
sible IN advance reason for distrust on the
one hand or a claim to confidence on the 9TH
or mora lame aud foolish than this.
a, the outset of Mr.. Liacoln's presidential
career hish-handed outrages had indeed been
committed. but actual war had not been levied.
There was yet hope that reason might prevail.
TIE drst shot fred upon Sumter shattered
every such hope, and left Mr.. Lincoln's duty
plain. Each successive step of his has been
In accordance with the stern exlgencies oil
the case, forced upon him by those who knew
that in attacking the government OF the U1i
ted States they renowned every right under
the constitution OF the United States except
the right to halter. To talk OF the constitu
tionsl rights OF rebels in arms against the con
siitution, Is q folly which, four years ago, one
could scarcely have heard outside Of alunalic
asylum. Mr.. Lincoln's position then was
plainly stated, bat it is idle to reproach him
with not standing upon the same ground now
that the rising tide Of the rebellion has SWEEP
il from under his feet. Is it not the extreme
OF absurdity to seek to make claim to conf
dence out of the fact that in all these three
and 3 half years Of rapid and momentous
events 10 the midst of which General McClel-
Ian has been, and in which he has takeL-we
were about to say an actioe, but we may say
prominent part. he has learned no lesson
aud gained no wisdom?
What sort of man is he who is so wrapp' q
NJ 10 bis own preconceived notions that he CT n
sarn nothing from the terrible teachings Of
the times? While events have hurried past
with such dizzying rapidity that we seem to
have lived tifty years in three, while history
has been making itself almost faster than the
pen could write it down, while the elements Of
prosperity and ofruin, of almost infinite glory
and disaster have been ssething together in
the 1ery cauldron, this candidate "of strange.
ly mature craftsmanship" might, for all these
things have taught him, as well have been
playing ninepins with Hendrick Hudson il
the sleepy recesses of the Catskills. Coler-
idge somewhere describes conservative as
"a man who will not look at the new moon
out of reverence for that ancient Institution
the old one" We are not without a few
such conservatives in our days.
The real fact Is that General Mcclellan re
fuses to stand upon any ground at all. Accept
ing the nomination of the convention at Chi
cago, he neither endorses nor repudiates the
| platform of that convention. thinking thus tc
leave himself free, in case the people should
be thereby tricked Into elecling him to Office
to adopt such policy as may chance to sui
him. He trusts to his supposed popularity
with the people, and particularly with the ar
my to carry him over any ugly hitch in hi
course. Tnis is likely 10 prove dangerou
plan. The American people are indeed prom,
TO make idols, but they are fatally quick II
dnd them clay, and to reuounce their worship
The public men of our time especially ar
being tried In SO fierce a crucible that it mus
test to the utmost the stuff of which they ar
male. Whatsoever in them is of the tru
and precious metal the people will recognize
and gladly use, but all that which Is but fals'
aud Pretentious dioes caunot nope 10 escape
dissection in time like this. The claims Of
this conservative member from Sleepy Hol.
low have been scrutinized by millions o.
shrewd discerning eyes, and he will lind that
his hopes in this respect have been built upon
a or;oks.nd EpsIroN