Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-01-01
lFrom this N. Y. Tribune.I
Which Wav1

When the long brewing conspiracy for
southern rebellion eliminated in tue sc
cessiou of eleven States from the Unior
packed by the sympathies, couuses an
positive efforts, of the ruling caste in fou
more States, encouraged by the more O
less openly avowed sympathetic demon
strations of the political, commercial an,
social allies of that caste throughout th,
loyal States, there were four possible result
of the fearful struggle thus inaugurated
namely:
l. A complete ultimate triumph and res
toration of the Union through the discom
htnre and overthrow of the rebellion and it,
parent, slavery;
2. A DEMONSTRATION" of the Upior
through new concessions, assurances ant
guarantees to the slave power, such ms
were stipulated in the Crittenden compro.
mise, with an understanding that hostility
to slavery, no matter how exhibited, should
henceforth be prohibited throughout the
whole country;
3. complete triumph of The rebellion,
dividing the country permanently on the
line of the Potomac the Ohio and the Mis-
souri,, or such other as the Victors should
see fit to prescribe, or
4. Such defeat and Encouragement of
the rebels that they would finally be will
asking no guarantees, or at least receiving
none, eut accepting an amnesty aud act Of
oblivion ; their Masons, Slidells, jeff. Da.
vises, &C., resuming their seats in Con-
gress, and. beginning again where they saw
ut to leave of early in 1861.
We have set forth this last as possible
issue oil our contest, il Difference TO the
judgment of others, without intending to
present 1t as either probabie or practica
BILE. For either tue alleged right of &C.
cession IS a right or il is not and either
slavery is or it is not entitled to protection
wherever within the Federal territories a
slave-holder shall see fit to make his habita.
tion. This alternative would leave uusoly-
ed every one of the great problems which
were the grounds OF the war, and render
our three gears of devastation and carnage
as useless, aimless, truitless as any war
that insane folly or criminal ambition ever
inclted. The rebel chiefs, who were at all
events in earnest would never consent to
iorego their hopes of independent empire
for such "lame aud impotent conclusion. i"
II beaten at ali, they would at all events
persist until beaten too far to make a
reconstruction" on this basis admissible.
A rebel triumph was at one time possi-
BILE, but for the embarrassing committals
and pledges which the exigenCies of their
position had forced upon the rebel chiefs
at the outset. Baltimore had doue very
much for them, and the hearty sympathy
and essential aid of her commercial and
social aristocracy had been secured by
pledges that their city should be the New
York of the Confederaoy--ils shipbuilding,
importing, dry goods jobbing emporium.
But, to fulfill these pledges, Washington
must be wrested from the Union, and the
boundary of the Oonfederacy carried north. .
ward from the Potomac TO the Susque-
hanna. This was a "big job" added to the
already Herculean enterprise of the Con.
tederates, aud two ill starred attempts to
fulfill its requirements have exposed its
best General and army to most damaging,
staggering discomftures.
Sut again: In order to induce q Con-
vention elected as Uniouists to plunge
| Virginia into the abyss of secession, it be-
came necessary to pledge the faith of the
Confederacy to maintain the integrity OF
her territory-that is, to keep the practi-
cally free third of her territory which lies
W, stWHrd of the Crests of the Alleghenies,
ami is drained by the affluents of the
Ohio, in II detested, Mezentian union with
the aristocratic, slavery cursed, dead-alive
'old fields of tide water and Piedmont
Virginia. That is to say: in order to pro,
cure the adhesion of the Old Dominion tc
their riCkety concern, JEFF. Davis s. Co
had to pledge themselves TO insist to the
last on running u thin wedge of foreign
and hostile territory between Western
Pennsylvania aud Northern Ohio (see the
map) so as almost to sever the West from
the East, and enable au invading army to
occupy Pittsburgh or Cleveland the weel
after a declArRIiau of war. 1t was not pos
! si6le that the loyal States should submit
to this until practically conquered; and we
believed then, as we do now, that, if ou
Government had last Winter expressed
, willingness 10 receive, through friendly
third party, definite propositions from tht
rebels, setting forth precisely the terms
with specific demonstrations OF boundary
if BisuniOu should be insisted on, Of
which they would be at Paace With us, W,
could then have practically uuited tn
loyal States in a hearty support of the war
and thus shortened it by at least a cam
Paign.
But all this is now bygoue. The rebel
lion is y manifest failure So writes, (il
eHect) the shrewd and vehemently anti
Union correspondent OF 1he Tunes London
from Richmond under date OF Novembe
q l4-afTer our disaster of the Chicamauga
and before the tar more decisive defeat in
flioted on the rebels by General Grant OF
nearly the same ground. The North, say
:, this astute correspondent, never falters
her confidence of ultimate success is neVe
shaken by defeat, however disastrous o
unexpected; she fills up her armies and he
treasury after each reverse, as though i
had been triumph; her paper is depre
ciated but atty per cent, so that thre
dollars of it by two of specie, whila of th