The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-09-09
SAINT PAUL,
OUR TARGET.

!
OUR TARGET.
The Republican press has called upon
the Democracy for target; and the De-
mocracy has responded through the Chi
cago Conventions. tits target the enemy
have seen before. It is one they shall not
fail to see for four years to come. We
have nailed it to the mast, gentlemen, and
we defy you to take it down. 1t is tar
get with history. For thirty months it
has received upon it's broad breast the poi
soned shafts of calumny, standing infexi-
BILE amid the Kissing storm Of thunder
bolts, and exposing with calmness and
magnanimity its bosom to the hurricane
Its attitude, its position, its expression
cannot be mistaken. 1t is the same old tar
get, and its name is GEORGE BRlNIoN
MCCLELLAN. The name is tower OF
strength. Wherever the English tongue
is spoken, it is mentioned with acceptance
and honor. This is the man who taught
America how to organize an army; and
who led that army to the gates OF Rich
mond, only to find it betrayed by the
President of the United States. This is
the hero of Gaines Mill and Malvern Hill,
who rescued our army out of the very jaws
of death, in that mastery retreat pro-
nounced by JEFFERSON DAVIS to be one Of
the grandest recorded in history. This is
he who called for reinforcements, and was
ready to march again from Harrison's
Landing, but who was obliged to abandon
his base of operations, and found himself,
stripped of authority and of men, "soli-
tary and alone" upon the banks of the
Potomac. This is the man who begged
leave to die will, his men if he could not
command them, and who was denied the
paltry privilege. The same to whom the
President came shortly afterwards, in his
agony and despair over PoPE's disgracetul
humiliation, with the petition that he would
save Washington and the country. This
is he who gathered up the shattered frag-
ments of a disorganized army, evolved
order out of chaos, and scit1oA acaiting
to receire command achieved in two
weeks the splendid victories of South
Mountain and Antietam, drove LEE across
the Potomac, and delivered the Capital.
And this is the man who. two months
afterward, while quietly prosecuting his
plans for the capture of Richmond, was
suddenly removed from command, and in
the midst of an apparent disgrace, forced
into military exile. And now, after two
long years of unwilling inactiou, carrying
about with him meanwhile heart some
times indignant, but oftener filled with
sadness, conscience void of offence, and
a temper that cannot be provoked, great
party has taken him up and made him
their representative; and the vo~ popuh
echoes the vos. Del when it says she avho
ruleth his spirit is eREArER than he that
tzteth a city,"
Gentlemen have asked US for target,
and they have got it. 1t is not the one
they expected, and we sympathize with
them in their disappointment. 1t was in
shocking bad taste, indeed, to give'them a
target schich had already draaon their
fire. So far as GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN is
concerned, therefore, the Democracy has
nothing 70 fear from his enemies. The
arrnory of abuse has been exhausted.
Slander has taxed its ingenuity to the ut
most The vocabulary of epithets has
been rifed of its contents. But every de-
vice to ruin him has failed, and abandon
ing the war upon man, the radicals have
now got to come up to the scratch and
meet us, where we stand, upon the broad
platform Of constitutional liberty. In this
contest we can show no quarter. We are
determined to save this Union, if possible,
from financial ruin and military despotism.
We are determined to vindicate and pro-
tect the Constitution of our country as
DANIEL. WEBSTER stood ready to protect
the fishermen,-" HOOK AND LINE,
BOB AND SINKER." We are deter
mined to have tree speech, free press, free
ballot. We are determined to throw open
the doors of the Bastiles, and let the OPP
pressed go free. We are determined tc
achieve the victory of an honorable peace
no less renowned than the victories OF war
The first snow-stOrm OF the season will b.
in November next. 1t will be Storm o
ballots, and it will snow the radicals under
The Democratic Platform.