Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-09-07


MR.. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE
CoNvENTIoN:-As friend and former COM
rade-in-arms of Gen. Mcclellan, can not
remain silent after the grave charges which
have been made against him by the distin-
guished gentleman from Maryland. Deep
1y do regret, Mr.. President, that the first
attack upon the Democratic organization,
this campaign, should come from person
claiming to be Democrat; and still more,
that that person should be citizen of Ma
ryland, whose release from the despotic
bondage imposed by Mr.. Lincoln depends
upon the success of the Democratic candi-
date for President; and much more do re-
gret and am / astonished at the manner i'm
which the charges were made, and at the
nature of the charges themselves. But, sir,
this debate is not of my seeking-the gen
tleman made the attack, and l but defend.
The responsibility is his, not mine. l do
not impute to the honorable gentleman
desire to willtully and deliberately misrepre-
sent the facts, but nevertheless the state
ments as made are untrue as l hope to be
able to satisfy the Convention. What are
the facts? Who did Gen. Mcclellan cause
to be arrested? find that the paper from
which the honorable gentleman read, is
The New York Tribune, and in replying to
him, will also answer his worthy co-asso-
ciate, Mr.. Greedy. At the time these arrests
were ordered, the Maryland Legislature was
about to assemble or had assembled at IN
napolis. A conspiracy was on foot between
certain members of that Legislature and
Gen. Joe Johnston. one of the abest of the
Confederate Generals who was at that time
at the head of large and well appointed
army at Winchester, Virginia. An ordin-
Of xtyac tc ha
not explain to the honorable gentleman
what that meant-and simultaneously with
its publication, Gen. Johnston was to in
wade Maryland with an overwhelming
force, and certain persons-the honorable
gentleman can best tell whO-were to en-
deavor to arouse the people of Maryland in
arms against the United States. General
Mcclellan was then in command of the
Federal armies. What was his duty? Was
he to lie supinely idle until Maryland was
forced into the vortex of rebellion? Was
he to wait until Johnston had invaded Ma
ryland, and until the conspirators had had
ample time to organize treason against the
Constitution and laws of the United States?
No, sirs; his line of duty was plain and
clear-it was his duty to nip the intended
insurrection in the bud; he did so, and saved
Maryland from the horrors of intestine
war. Had he acted otherwise, he would
have been false to his oath, and traitor to
his country.
The distinguished gentleman from Mary
| land does not know George B. Mcclellan.
He called him tyrant! Why, sirs, if there
be one man beneath Heavens widespread
canopy, who is not tyrant that man is
George B. Mcclellan. (Cheers.) If there
is one man more than another who loves
constitutional liberty, that man is George
| fish, patient, magnanimOus and brave, he
combines within himself the gentleness ofa
woman, with the courage of lion. (Ap-
| plause.) These facts concerning the Mary
land conspiracy, learned at the time they
| occurred; since then they have been COM
municated to me in black and white by
! General Mcclellan himself. And but two
evenings ago General Burns of the Federal
army, when taking tea with me in this city,
spoke of the injustice which had been done
General Mcclellan in relation to the arrests
of which the gentleman complains. At the
time referred to, General Burns was in
command of his Brigade at Camp Observa-
ton, in front of Leesburg where he was
stationed to keep watch and ward against
the contemplated treason in Maryland, as
well as against the armed treason across
the river. (Applause.) The gentleman
says that the persons arrested were kept
in confinement fourteen months, but he
forgot to tell you that in the meantime Gen.
Mcclellan had been removed from COM
mand, and that the prisoners were held in
custody, subject to the order of President
Lincoln. These sirs, are the facts connect
ed with the affair of the Maryland Legisla-
ture, and where is to be found a lover of
the Union, who will not applaud the con-
duct of Mcclellan? But this is not all. The
o,c Ha FOL
Of troops having been sent to interfere with
the freedom of an election. But it is pass
ing strange that the gentleman should have
made such charge at the very moment he
held in his hand the order of Gen. Marcy,
which expressly declares, that it was issued
to prevent intimidation at the polls. The
people OF Maryland were divided in senti-
ment. A portion of them were identified
with the rebellion-many of them who had
gone within the enemy's lines had returned
to Maryland, and 1t was to protect the pa
triotic citizens of that State from being in
timidated by those persons, and to protect
the freedom of the ballot box, that troops
were, at that time, sent into Maryland.
The persons referred to- were charged
with being in communication with the enc
my, and If guilty, as there was good reason
to believe, they were liable to suffer the
death penalty as provided for by the laws
of war. My friends, only arose to dis
abuse your minds of the unintentional mis-
statements of the distinguished gentleman,
who re-uttered the aspersions of Horace
Greeley. But the gentleman was not salts
fled with repeating these charges; he de-
clared that Gen. Mcclellan was federalist,
or that he had descended from federal an
cestors. Why, Pennsylyanians,- -and I, too,
by birth, am Pennsylvanian, and you
Philadelphians, who are the neighbors and
friends Of Geo. B. McClellan, does not your
blood tingle with indignation, at these un-
just aspersions against your noblest, ablest,
and your best lovedson (Applause.) For
my own part, have known him sillce he
was sixteen years of age, and a truer
Democrat never maintained the cause of
constitutional liberty. Even In boyhood,
his whole heart was inspired with
love for the Democratic party, and q vene-
ration amounting almost to worship Of
those great cardinal principles taught by
Jefferson and by Madison, and retaught by
the immortal jackson. (Applause.) And
now, in this dread crisis of our beloved
cQsintry-when civil liberty and the Union
Of the States are alike in jeopardy, Is not
the action of the people, choosing in ad-
vance this great soldier and patriot as their
future President-is not their action in