Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1864-09-05
BY the Peoples Telegraph Lines,
Offioes-6il Ninth street and corner Pennsylva ami
avenue and Sixth street.
The Presidential Canvass-The Duty Of
Gen. Mcclellan.

The organs of the Administration should re-
serve their thunder. The Presidential canvass
will not be fairly opened until Gen. Mcclellan
issues his letter accepting the Chicago nomi-
nation and giving his views in regard to the
Chicago platform. 1t is not go certain as the
Republicans seem to suppose, that he will
adopt that platform, peace planks and all. Po-
litical platforms are political humbugs. Lin
coin coolly kicked aside the Monroe doctrine
plank of the Baltimore platform, and Fremont
split up the con1scation plank of the Cleveland
platform, and yet there was no grumbling
among the adherents of these candidates. Gen.
Mcclellan may set the Chicago platform aside,
and stand simply upon his own merits II he
pleases. And this is precisely the course we
advise aud urge him to adopt.
The Chicago platform, with Its glittering
generalities about ian Immediate cessation OF
hostillties," reads very ridiculously alongside
of the glorious news from Atlanta and the off,
cial statement that Gen. Grant requires only
one hundred thousand more men to finish up
this war. People do not usually hoist the
white flag Just as the enemy Is about to surren-
der. 30 cowardly concession 10 q defeated
foe and so reasonable an invitation to JEFF.
Davis to hold out until the 4th of March, 1865,
ought to receive no sympathy from a soldier
of Gen. McClellan's antecedents. As patriot
he cannot stand upon such platform, and In
no event eau he be elected upon 1t. The only
platform that Gen. Mcclellan requires Is that
furnished by bis public record. If he Is foolish
enough to put his head into the trap which the
peace men have prepared for him he has no
chance whatever with the people.
The Democratic politicians appear to have
no brains of their own. When they want ideas
| they turn to the Herald; but they always man.
age to so distort our ideas that we hardly know
them again when we 1nd them In the Demo-
cratic platforms. We recently suggested to
President Lincoln that he should offer the
I .l.t. ,taNta arA Ntn., nf
That was o stste5manllke idea. During the
| armistiCe both parties would remain as they
are, holding the same positions, and ready to
resume hostilities at moments notice If the
convention did not result in reunion. Such
an armistice occurred between Denmark and
Prussia, during the sessions of the London
Conference.
The Democratic politicians borrowed thli
idea from the Herald but behold how they
have altered and debased II. Instead of ar
armistlce, the advantages of which would b,
equal, they propose 81 an immediate cessation
ofhostlities," In which the rebels would hayt
all the advantage. Instead of an immediate
convention of States during the armlstice, the,
talk vaguely about I" an ultimate convention o
States, or other means"-a phrase which mean
simply disunion. Thus apatriotic, statesman
like scheme has been transformed by the cop
perheads into cowardly and treasonab
proposition, designed to encourage the rebels.
If we urge Gen, Mcclellan to sternly rebuk
this disloyal platform upon national grounds
we may also urge him to do so upon politica
grounds. The peace men might refuse TO sup
port him If he repudlated the peace platform
but that would be the greatest favor they coul
confer upon him. General Mcclellan is not
Copperhead, and has no real affiliations wit
Copperheads. The peace men openly oppose
his nomination, inside and outside the Chlcag
Convention. They denounced him quite a
venomously as the Administration lackeys dc
nounce him. Now they pretend TO suppoI
: him; but their support Is losing him vote
every day, and they know 1t.
One Mcclellan editorial in Ben. Woods lot
terry and peace organ does him more harm tha
a thousand Tribune ISLANDERS. The Republican
understand this, and take good care to reput
: llsh all such articles. The closer McClella
= is tied to peace men and a peace platform th
, further he is removed from the loyal peopl,
Men who have stood by Mcclellan, as we hay
done, for three long years, through good r,
= port and evil report, in spite of villihcatioI
r slander and abuse, now declare that they car
not vote for him upon the Chicago platform
b Are these true friends to be sacrificed for th
q sake of q few treacherous semi-traitors, lii
, Vallandigham and the Woodsl Gen. McCle
t Ian must have changed greatly If he permi
Q this.
s The Copperhead leaders do not desire NJ
a Clellan's election. Fernando Wood knows thl
y
General at least hundred votes. Yalandil
ham and the rest of them are in the same sitl
/ alton. But the Woods are bought up both /
Y the Administration and the rebels, and Yala
r dlgham's sympathles are entirely with the Sout
# Fernando Wood tried TO nominate Seymour f
= President, so as to secure Lincon's re-electlo
0 and failing in that, he will now try TO defe
9 Mcclellan by supporting him as peace cand
}. date. These, we believe, are the terms of Il
:, bargain between the Copperheads and Llncol
8 Their bargain with the rebels-to secu
0 which $95, 900 checks are sent on from Mo
treal-embraces a Northern insurrectlon,
the event of Lincoln's reelection, and di
n union peace If Lincoln be defeated. Our me
A chants and capitalists are taking the alarI
a Goods are shipped back to Europej property
'. being converted into gold; every preparation
n being made on the part of many of our caI
d tallsts to leave the country at the first sign
a disturbance.
!, The Chicago Convention, on motion Of Il
> peace men, resolved Itself into perpetual col