The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1864-10-12
The Sole Object ofthe War.

The letter of Gen. Mcclellan, accepting
the Chicago nomination, contains this
handsome slur, Wis
The preservation Of our Union was
the sole avowed object for which the war
was commenced. 1t should have been
conducted for that object only"
| We call this a slur, because, in making
such an important charge as that the
object Of this war has been criminaIly
changed by the national authority, it was
incumbent upon him to state explicitly
wherein the change consisted. Then we
should have had frank statement Of
what lie considers to be a grand issue be-
fore the people, and of his position there.
uron. Instead OF that he merely drops
an inuuendo to convey one Of the graycst
of accusations, and then proceeds to dis.
| cusS other matters somewhat in detail. =
We presume, however, it will be gener.
ally understood that Gen Mcclellan re-
ferssto the Governments treatment of the
slavery question, and he affords another
curious instance of the strange hesitancy
of the Democratic party to speak plainly
on that topic, when they are apt to be so
loquacious on every other. What can be
the reason, when they will not acknowl-
edge now to having any siaveholding al
lies to propitiate? g?
But we propose at present only TO draw
attention to Gen, McClellan's own mill
tary record OF this question, which may
possibly afford clue to the final position
of the Government. In his proclamation
to the people of Western Virginia, issued
quite early in the war, Gen. Mcclellan
said
Notwithstanding all that has been
said by the tIaltort to induce you to be-
! leve that our advent among you will be
signalized by interference with your sla.
yes, understand Que thing clearIy-not
only will we abstain from snch interfer-
ouce, but we will on the contrary, with
an iron hand, crush any attempt at insul-
recton on their part"
Now if We take in the purport of this
fully, aud then come down in the order
ofumo some fourteen or fifteen months We
fnd a vast change in Gen. Mcclellan,
which is thus announced in his Harrison
Landing letter:
Slaves, contraband under the act of
Congress, seeking military protection,
should receive it, The right OF the Gov
ernuoot to appropriate permanently to
its own service claims to slave labor
should be asserted, and the right of the
owner to compensation therefor should be
recognized
This principle might be extended, up
On grounds Of military necessity and Sc
curity, to all the slaves within a particu,
lar State, thus working manumission in
such State, and in Missouri, perhaps in
Western Virginia also, and possibly even
in Maryland, the expedieDcy of such a
measure is only question of time.
A system Of policy thus constitutions
al and conservative, and Prevaded by the
influence of christianity and freedom,
would receive the support of almost all
truly loyal men; would deeply impress the
rebel masses and all foreign nations, and
it might be humbly hoped that it would
commend itself to the favor of the Al
mighty"
In the first document Gen. Mcclellan
disclaimed any right or desire to touch
slaves at all. In the second he affirmed
the ddty to take them when they came
into cur lines. and to make them free
This principle might be SO far extended
beyond our lines of military Occupation as
to free all the slaves Of State, whether
belonging to loyal or disIoyal masters
This is a wonderful change as we now
look back on it. Yet has Gen, Mcclellan
changed the object of the war? Was
he anv the less devoted to the restoration
of the Union, as the supreme aim Of his
efforts He woDld Indignantly reject
such an idea. What right has he, then
to In>iuuatc such a charge against the
Govcrnnen: for going through precisely
the same process that he did, only carry
ing it beyond, from an Increased expert
ence 10 the war, which he did not share?
Is his attainment the limit of all wisdom?
His very doctrine of military necessity
which led him to recomend emancipation
in thee States. might, with equal propri-
ETY. and without any change of principle
be applied to six States, or to all where
military operations are going on. This
is what the Government has done-and
done it too, on the same grounds of /;
war measure. for the eficacious, complete
and permanent extinction of the REBEL.
ion.
Politically orphaned by the suicide oi
Slavery-that is the piteons condition 0!
the Democracy. There is no asylum foI