The New York herald., 1864-03-14

want a President likls Grant, and Q Cabinet com
posed OF statesmen cast in the same mould
Let this revolution be fairly aud courageously
started and the people y ill at once adopt it Al
their own and make il triu mphant
l
The PresIdency-Mr. C.hase's Decline
| tion-His First Letter "a I'd the Pomcroy
Circular.
In the recently published Letter OF Mr. Secre-
tsry Chase, announcing his wit hdrawal from
the field as . Presidential candidate, he refers
to previous letter on the subject MARKING the
/ course which be should pursue undei certain
\ contingency. This original letter, having al
\ length been brought to light, will be found in
another part Of this paper We may say of it,
too, as Tony Lumpkin said Of The ''inside" of
his mischief making letter, that "it is the cream
of the correspondence" 1t doyetails in with
the Pomeroy circular as neatly as the neatest
bit of cabinet work we have ever seen.
| The letter is dated Washington, January I8,
and the circular from the same place il dated
February, and was first published on the 2let
of that month in a Washington journal. /,
committee had been actively working at least
whole month against Honest Old Abe" before
he was permitted to know anything about it
In this initial letter of Mr.. Chase touching his
! declination, he says that Chase Presidential
committee had been organized in Washington
including Senator'S, Representatives and citizens
among its members; that this committee,
through a subcommittee, had conferred with
him in reference to the use of his name as
their candidate; that his objections had
been communicated to the committee, but
had been overcome by their arguments and
that he had consented to their wishes" In
other words Mr.. Secretary Chase was con-
senting party to the use of his name by this
| radical Pomeroy committee as a republican Pre-
sidential candidate in opposition to President
Lincoln. The Pomeroy circular, therefore,
| may be fairly considered as having been issued
by authority from Mr.. Chase.
| Aud what Gays this Pomeroy circular? 1t
| declares, first, "that even were the reelection
Of Mr.. Lincoln desirable, it is practically i'm
| possible against the union Of influences which
will oppose him." Clearly this is the warning
of bolt by the Chase faction in the event Of
Mr.. Lincolns nomination. Secondly, the Chase
circular declares that, should President Lin
coin "be reelected, his manifest tendency to-
wards compromises and temporary expedients
Of policy will become stronger" than ever;
that !" the cause of human liberty and the dig
nifty and honor of the nation will suffer proper
tionately, while the war may continue to Ian
guish during his whole administration till the
public debt shall become burden too great to
be borne" This shows that Mr.. Chase has very
poor opinion Of "Honest Old Abe" whether
as a statesman or as warrior. Thirdly, this
Pomeroy committee substantially declare that,
considering the present enormous patronage
and corruptions of the government, the one
term principle has become absolutely essen
tial to the certain safety Of our republican in
| stitutions." The committee here broadly hint
that if elected for another term "Old Abe"
may try the practical joke of setting himself
| up as an emperor.
| This is pretty heavy bill Of charges and
specifications against the President from this
audacious Chase committee. Bat while they
thus denounce .Old Abe" as trckster,
trifier and a failure. they say that 1--WE find
united in Salmon P. Chase more Of the qualities
needed in President during the next four
years than are combined in any other available
candidate and 80 on to the end Of the chapter
1t would, indeed. have been surprising il the
publication of this Pomeroy circular had not
persuaded the President to demand an ex-
PLANTATION or letter of resignation or decina-
tion from his over-ambitious Secretary.
But it seems that Mr.. Chase had no intention
Of declining the Presidency last January, ex-
cept in tie event Of the development Of q re-
publican majority in the Ohio Legislature
against him. In his second letter he rests his
declination upon this discovery. To be sure
he pleads the plea of union and harmony in the
| councils Of the administration, in view Of the
suppression Of the rebellion, and all that; but
| President Lincoln owes nothing to bis mag
nanimity. Mr.. Chase declines because his State
! Legislature has declined to support him. he
declines because, after the issue of the Pomeroy
circular, he had no other alternative but to de-
cline the Presidency or resign the Treasury.
| Out Of the Treasury his peculiar strength
''greenbacks '--as Presidential aspirant would
! be at an end; but, continuing in the Treasury,
something, after ali, may turn up in the Balti-
more Convention to bis advantage. His retire
ment from the Presidential field is reluctant,
constrained aud evidently open to reconsidera-
tion, and the Pomeroy committee has not, VIC
believe been dissolved.
| But whatever may be the real position now
occupied by Mr.. Chase we hope that in the in
terval to the meeting Of the Baltimore Conven-
ton in June General Grant will have admins
tered such crushing blows to the rebellion that
the republican party will realize the expe.
diency Of failing in with the voice Of the people
in his nomination, and as a compromise withal,
not only between the Lincoln and Chase fac
tions, but with General Fremont and bis other
wise irrepressible radical German legion. AS
lctweau these a al am apte thu oo mn ias