New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-06-17
u.CLELsAN,s WHEREFORE.

M,CLELGAN,s WHEREFORE.
To your shallow theorst, your maundercr
among commonplace fallaces and current SELF
delusions, there is nothing so embarrassing as
great. plain fact. 1t annoys and disconcerts
him, prompting him to all manner of cuttle-fish
lodges and devices. Unable to abolish or even
ignore it, he has no resource but to middle and
mystily it to the extent of his capacity.
The Southern Rebellion is the despair OF
Northern pro-Slavery politicians Their most
direct and natural resort is to pronounce it>no
rebellion at all, but q conservative and laudable
assertion Of reserved rights, based on the Con-
stitutiou and justified by I" the Resolutions OF
'yS I'm short, Democracy at bay. But, since
the fearful discipline administered by the People
to Thomas ii. Seymour, Vallandigham, and
other such, the public profession OF this faith
is restricted to the cabal who follow the desper-
ate fortunes Of Fernando Wood. But what is
the alternative7
\ Here is the most bloody, devastating, de-
structiye, horrible war in modern history-a war
not between alien races or peoples but btethren
one that devils should blush to have originated.
How and why is it that such war should have
broken out and so long ragged in the later half of
the Nineteenth Century,
The Secessionist-the avOwed Northern sym
pathzer with SecessiOn-the AbOlitionist-the
Nationalist who holds the bombardment Of Sum-
gives an answer to this question which is at
least coherent aud plausible. None of them
asks you to deduce something from nothing.
But the pro-Slayery Unionist, who cannot afford
to Own his prediction for reconstruction"
through q surrender at discretion to JEFF. Davis,
is obliged to tumble and humble and stumble
over the facts as follows:
1.-THE elements Of disoord sectional prejndices
interests and institutions which had rendered the
ton of the Constitution 80 difficult threatened
than 10 destroy It, But for long time the nation
fortunate possess series Of political lead
ers who 10 the highest abilities united tie spirit
Of concilaon which animated the founders " this Re
public and thus for many years the threatened evils
averted. Time. and the long continuance Of good
fortune obterated the recollection Of the canntes Of
yeaTs preceding the adoption OF tie Constitution. They
forgot that Cancellation common Interests and mutual
charity had been the foundation. and must be the sup
port VI Government. and all the relations Of life
At length, men appeared with abuse sectional and
sonul Tcjudccs and interests Outw oghilg all Consider
atons of the general good. Extremists OF section
furnished the OCCASION eagerly seized q pretext by
equally extreme in the other for abandoning tie
pacific remedies afforded by the Constitution Stripped
of all sophisy aud sidei sues, tie dire Of the
war II presented itself to the honest and patriotic Cit
liens Of the North WINS simply this
Certain States. rather portion Of The Inhabitants Of
certain States Jeared Professed 10 aT, a injury Mould
result TO their rights and properly from the erGOn par
ttcuLar parry 10 p0pT Although the Constitution aud
the actual condition OF the Government provided them
with peaeeebe and cure protection against the apprc
hended evil they prepared TO seek security in The de-
structon Of the Government which could protect them
and in the OF force against National rOOps holding
National fortress To ciace the insult offered to our
flag save ourselves from tie fate Of the divided Re
publics Of Italy and South America, to preserve our
Government from destruction 10 enforce its just power
and laws 10 maintain our very existence nation
these were the causes which impclcd 10 draw the
rd.'-McCIeiian's WeSt Point Address.
We have copied at greater length than was
needful to our purpose, in order that Gen. Nc
Clellan's view of the Rebellion and its cause
should be fully before our readers. That cause,
it will be seen, is found in the fear felt or pro-
fessed by the Shareholders of "iDjury to their
rights and property from the elevation of q par
ticular party to power"
Now we oppose TO this allegation, first, the
great, conspicuous, abundantly established fact
that the engineers Of the Rebellion desired and
iabOred for that rvy Republican triumph Of 1850
,ohich is here made the cause Of their reroh 1t was
to this end that they forced through the Senate
of that year the jeff. Davis platform whereby
Mr.. Douglas and his friends were virtually read
out of the Democratic party. 1t was to this end
that they deliberately and deteminedly CON-
pleted the overthrow of that party by boiling
from the Charleston Convention and nominating
Breckenridge and Lane against Douglas and
johnson. All through the canvass, we Republi-
cans recognized and treated the boilers as our
virtual and powerful allies And when, through
their aid, we had elected Lincoln and Hamln.