New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-09-12
GEN. meCLELLAN's POSITION.

bling of tho Chicago Convention, an eiaDoraVe
effort By Mr.. George Ticknor Curtis, intended to
eiTace or ignore the antagOnism necessarily e1-
listing between the National or Webster and the
State Rights or Calhoun conception OF our Fed
eral Union. we venturcd the prediction that this
effort must prove failure. Mr.. Curtis, though
strong man and an able logican, was clearly
unable to convince himself of the soundness OF
his positions; how, then, should he convince
othersl Hlmsolfa lifelong Wing and admlring
disciple OF Webster, lie believes in the right oil
tho Federal Government to vindicate its author
! ity and maintain its existence by force when
ever force shall be necessary; his trouble il that
their assalants are not Abolitionists (as he has
long expected they would be) but shareholders;
so that his affections are divided and his H.
stincts confused his principles ally him with
the defenders of the National int gritty. while
his sympathies allure him into dangerous prox-
unity to the camp of the Rebels.
Gen. McClellan's flank movement on the
Rebel party in the North, in bis letter accepting
the Chicago nomination, excites commoton
which is great and striking proof of the correct
ness ofour position. For the moment, there Is
n show of fight on the part of the SEMI Rebels
Mr.. vallandigham throws up his appointments
in DISGUST. and turns back from his speaking
tour to DAYTON. Dir. John Mullaly declares
that his tratorous metropolitan Record will no
longer support "Iiitlc Mae" And the Hon.
Ben. Wood, in q guarded yet pungent leader OF
his Daily Ners, ntimaies that Gen. Nj. 3 letter
Of acceptance is decidedly choker to all who,
like himself, are opposed on principle TO
1.-The doctrine OF the armed coercion of States, "
that is. 20 all who agree with jeff Davis and
himself in regarding each State as sovereign, the
Union but league, and the Federal Govern
ment as gu agent" which any State may dis
miss OF disavoy at pleasure. On another point
discussed elsewhere it is impossible not to feel
the force of Mr.. Woods logic. He says that ae-
cepting nomination, and repudiating the plat
form on which it was made. is like a bridegroom
after the ceremony accepting the fortune of his
bride, but declining all personal association
with her. There viii be much more Ike this,
all of it urged with great plausibiL,y aud even
cogency.
Bat, putting the morality Of the procedure
out of sight, we feel confident that Gen. McClel-
Ian has rendered his canvass loss desperate by
his letter Of acceptance. Had he taken his
stand unequvocally on the Chicago PLATFORM
he was beaten at the start. The fate Of I. IL.
Seymour, Of Woodward, Of Valland.gham, and
Z Of so many Others gave mute but eloquent
! warning to all who entered upon that path.
No man can give an instance wherein o Demo-
cratic candidate, standing on what is called the
peace" platform, did not run below his party S
strength; while there are instances al around
us of Democrats who owe their success to pro-
fessjons Of devotion to the National cause.
Here, for example, are Mes5rs, Odell, Winfield,
Nelson, Griswold, Herman and Ganson-six, at
least, Of the seventeen Democrats now repre-
sen az this State in Conpess-who were all
elected standardization the basis Of Gen. Clel-
lan's letter and would all have been beaten on
that Of the Chicago platform. And so with
twenty or thirty others. Horatio Seymour was
q beaten candidate for Governor of our State
until, in his Brooklyn speech, he pledged himself
to the unconditional maintenance Of the Union.
All attempts to coax or bully Gen. Mcclellan
into q change of his attitude before the public
must fail, for obvious reasons. Nothing that be
can hereafter say will induce the Vallandigham
faction to put faith in him; and they cannot bolt
him, however much they may desire and threaten
to do 80. They are candidates for Congress,
Governor, &C., &C., in nearly every State, and
boiling him will put themselves out of the can
yass. A few Of them will refuse TO vote for
President: but these will hardly affect even q
local result and any effort to get up third
. candidate must prove futile. 1t is too Iate.
Either Lincoln or Mcclellan must be our next
] President; and it is hardly probable that a
single electoral votecould hencoforth be obtained
for any one else. Now, the thousands OF
Democrats who would have been alienated by
y Gen. McClellan's adherence to the Chicago
/ platform would have voted for Lincoln each
= counting two against the Chicago ticket; while
those who will now bolt Will either withhold OF
throw away their votes, counting but one each
We shall be disappointed if to-day's result in
Maine, as compared with that of last Tuesday,
election in Vermont, does not show that Gen.
McClellan's letter has improved his prospects
His party will Of course be beaten in Maine, but
: we think not so badly as they were last year
U whereas in Vermont they were beaten decidedly
worse than last year. We Judge that he con.
not be elected, unless the Robels should win
two or three stunning victories; but running
on his letter as platform, he will poll good