Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-10-21

QlHsOlYe lnem ~ pieA5uEeI tNOulu Operate
in our favor in the present conjuncture,
however dangerous il might be in its fu-
ture tendencies p why not let them have III
This is the argument of the World in favor
of submission 70 JEFF. Davis, and as a
t"aalve to the wounded pride of the South"
This is the Chicago peace platform, pure
and simple, In thus reproducing It for
the admiration Of the war democracy, does
Mr.. Belmont Eepudiate the platform of Gem
ersl McClellanf This thing must de stops
ped or it will deYolve upon General Nc
Clellan, as a matter of simple justice TO
himself and the war democracy, 10 set him
self right before the country. Mr.. Belmont
is supposed to be his confidential friend
and adviser; Mr.. Belmont's newspaper,
claiming to be also the directing demo-
cratic organ il, behslf Of General McOlel-
Ian, endorses the peace platform of the
rebel Vice President which Is nothing more
nor less to BEGIN With than the dissolution
Of the Uniod into as many fragments as
there are States and Territories. The ques-
tion, then recurs, is this peace policy Of Mr.
Belmont calculated to help the democratic
eandidRte2 We think not. We apprehend
that Pendleton is as much of the OhicaE5
platform as Mcclellan can possibly carry
and that he will be completely broken
down if saddled with the additional dead
weight Of the head rebel Stephens, of Geor-
gia. s-.s
But while the World advocates the &C.
ceptAnce of the Stephens programme, on
the plea of expediency, as ga salVe to
wounded Southern PRIDE" the Hon. Ben.
Wood urges the recognition Of Sabsolute
State sovereignty" as "the only road now
possible for reunion." Bot this State soY-
ereignty is a thing which never has existed,
4 kVu1N iTI1rn
diate dissolutiono of the Union. What are thu
attributes of aabsolute State sovereign
ty2e The sovereign powers Of nation,
among which are the following surrender
ed by the States 70 the general government
Of the United StAtes:-The power to lay
and collect taxes, duties, imposts and eE-
cises; to pay the debts and provide for the
common defence aud general welfare of
the United States; to borrow money; to
regulate commerce with foreign nations
and among the several States: to estab-
lish uniform rule Of naturalization and
uniform bankrupt laws, to coin money and
regulate the value thereof and OF foreign
coin, and to fix the standard of weights and
measures; to establish post offices and post
roads; to grant patents and copyrights; to
define and punish piracies on the high seas
and offences against the law of nations,
to declare war; TO grant letters Of marque
and reprisal, and make rules concerning
captures on land and water; to raise and
support armies; to provide and maintain
navy; to provide for calling out the mill
itia to execute the laws of the Union, sup
press instructions, and repel inVasions,
&C., &C., and 70 make all laws which shall
be necessary and proper for carrying into
execution the foregoing powers,z including
the power 10 suspend the writ of hRbeas
corpus ttin cases Of rebellion" These are
the attributes Of absolute sovereignty; and,
under our federal constitution, they all
belong to the government of the United
States. The several States are about as
sovereign against these supreme elements
of sovereignty, as are the several counties
of New York against the government Of
the State.
The first thing required in the accept
ance of the rebel Vice Presidents peace
platform is the casting away the Constitu-
ton of the United States, which involves
the dissolution of the Union into about
forty. Eve or fifty tabsolnte sovereignties,"
including all the states and Utah and all the
other Territories. This done, we may have
two, three, ten or twenty independent con-
federacies or single State nationalities, as
the various sovereign States and Terrific
ries may think proper. In any possible
event the peace programme Of Mr.. Ste
phens means, hrst, submission to JEFF. Da-
Wis; and secondly, reign Of anarchy and
perpetual wars among q, lot of meek re-
publfcs. and annual elections. therein at the
point of the bayoneL AFTER the South
American fashion. t-s-'
This is the peace which the rebel Vice
President proposes; the peace which that
model Quaker, the Hon. Ben Wood heartily
endorses, and the peace which is sdVocG.
ted, through the World newspaper, by
Messrs. Belmont and Barlow, to advance
the cause of General Mcclellan. At this
rate it cannot be long before he will dis
cover that he has been betrayed and sold
in the house othis protesting friends.
For the Intelligeneer.
/ Union NIeatlnR nt RnaabRIa Rock,