New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-10-27
MCCLELLAN AND compnoM1sE

Mr.. GEORGE ii. PRyDLEToy, who, our readers
will perhaps remember, is the Copperhcad can
didate for the Presidency, having most
imprudcntly come to this city, was drawn like
badger from the Now.york Hotel the other night,
and forced by fate and fatal friends TO make a
little speech, in which he said little, and made
two little quotations from Little Mac, which
are worth little attention, as we get but little
from the little General and of that little it there.
fore becomes u3 TO make much. In the first
place. We are told what We should not do, in the
Harrison Landing Letter" so called:
"Eeihr conlscaton o. proprhy nor political executions
OF pfso. nor territorial organization CT Ststes nor iorcibs
lboon OF saye.y should be or ono rnomen, thought Of
This is carrying Il principle, on q want oil
principle, to cxtrcmtics. Not only are we not
to do certain thing, but We arc "not to think
of them" a public officer who commences with
an absurd attempt to limit the public thought,
has already declared his hostility TO freedom OF
speech and of the press; for certainly VIC should
not talk and writo of that OF which it s unlawful
even to think. II is suspicious to find one who
Is no more than candidate yenturing to such
degree upon military arrogance. 1t has not been
customary for candidates to tell voters what
they may and what they may not think"
We shall, however, venture TO think" that
confiscaton," and executions" and "Terri-
torial organizations and "Abolition" are open
questions under the Constitution. If the Cop
pcrhcad candidate were asked his opinion of the
said Constitution, be would perhaps say that he
considered il a beautiful document. We think
20 too. The trainers Of that fundamental law
not Only yentured 10 think Of treason, butte
provide punishment for traitors. "Thc Con-
gress shall have power to declare the
punishment Of treason" That is what tho
Constitution says What does General
MCCLELLAN sayi What does his orderly
sergeant, PISDLEToS, sayi Why, that the
punishment OF treason is mot to be thought
Of" This punishment, in oil civilized countries,
is TO execute the traitor ard to contscate his
property. If private in Gen. McCLELLAN's
army had, in a moment of madness occasioned
by inordinatc cups, laid the weight of his finger
in anger upon tho sacred person of his COM
mander, the unhappy man would have been
hurried TO tho drum-head, and from the drum
head to the halter; but criminals who, with
prepense malice, have smittcn the body polite,
and brought upon us mortality which makes
that Of the widest pestilence insignificant, arc
to be left by paralyzcd justice unscatbd-nay,
more, are TO be coaxed and carossed into sub
mission to unexpectedly end ingeniously framed
to Aatter them into an acquiesccnco under pro-
test, and limited loyalty For here, in Quo
taton No. 9, VIC have Gen. MCCLELLAN's
panacea for all the evils which do 80 numerously
bcset us:
"Ths Union was originally formed BY the exercise Of
spirit Of co,ciH0n and conpforne. To restore II, kc
spr prevail In tho councils Of the country aud IN
the hearts Of the people,
These words arc hollow and meaningless, for
Just the reason that they are naked and loose
concentrations to which nobody can say nay.
The restoration Of the Union Implies peace, and