Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-11-10

Mr.. Greeley, "ts sngiaeers Of The rebellion de-
sired and labored for tie RpuJlscan triumph of
1850" And he is equally true to history when he
adds; u, s5g sa Il .ss-,g IS
"It was to this end that they forced through the Senate
and S vera .usy q sss
party. It to this end that tiny deliberately and do
termipsdly cOmpletsd the overh Of that party By bolt
ing from the Charleston Convention and nominating Breck
nridge and Lane against Douslss and johnson. All
through the RepSSeans recognized and treated
the bOttsry virtual and powerful allies. And ,ohen
triumph ,oas ohsys more generally openly e1usd
ooer than in Charstos the fountain and focus OF the re-
bsllion." td at4 s sa-
It was in view Of such cooperation between
these two sectional antagonisms that as lovers of
the Union, we could never see our way clear to
join with either in the bonds of political fellowship
But when Mr.. Lincoln was oonstitutionally elected
to the Presidency we strove to the best of our ability
to resist the revolutionary projects Of the South
crn politicians, and sought, within the sphere of
our influence as public journalists to concate for
him the confidence of the Southern people In so
doing, We had to endure many reproaches, not only
from some who to-day are in arms against the Go
vernment, but from others who are now blatant in
denouncing as "traitors" all who do not prove their
loyalty by an unquestoning support Of the present
Administration. fl
On Mr. Lincoln's accession to power, and after
the advent of civil war, we gave to his Admins
tration the fullest support it was in power to
give. The hearts Of the loyal people Of the whole
nation fused into glowing mass Of patriot
ism by the flames ofthe conflict The political dross
of more than quarter of century was purged
away as in an instant by that fiery ordeal Old
issues passed away. Wire-dra#n determinations
about banks, tariffs, internal improvements, &c.
disappeared. The simple question was, "who'
will support the Government against armed sedi-
tion?" The simple object Of the war, at the
same time, avowed to be the restoration of the
Union under the Constitution.
To the support Of The, Government, as established
by the Constitution, We are. isrsvocably pledged,
a. MI Adssssisrdtsoxs. And in supporting
the Government, IS We conceive, we have given to
the present Administration all the support we
could honestly give it in consistency with our para
mount allegiance to the Constitution and the laws.
When its measures have seemed to US constitu-
tional and expedient We have given them earnest
cooperation. When they seemed otherwise, we
have never failed to indicate opinion, as duty
and candor required at our hands. And just in
proportion as the Administration has, in our eyes,
strayed from the simple paramount obligation i'm
posed upon it, to conduct the war for the Union
under the Constitution have been the frequency and
the earnestness Of our dissent from its policy and
measures, until in the end, when called to consider
the rival claims Of Mr.. Lincoln and Gen. Mcclellan
in the present CANVASS it was not difficult to decide
which Of them, in consistency with our known
opinions, was entitled to receive our support if
took any side in the struggle. And while we aim
to be independent At all times the thought of being
neutral in an emergency which more than ever
called for the honest activity Of every good citizen
seemed to us little short of actual treason to the
Republic For such political indiferentism we
have no toleration in time like the present.
The support Of the candidacy Of Gen. Mcclellan
followed SO naturally and necessarily from the con-
victions of political duty inculcated in these CO.
lumns since the outbreak Of the war, that we have
never paused in the intervals Of the canvass to offer
any explanations, much less any defence Of our
course. We had simply t, ask which of the
two candidates frankly accepts the conditions Of
our political problem rs they were stated by Mr..
Lincoln himself at time when, in common with
the great mass Of the nation, we were giving him
our confidence and support; for it was on the 4th
Of July, 1861, that President Lincoln, in his
message to Congress, wrote - follows:
Lest there be soe upeasness in the minds Of candid
men a. Co what 10 to be the course of the Government
towards the Southern States ar the rebellion shall have
been suppressed the Executive deems it proper TO say t
will be his purpose then TO bc guided by the Con-
stuton and the laws and that he probably will have
different understanding of tho powers and duties OF the
Federal Government relatively TO the rights Of the States
and the people under the Constitution than that
| in the inaugural address,
He desires to preserve the Government that IL may
be administered for ALL it administered by the
who made IT, Loyal ctzons every whore have the right
TO claim this of their Government and the Government
has no right to withhold neglect IT, 1t not perceived
that in giving IT, there 10 any coercion any conquest
any subugation, in any just sense Of those terms"
That was then the platform Of President Lin
coin, as it was ours. To-day it is the platform Of
Gen. Mcclellan, q it still is ours. Standing on
this platform we were willing to cooperate with
Republicans in 1861. Standing on this platform
we have been willing to cooperate with Democrats
in 1854 What we were not willing to do in 1861
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