National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-02-02
Tho Trnti. OF History.

Fit2-John Porter applied to Gen. Grant, then
president Of the United Statos. for n rehcar-
ing Of his case. In that letter he alluded to
his relations to Gen. Mcclellan as having
operated to his prejudice in his trial in 1862
After rcciting some events In McClellan's
military career, and his removal from the
command in tho fold. Gen. Porter snd:
'Hc rds he apparent or presmlpiire candidate
Of the opposition for tho presidency"
This is an important piece Of evidence. II
proves that the wing Of friendship had
molted no feather between Gen. Mcclellan
and the northern sympnthizers with tho con-
fedoracy, and that in being tho heir, ZAP
parent or presumptive," to the copperhead
throne, he still retained tho allegiance Of his
trusted friend Fitz-John Porter. 1t is not
within tho bounds of reason that any man
who wanted, tho democratic nomination for
the presidency during the war desired the
success of tho federal arms.
Tho democratic party of the north in No
vcm 1cr, t,G!, was a reasonable organization,
in full sympathy with tho rebellion, and do.
ing all that could DO done consistently with
the safety Of its leaders necks for the cause
of the confederate states. Party spirit and
prejudice against some members Of Mr.. Lin
co IS administration caused some to adhere
to it who would have preferred to SEQ it
maintain its ante.war patriotism. But Gen.
Mcclellan aud Gen. Porter were soldiers and
for the one to be the fore. ordained candidate
of such party for the presidency, with the
approval and support Of the other, argues
much against them both.
The rebellion was not to be coaxed out of
the field by soft words after more than year
and half of fighting. The false cry Of
peace was but the hiss of the serpent of
treason. 1t must forever stand written in
the history of the civil war that the northern
democracy were for tho south, and that it
seldom erred in selecting its friends. To
have been the flvorite of party, tho success
of which was possible only by reverses to the
union arms, was not the distinction to which
a union major general should have aspired.
In fulfllment of the apparent or pre-
sumptive" title of Gen. Mcclellan to copper
head confidence he was in fact nominated by
that disloyal organization in 1864. The con-
vention met Aug. go Of that year Its plat
form was recital of all the catalogue of
wrongs which the government was infiicting
,l,1 "a; h,t 80
tanned the conventional assurances of loyalty
to the union by which the abettors of the
enemy usually avoided arrest and punish
ment. Tho resolution which indellibly
stamped the convention with its true char
acter was the following:
R soved, That this convention does explicitly
declare, as the sense of the American people, that
afIer fur years of failure to restore the union by
than the constitutional che constitution ITSELF has
been disregarded in every part and public liberty
and private right alike trodden down, and the
material prosperity ofthe country essentially i'm.
aired, justice, humanity. liberty and The public
welfare dem and tn at immediate efforts be made for
cessation Of hoStfHiGs, with view ID an ultimate
cdnUewton Of The st1tes other pedcedble nedns 10
the end that at the earliest practicable moment
peace may be restored on the basis of federal
union of the states.
Gen. Mcclellan accepted the nomination in
letter which, while it echoed the closing
words of the above resolution, formally favor
ing peace on the basis of union, nevertheless
echoed the false accusation of every copper.
head traitor in the land when. in the pres
ence of the great conflict of arms, he gave
comfort to the enemy in the following words
The preservation of our union was the sole
aU1utd object for which the war was commenced
II should haze been conducted for that object only.
mud in accordance with those principles which
took occasion to declare when in active service
Ihus conducted THE WORK OF RECONCILIATION
WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY, and we might have
reaped the benefits Of our many victories on land
aud sea.
1t has been said that Mcclellan accepted
the nomination on a peace platform, but wrote
a war letter. Not so. In the concluding
of his letter he expressly dis.
claimed any disagreement with the conyen-
ton. He said
Believing that the views hero expressed are
those Of he contention and the people you repre-.
sent, accept the nomination.
William II. Seward said on the fourteenth
of September of that year, in this city, in an
address to the Lincoln and johnson asso.
citation:
The issue is thus squarely made up-McClella |
and disunon or Lincoln and union.
That Jefferson Davis understood the north |
crn democracy, as commanded by Gen. Nc. |
Clellan, to be on the side of the confederacv. |
let the following words, from his message of |
Nov T. 1864, to the confederate congress bear
but while II is true that individuals and parties |
N the United States have indicated desire to |
UbSHate reason for force the authorities
who control the government of our enemies have
too often and too clearly expressed their resolu.
ion TO make no peace except on terms of our uu. |
conditional submission and degradatio H. 10 leave
IS any hope OF the cessation Of hosites until the
ielusion Of their ability to conquer us is dspelled
Comment is not only unnecessary, but
you'd be diluton. Tho cessation of hos
ilites " for which Davis hoped was to be the
'bject of "the immediate efforts" of the
lorthern democratic confederate contingent,
they could put their sort of union gen.
raj IN power as president and commander
n.chief
We are now asked to believe that Porter,
he next friend OF Mcclellan, was honest in
rs disobedience to the orders of his com.