Year: 1863

Recent Military Operations and the


Prcsidential Election.


There can be no doubt that the recent mill
tary operations Of our generals have produced
their effect on the movements Of the managers
of the coming Presidential election, particu-
larly the Cabinet at Washington, who, accord
ing to Wendell Phillips, have constituted
themselves general committee of management
to secure the succession in 1864. 1t is not true,
however, that the whole Cabinet are a unit
either in policy or as to the man for the time.
Two of the number are candidates, and conse-
quently rivals, and third opposes both and
plays them against each other Seward, the most
conservative Of the Cabinet and Chase, the
most radical, who give fine dinners at Wash
ington and intrigue throughout the States,
are "laying pipe" each for himself; and Stan
ton Is moving heaven and earth to spoil their
game. He processes to be the champion of the
President for denomination, In order that
Mr.. Lincoln may let him have his way in the
War Department, and thus effect consOiida-
ton of political power. But when the time
comes for decisive action, and man is to be
chosen to represent the republican party, it is
extremely probable that Mr.. Stanton will then
throw of the mask and declare for q very diff.
ferent candidate, regarding Mr.. Lincoln as
nothing moro than . squeezed orange, which
has nothing more to yield.


But Whatever may be the differences Of tho
members OF the Cabinet among themselves, they
are agreed upon one point, and that is to
keep down all successful and aspiring generals;
for such men would be sure to be most popular
throughout the country, and would endanger
the safety of all Of the administration pro-
grammes. A game of political chess is being
played, the next Presidency being the prize.
The moves on the chessboard depend very
much upon the success or failure of the move
ments Of the different armies in the field.


If Washington be in danger, one of these
generals will be duly appreciated for the time
being; but that over, measures will be speedily
adopted to check his career, and advantage will
be taken of his slightest mistake or misfortune
to first snub him, and finally to get rid Of him.
Meade, for instance, who, like Mcclellan, saved
Washington from capture and the North from
being overrun by victorious army, is already
held up by Mr.. Stanton's organs to public
odium because he did not destroy Lees army
in second battle before it crossed the Peto-
mac. Nor have we any doubt that the friends
of Secretary Stanton, in the council of war
held at the headquarters Of General Meade to
determine whether Lee ought to be attacked or
not, gave their advice against the attack, be-
cause success would have made Gen. Meade the
next President He ought therefore to have
depended on his own judgment and not to have
listened to the advice of his subordnates. He
may consider himself booked for removal be.
fore long


There is another able general who is in i'm
minent danger, and that is Gen. Grant, the man
Of the West. His success has been extremely
brilliant, and that constitutes his peril An
other victory and he is undone, if indeed he
is not already destined to place on the shelf
Good care will be taken that Grant OBJ
tains no more successes, unless by the
not be permitted to be a candidate for the
Presidency. Nor has General Banks, an
Eastern man. who has made his mark in the
Southwest, any better chance. Rosecrans.
another good general, has been crippled and
prevented from accomplishing anything great,
because his reputation was beginning to loom up
and he seemed dangerous man to administra-
tion Presidential candidates. For the same rea-
son Butler need not expect any important COM
mand, nor Fremont, both being candidates on
their own hook. It is, as we have said, like a
game Of chess. Stanton moves the pieces on
one side of the board, sacrificing one and
sometimes another piece in order to secure his
final object. But the time will come when the
Secretary of the War Department will find
himself checkmated-played out and utterly
bafied by the tide of events.
The Mism mana cement and lmbcci1ity OF