The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-10-27

The Presidents Reply to
the Committee.
HIS LETTER TO GEN. scHor1rLD.
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, Oct, 5. 1868
Hon Chas. D. Drake and others, Co

Hon Chas. d. Drake and others. Com.
miHee:
GENTLEMEN Your original address,
presented on the Both ullimo, and the
four supplementary ones presented on
tie Sd instant, have been carefully con-
sidered, hope you will regard the 9TH
er duties claiming my attention, together
/ with the great length and importance OF
these documents. as constituting a suf-
hcient apology for my not having re.
sponded sooner
These papers, framed for common
object, consist of the things demanded
and the reasons for demanding them.
The things demanded are
First, That Gen. Scho6eld shall be re-
lleved, and Gen. Butler be appointed as
Commander of the Military Department
of Missouri.
Second, That the system If enrolled
militia in Missouri may be broken up,
and National forces be substituted for it
and
Third, That at elections. persons ma
not be allowed 10 vote who are not enti
tied by Law to do SO.
Among the reasons given. enough Of
suffering and wrong t. Union men,;s GER
tainly, and | suppose. truly stated Yet
the whole case, as presented, fails to
convince me that Gen Sch0feId. or tie
enrolled militls is responsible fur that suf-
feriug and wrong. The whole can be ex-
nj oh. +
think, rsore rational hypothesis.
We are In civil war. In such cssas
there always is msin question; but in
this case tia, question il perplexing
compound-Union and Slavery. 1t thu.
becomes aquestion not OF Two sides mere
ly, but of at least four sides. even among
those who are for the Union, saving
nothing OF those who aIe against it.
Thus. those who are for the t'nion with.
but not without slaverv-those for il
without, but not with-ihose for it with
or without, but prefer il with--and those
fer il with or without, bu, prefer ii with
out.
Among these again, is subdivision of
those who are for gradual, but no, for i'm
mediate, and those Who are for i'm IMMEDIATE,
but not for gradual extinction of slavery
1t Is easy to conceive that Ill these
shades Of opinion, and even more, may
be sincerely entertained by honest and
truthful men. Yet, all being FOR the
Union. by reason of these differences each
will prefer different wy 0f sustaining
the Union At once, sincerity il au-s-
toned, and motives are assaiicd Actual
war coming, blood grows lo, aud blood /,
spilled. Thought is forced rom old chan
nels into confusion Deception breeds
and thrives. Confidence dies, and uni
versal suspicion reigns. zach ran feels
an impulse to xiii his neighbor, sst lie b.
killed By him. Revenge aud retaliation
follow And all this, a. before -aid, NAV
be among honest mep only But this Is
not all. Every foul bird comes abroad.
and every dirty reptile rises up. These
add crime to confusion. Strong measures
deemed indispensable but harsa at best.
such men make worse b. aal-admiuisira-
ton. Murders for old grud9c-, ani mnr-
ders fer pelf, proceed under any CLOAK
that will best cover for the occasion.
These causes amply account fur what
has occurred in Missouri, without asorlb.
ing II 10 the weakness or Hicatdness oi
any General. The newspaper tiles
those chronicles If current events-wiil
show that the evils now complained OF
were quite as prevalent under Frcmon /
Hunter, Halleck and Curtis, as under
Schcheld. If the former had greater
force opposed TO them, they also had
greater force with which to meet it.
When the organ zed rebel army 1T the
State, the main Federal force had to 90
also, leaving the Department Commander
at home, relatively, no stronger than be-
fore. Without oisparaging any. | affirm.
with confidence, that no commander Of
that Department has, in proportion 10
bis means, done better than Gen. Scho-
field.
The first specific charge against Gen.
SchoGeld is that the Enrolled Militia was
placed under his command, whereas it
had not been placed under the command
of Gen. Curtis. The fact, believe, is
iuo Wv Jou w not punt out, ii9E Gan !
conceive, how that did or could injure
loyal men or the Union cause.
You charge that upon General Curtis
being superseded by General Schofeld,
Franklin A. Dick was superseded by Jas.
O. Broadhead, as Provost Marshal Gene
raj. No very specific showing il made as
to how this did or could injnre the Union
cause. 1t recalls, however, the condition
Of things, as presented to me, which led
to change Of the Commander Of the
D. p .rtmelt.
10 restrain contraband intelligence and
trade, system of searches, seizures, per.
mlts and passes had been introduced,
think by General Fremont. When Gen
eral Halleck came, be found and contin.
ued this system, and added an order, ap.
plicable to some parts Of the State, te
levy and collect contributions from noted
rebels. to compensate losses, and relieve
destitusion caused by the rebellion. The
action OF General Fremont and Genera
Hslleck, as stated, constituted sort 81
system, which General Curtis found il
/ full Oneration when ha tong command N