The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-10-30

THE PRESIDENTS LETTER TO
The MISSOURI RADICALS.
GEN. SCH0fIELD C0MPLImENTED.
No Commander has done Deltcr.
Review of former Administrations.
AVARICE VERSUS PATRIOTISM.
Irritating System Disapproved.
SCHOFiELD NOT UNFAITHFUL.
Review of former Administrations.
AyARICE VERSUS PATRIOTISM.
Irritating System Disapproved.
SCHOFiELD NOT UNFAITHFUL.
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, Oc, Ober 5. 1868.

WASHINGTON. Geo 5. 1868. {
Hon. Charles d. Drake and OH rs, Committee:
GENTLEMEN: Your original address. pre-
sented on the Both utimO ard the four supple.
menrary ones presented on the Sd instant, have
been carefully considered. | hope you will
regard the other duties claiming my attention,
together with the great weight and Importance
of these documents, rs constituting sufficient
|. apology tor my not having responded sooner.
These papers framed fJr q common object,
consist of the things demanded, and tie r.a-
sons for demanding them.
The things demanded are
First. That General ScliOfield shall be reliev-
ed and General Butler appointed IS Commander
OF the Military Department of Missouri
Second. That the system of Enrolled Militia
in Missouri may be broken up and national
forces be substituted for it; and
Third. That ut elections, persons may not be
allowed to vote who are not entitled by law to
do SO.
Among the reasons given enough of suffer-
ing and wrong TO Union men, is certainly, and
] suppose. truly stated let the whole case rs
presented, fills TO convince Inc that Gen. SchO-
tirld, or the enrolled militia is responsible for
that suffering and wrong The whole can be
explained on more charitable and, as l think,
moie III ional hypothesis.
We arc in civil war. In such cases there al
ways Is Il ma question; but in This case that
question Is perp:eXlng cOmpound--UniOn and
Slavery. IL thus becomes Il question not of
TWO sides merely but of ut least four sides
even among those who are for the Union. say
ing nothing of those who are against IT, Thus
those WHO are for the Uniun UGih. but not uiM
ont. slayery--tliOSc for 10 &ithOnt hu! not arih-
those Tor 1t mtft or ri ho"i. INT prefer it uifh-
and those for it 1rth o. cjhhout, but prefer il
.rIs' ~.
Among til, Sc again, is & subdivision of those
who are for g,tt tG,t. hat not Tor rnns~,iafr and
those Wiio ;gc Tor tHl.tetiIte but mol for q as
uM cXiin, tun OF slavery
IL Is C.-y 80 Cant Give hat all these shades OF
opinion a'd even more may hc sinccicly en-
tvrttincd hy hnuc~i ald lrujliful men Yet al
beng for tAe UHlun. by REASON Uf these differ.
cnccs each "isi prefer Il different Way Of epl>
tuning til4 MON . once sincerity Is Qllr>-
tom q. AMI motives are assaulted. sc uai war
coming DjuO .-rOiy, hot and blood Is spilled
Thought - fJ.cct! from old clnHiics INFO c;,n
iu~lpn. Deception breeds ana luriv'&. g. nti-
dVnCc dies ;uitt universal st<iijc.t!n 4 ig,i~
Bach niln feels an impulse 10 Kill his nci4h nOr
Lest ic u3 Killed iy iIhu. Hcvuu-e and re-
t:iliali ~ follow. And al this. - d fore said
may be among hon.sL men Only. But This il
i'uJ all. Every foul bird comes abroad and
every dirty reptile rises ul,. These add Grim,
10 confusion "hU"Y measures, Ctse1tea anll u
pehS;6he. 6m h'uSh al OfSt. SNch asen m,lH sCo,s.
~ ned!1n5RiHtsttdfOR. Murders t # old gri,dnrs
aId IN riders for rrit, proceed under any COAX
that viii best cover ior The OCCASION
These c.lu>,s amply account for what has
occurred III Missouri without ascrus il Il,
the Wc:akn6-s or wickedncss OF any General
The new paper hc>--thoSc cilroniclers OF cur
rent evchtS-Wi.l show tlil: the el lis now e. IN
2ined OF were qil C as prevalent uuder FIRE.
mont. Hunter. Haiicck and Curtis. as under
Sehotieli Ii the former had greater force
opposed to them. they also had greater force
with which to meet il. When tue organized
rebel ARMY left the S ate, the main Federal
force had 10 go also, leaving the Department
Commander Il. home, relatively no stronger
than before. Without. diSpaagirg any, at.
firm, with confidence, that 10 Commander of
th't Department has, in proportion to his
means, done better than General >chOtield
The first poetic cErge ar,in-t General
schotelI is, int the EnrJl Militia was
pl ced under his comulan ), whe.el> it had rot
been Placed unler the command OF General
Curtis. The fact, l believe, is true bl. you
do not point out, nor can cOncev, now that
did or could injure loyal men or che lion
cause.
You charge that upon General Curtis b nc
superseded by General Schotied Fianklil 4
Dick was superseded by James o. Broadhes |.
as Provost Marshal General. No very specific
showing is made as to how this did or could
inj ure the Union cause. 1t recalls, however
the cond ton of things as presented to HE
which led to change of Commander for that
Del artment.
To restrain cOntraband intelligence and trade,
system Of searches, seizures, permits, ana
passes had been introduced, / think, by Gen.
Fremont. When General Halleck came, he
found and continued this system and added an
order, applicable to some parts of the state, to
levy and collect contributions from noted reb-
els, TO compensate losses, and relieve destitu-
ton caused 10y the rebellion. The action of
General Fremont and General Halleck. as
stated, constituted u so,t OF system, which
| General Curtis found in full operation when he
took command of the Department That there
was necessity for something of the sort was
clear; but that it could only be justified Nv
stern necessity, and that it was liable to great
abuse in administration, was equally clear.
Agents to execute it, contrary to the great
Prayer, were led into temptation Some might
while Others would not, resist that temptation
1t was not possible to hold any to very strict
accountability; and those yielding to the tenn.
tatiOn would sell permits and passes to those
who would lay most, and most readily for
them and would seize property and collect
levies in the aptest way to fill their own pock-
cts. Money being the object, the man having
money, whether loyal or disloyal, would be q
victim. This practice doubtless exists to some
extent, and it was real additional evil, that it
could be, and was plausibly charged to exist in
greater extent than it did.
When Gen. Curtis took command of the
Department. Mr.. Dick, against whom never
knew anything to allege, had general charge of
this system. A controversy in regard to it rap
idly grew into almost unmanageable proper
tons. One side ignored the necessity and mag.
ni6ed the evils of the system: while the other
ignored the evils and magniied the necessity ;
and each bitterly assailed the motives of the
other. I could not fail to see that the contro-
versy enlarged in the same proportion as the
prOtessed Union men there distinctly took
sides in two opposing political parties. / ex-
hausled my wits, and very nearly my patience,
also. in efforts to convince both that the evils
they charged on each other were inherent in
the case, and could not be cured by giving eli
ther party victory over the other.
Plainly the irritating system was not to be
perpetual and it was plausibly urged that it
couid be modified at once with advantage. The
case could scarcely be worse, and whether it
could be made better could only be determined
by trial. In this view, and not to ban or
brand Gen. Curtis, or to give victory to any
Marty I made the chance of Commander for