The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-10-30
I.s Z. e.. Fl r.eI --rr q
THE PRESIDENTS LETTER TO
THE MISSOURI RADICALS. z
GEN. SCH0fIELD C0MPlIMEHTED.
No Commander has done better.
Review of former Administrations.
AVARICE VERSUS PATRIOTISM.
Irritating System Disapproved.
SCHOFlELD NOT UNFAITMFUL.
Reyiew of former Administrations.
VERSUS PATRIOTISM.
Irritating System Disapproved.
sCHoFiELD NOT UNFAlTHFUL.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, I
WASHINGTON, October 5. 1868. {

EXECCTtVE WtESION,(
WASHINGTON. October 5. 1868. {
Hon. Charles d. Drake and OH rs, Committee:
GENTLEMEN: Your original address. pre-
sented on the Both ultimO 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 for my not having responded sooner.
These papers framed for o common object
consist Of the things demanded, and tie r.a-
SONS for demanding them.
The things demanded are
First. That General SclOfeld 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 mt 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 Jet the whole case as
presented, falls TO convince Inc that Gen. Scho-
field, or the enrolled militia, is responsible for
That suffering and wrong. The whole can be
explained on a more charitable and as think
a mole RI iOna hypothesis.
We care in civil war. In such cases there al
ways is 4 ma Il question; but in This case that
Slavery. 1t 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 Union vifh. but not soiM
ont. slavery-tOse for it usthOnt, hu: not scith-
those for 1t Nth or ,ci hoat hut prefer it mifh-
and those for it riM Oh lciihout, but prefer il
.r;fhnut.
Among these again, is subdivision of those
who are for gra h!1. but not Tor smns~ttiHr. and
those WHO are for inla,eCii,ue, but hot for q u-
u1 eXiIll, ton of slavery
IL is ei>y 10 cunt Give that all these shades OF
opinion and even more may be siucccly en-
tcrt,ined Ivy honest a!id truthful men. Yet al
being Tor the Union. by REASON of these differ
cnccs each viii prefer different way of slls
tuning the MON :,L once sincerity is Qlles-
ton q. and motives are assaulted Ac ual war
coming bloc grow, hot and blood is spilled
Thought L. fJIced from old channels into con
fusion. Deception breeds and thrv"s. Cnr-
dencc dies. aud universal Suspicion Il ig,ls
Each nm feels an Impulse TO xiii his neighnor
lest he he Killed 10y hilu. kcvcnye and re-
L'liai III follow. And al this. Il, fore said
may be among honest men only But this il
nuL all. Every foul bird comes abroad and
every dirty reptile rises up These add crime
To confusion HtI0ny measures, deemed md ~
penS;tbe. tut hiusk az 6tst. such men ns,te sooys.
dy NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Murders ar old grtidgts
and IN riders for pclf proceed under any Coax
These CAUSES amply account for what has
occurred III Missouri. without ascribing il to
the weakness or wickedness of any General
The newspaper tilcS--thOsc chruniclers of cur
rent eycnts-wi.l show that the evils now c.,m.
p aimed OF were qui G as prevalent under FIRE.
mont. Hunter, Halicck and Curtis as under
Schofiell. 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 a: home, relatively no stronger
than before. Withou: diSpangi"g any, l at
firm, with confidence, that no commander OF
that Department has, in proportion to his
means, done better than General schotied
Ih1 first celtic cErye arnin-t General
SchOfell is, tnat the Enrol d Militia was
pl ced under his comman ), where it had not
been placed under the command OF General
Curtis The fact, l believe, is true bl. you
do not point out, nor can conceive now that
did or could injure loyal men or che oiop
cause.
You charge that upon General Curtis b ug
superseded by General Schofeld, FIanklil A
Dick was superseded by James o. Broadhe.. l.
a. Provost Marshal General. No very specific
showing is made as to how this did or cOul6
iDjure the Union cause. 1t recalls however
the cOnd ton OF things as presented TO me
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 by the rebellion. The action of
General Fremont and General Halleck. as
stated, constituted u soft of system which
General Curtis found in full operation when he
took command of the Department That there
was o necessity for something of the sort was
clear; but that 1t could only be justified by
stern necessity, and that it was liable to great
abuse in administration, was equally clear
Agents to execute 1t, contrary TO the great
Prayer, were led into temptation. some miyht
while others would not, resist that temptation
1t was not possible to hold any to very strict
accountability; and those yielding to the temp
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 il
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. controversy IN regard 10 u rap
idly grew into almost unmanageable proper
tons. One side ignored the nccessty and mag
nified the evils of the system while the other
ignored the evils and magnifed the necessity !;
and each bitterly assailed the motives of the
other. 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-
hausted 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 o victory over the other.
Plainly the irritating system was not to be
perpetual; and it was plausibly urged that it
could be modified at once with advantage. The
case could scarcely be worse, and whether II
by a trial In this view, and not to ban or
brand Gen. Curtis, or to give victory u. any
= x,odo the chanQe of Commanded for