New-York tribune., 1867-08-05
PRESIDENTIAL "IMPEDIAENTr

The question of Gen. Sheridans removal has
been so long in allegiance that we are in hopes
good counsels may be needed at last.
We have no doubt that the President
has a sincere desire to remove Gen. Sheri-
dan-but he is no less sincere in his desire TO
do hundred things quite as absurd. III his
advisers would recall to his mind the
case of Martin Van Buren, who was rejected in
q pique, by the Senate, rs Minister to England,
| and subsequently elected to the Presidency, ne
might hesitate longer before he makes n
"martyr" of the most popular commander IN
America. The disposition is so general among
those of our friends who desire a
military man for the Presidency to con-
slider Gen. Sheridan as candidate,
that his removal would only lead to his nomin-
alton by impetuOus Radical conventions. In
the event of q military nomination being ad-
yisable, we desire to think well of Sheridan,
and we trust, therefore, that the President VIII
not force upon us prematurely the consider
alton of his qualifications. We want the
Summer and Fall for moro important work.
and do not care to have nominations discussed
until the States stand side by side in the Elect
oral College, and the finances are In more
fourishing condition. We hope also that, when
that time comes we may have candidate
from civil life. If the President lets well-enough
alone. such nomination may be easily made. II
he removes Gen. Sheridan upon the grounds indi-
Gated by his friends, it will be menace to the
Union party which that party is not III the mood
to overlook The removal from New-Orleans
may be followed by four years OF duty at Wash
ington.
Let us look at this question moment.
correspondent says the order for Gen. Sheri-
dams removal "will assign as cause for the
" step that Sheridan himself is an impediment
" in the way of rational and constitutional re-
" construction, and that, therefore, he should be
removed in the same way that Sheridan him
" self removed Gov Wells of Louisiana The
President believes that though the recent acts
" of Congress clOthe military commanders with
"absolute power, still these commanders
should use the utmost discretion, and exer-
" else their powers so rs to bear rs lightly as
possible upon the people, and so rs to give
"satsfaction in their districts. lie considers
"that Sheridan has not thus acted; that
"he has been unwise, arbitrary with
out cause, and in many instances
despotic in the exercise of power"
| This statement may fully represent the posi-
ton of the President, but the country will not
so regard it. The country sees in Gen. Sheri-
dan man who has done his duty. and has
been patriotic, impartial, Jealous. 1t is said
that he is an "impediment to reconstruction.
In what way He finished the work of
registration more rapidly than any other
| commander. lie did it with fairness and
economy, and would have had it finished on
the first of July but for the Presidents order
to reopen the books, that Stanbery might find
a way for the Rebels to come back and vote.
To finish q work quickly is certainly not to
impede it. How has Sheridan abused
his powersf They were not assumed
| by him. Congress especially directed the per-
| formance of certain duties. He was the mere
| minister of the national willard he obeyed
| it, just as he obeyed it when he sent Early
whirling down the valley of the Shenandoah,
| or shattered the puissance of Lee at the battle
of Five Forks. Has he been harsher with the
people of his district than his duty
compelledl We think, from all our
information, that beyond the performance of
necessarily unpleasant duties, Sheridan has been
| very kind and considerate even to the Rebel
citizens. We have heard of no act OF oppres-
sion, of no tyranny, of no unnecessary
interference with private and vested rights.
We have heard from q dozen Rebel
sources, that if the Military bill is to
be enforced, the Rebels would as soon
have the work done by Sheridan as by any
other commander Therefore, for the President
to assume that Gen. Sheridan has been "un-
"wise, arbitrary without cause, and in many
ceases despotic in the exercise OF power" is,
we submit, to calumniate great soldier to
satisfy petty and sp;teful revenge.
The country sees so much that is grand in
the character of Sheridan, that it will not
tamely submit to his degradation. Here is q
man who proved himself in war TO be not
only the most brilliant of all our gen.
erals, but according to Gen. Grant him
self, If we may credit twenty narratives,
one Of the greatest captains of modern
times. In peace he has been as great as in
war. When President johnson endeavored to
coax him to sustain his policy by equivocating
in reference to the New-0rleans riots, he
startled the country by spurning the tempta-
tion, and prOnOuncing the riot 10 be o mas
sacre worse than Fort Pillow. This showed
the intrepid honesty of the man, and the
possession of a virtue that rose above an
influence to which even Grant yielded when,
in the face of the infamy of that massacre, he
allowed himself to be carried around the