The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-17

| leading power in Europe must be creolteu 70
| the discretion, the seltrestraint, ana the man
| apemeut of commissioned officers of the IVY
| And the record of these achievements has
| seldom been discreditable to the agent, so iar
| as the eDperience of our own Government is
| concerned ,,,.,,,
| nv his old comrades OF the Army of the Poto-
mac the other evening, General Sckes may
possibly have exceeded the demands of the
| occasion in adverting so directly to the politi-
| cal situation. 1t was perhaps, neither neces-
sary nor expedient for him to allege that the
Government Gin all its departments" is not
thoroughly agreed upon the duty to be per-
formed in the work of reconstruction and yet
if the right of seltdefense is admitted at all in
such a case as that of General Sickes, it is
impossible for him to make any appeal what
ever to the verdict of his felow-oitizens which
should distinguish between the two-fold func-
tons of a military and civil administrator.
His position in the army may fairly be held to
have entitled him to the position of a military
district commander. His removal from that
position may be held to entitle him to state
ment of the principles which governed his
conduct. Addressing his old army comrades,
General SicIles says that his endeavor in the
discharge of his duties was to exercise the
authority he possessed for the welfare of the
people. according to what he conceived to be
the true intent and meaning of the laws. He
did not propose to himself any power of veto
over what Congress had enacted. He did not
feel at liberty to supplement the laws with
any extra executive power of Judging what
the laws ought to be. He simply set himself
to study the intent of the orders under which
be acted, and carried these into effect so far as
his instructions seemed to warrant him.
This much, we are sure, will be conceded to
General Siokles on all hands-alike by those
who were formerly his political allies, and by
those who were accustomed to associate him
only with the feeble and inconsequent diplo-
macy Of Mr.. Buchanan, dozen or more years
ago, before the venerable functionary became
President.
The occasion for speech making, however
sound and sensible, has to be carefully chosen.
The country, at the present moment, is in no
great humor for military serenades either by
the National Guard or the "Grand Army of
the Republic" We all are willing and
anxious to see every tribute of honor and
respect paid to those who have faithfully done
service for the Union in times of peril. But
the country seems to long for the time when
we can dispense with military display as an
adjunct of civil reconstruction.
General Sickles tells his old associates that
the enemies who surrendered to Grant and
Sherman and Sheridan are now on their
parole of honor to obey the laws of the land.
But it may be doubted whether it is we'll for
an officer in General Sickles' position to ex-
press, even indirectly, a doubt that their
parole would be broken under any condition,
whether the President aims to give effect to
the wishes and intents of Congress or not.
There has not, thus far, been any indication
that the officers of the late Confederacy-tho
of them, at least, who have any influence
over political opinion at the South-desire to
thwart the purposes of Congress, or to revive
the sectional disagreements of the past in any
shape. There is evidence-strong and incon-
trovertible-we think, in the other direction.
The mischiefmakers to-day are not the lieu
tenants of Lee and of Johnson, but the scum
and refuse of Southern political conventions
of seven years ago, who took to secession as
means of living, and who would revive it
tomorrow, We're there any force left in them,
for the same end.
Words uttered by loyal public servant
and one especially in the position of General
Sickles-ought to be scrupulously weighed.
No careful student who looks at the situation
dispassionately can safely commit himself to
the opinion that the integrity of the country
is in any way imperilled by the league of
military Confederates now under parole.
The peril is here, frst by reason of the con-
ict which the President has provoked with
Congress; at the South by reason of the vicious
activity of non-oombatant politicians who
vainly struggle to revive the sectionalism of
bygone times.