The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-25
General sIckIes VindICated.


General SIckIes VIndtcRted.
From the ". y Tribune
The letter of the Governor Of South Caro-
lima makes it altogether clear that in remov-
ing General Sickles the President committed a
two-fold blunder. This, if it does not occur
to the remover himself must be patent to
those who oficiate as his proxies in affairs of
Executive reason. 81 desire to express to
you the great regret which feel personally
and officially at the course taken by the Presi-
dent and his advisers in this matter" writes
Governor Orr. Could there be a more unex-
pected and significant condemnation on the
one hand, and vindication on the other
South Carolina herself, bitter and bloody in
some of her bygones, declares that that over
Jealous SOutherner, Mr.. Johnson, is wrong,
and that his General is right. She protests
that Democratic President is far outdone in
sensible and generous forbsarance and kind
ness towards the Southern people by servant
of that Congress they are both supposed to
hate with equal heartiness. The Executive
has endeavored to lead another raid on the
Union lines, but there are few Rebels in heart
who think it worth while to follow him. The
state of the case is deplorable. 1t is a corpO-
RAILS guard, made up of Fastaffs recruits. 1t
is begging policy, going about the land like
a crazy king, without either his head or crown.
At last, it receives the unkindest cut of all.
State of nullifers repudiates a multiplying
President.
The first surmises of the motives of General
Sickles' removal are confirmed by Governor
Orr's cordial and willing testimony. Sin my
opinion" he writes, General Order No. 10
received the approval of very large majority
OF the citizens OF South Carolina;" and further
more he remarks that, if this order had not
been issued last spring, considerable increase
of troops would have been needed to protect
sheritfs in executing civil process at the in
stance of ravenous creditors. The paragraph
of the order seized by the President as the
text for the Generals dismissal, was the one
of all others most priced by the people of
! South Carolina. 1t was by no means an OBJ
J noxious provision nor was it combatted by
| the courts, which, as a whole, yielded to
the evident charity and necessity of the order.
| Had the Marshal in North Carolina desired
harmony between the civil and military powers
of the United States, he could have so
managed by simply postponing the execution
of civil process until the next term of court,
when, by law, he was required to make a re-
turn. We see that all the trouble arising out
OF Order No. 10 was in consequence of Whim-
steal and sudden interference on the part of
the Executive, for the order had been already
nearly half year in existence when he gave
to the world the characteristic explosion to the
effect that it was unconstitutional. A modi-
cum OF fOrbearance, of patriotism, or of pru-
deIce, would have saved the poor blunder of
reversing a good order and dismissing popu-
lar officer. But it is plain that the President
was disposed to have another tilt with Con-
gress, another outbreak of periodic consttu-
tiOnalism. Don Quixote and the wind mill
were not more unequally matched than the
parties of such duel.
Thus we remark the issue of another of the
Presidents experiments in constitutionality.
Where is the use we ask-the reason or the
right of these destructive misdoings From
those whom theywould serve come no thanks.
They are as easy as making soap-bubbles, or
catching flies in summer, but where is the
good Given a certain amount of mischief to
be worked against Congress, and it is required
to find how much Binckleyism and Blacken-
ing in the shop of the Attorney General is
needed to give legal polish to Executive
rashness. All this is as easy as lying; but
whom does it cost Every movement of the
President, so far as it tends to delay the pro-
! gress OF reconstruction, is at the expense of
the suffering people of the South Tigers on
the TANKS of an elephant in the jungles may
be more hurtful than the counter-policy with
which the President assails reconstruction, but
we are inclined to think that they are as rea-
sonable. The President is not enough OF a
fanatic to cling with consistency to his idea OF
The Constitution, even if he tears good quar-
| Ter away from our elephant of reconstruction
| He can only show us the aspect OF one lnVete-
rate and inconvertible, Bourbon who
learns nothing and remembers nothing and
who acts without meaning or occasion. Prac-
tically, he is an outlaw, and at war with the
country.