The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-01-16
POpe's reInOyaI-Gfant's Resnon-
sibiiity.

sibiiity.
The order relieving General Pope
of the command of the Third, and
General Ord of the Fourth, Military
Districts, was issued by General
Grant at the instance of the Presi-
dent. It is understood at Washing
ton that General Ord was relieved
at his own request, not removed foI
cause His command is turned over
to General Gillen, who will hold it
until Ord's successor, General Nc
| doWel arrives from the Pacific
coast.
The change gives opportunity fo1
the enemies ofGeneral Grant to de
nounce him as a tool of johnson,
and ready to carry out his Will. The
same outery was raised when Sheri-
dan was removed, yet it has since
been made known that General Grant
demonstrated with the President in
decisive language and did all that
was proper for him q subordinate
officer to do to prevent his reno
val.
What is Grant to do? eft he is
willingly in the War Office, we'll
says the New York Tribune, "if I'M
willingly, let him resign" But
what has that, pray, to do with the
issue of the orders relieving the
commanders of tie departments
1t is not as Secretary Of War ad az
te,lm that he acts, but as General
of the armies of the United States.
The Tribune will please call to its
recollection the special law Of Con-
gress passed last winter which
makes it imperative in the President
to issue all military orders through
the General commanding, whose
headquarters are fixed by the same
law at Washington. 1t was inten-
ded as a check upon the President
in case, as was then vaguely surmi-
sed, he might undertake to overawe
Or disperse Congress by a military
coup d'e3ot.
What if Grant did resign the off
ce Of Secretary Of War, would any
thing be gained thereby? He would
none the less be obliged to issue the
orders Of the President, as he did in
the case of Sheridan and as he has
now done in the cases of Pope and
Ord. He demonstrated against the
one is the Tribune authorized to
say he did not against the other?
How does it know that he obeyed
the will Of Johnson with alacrity ?
To have fatty refused to obey the
command Of the President, as com
mander-in in chief of the army and
navy would have subjected him to
the liability of a court-martial, and
under the Articles Of War, he would
have been found guilty of disobedi
ence of orders-no light oifense,
and in it's consequences upon disci
pline full Of unmixed evil. That is
true, but to what end :? Would Pope
or Ord have been saved? The peo-
pie feel secure with Grant as the
General commanding the army.
Whether he favors reconstruction
according to Congress or Andrew
Johnson, whether he approves ne
gro suffaage or opposes it, they
know that the military power Of the
Government will not be employed
for base or dishonorable purposes
while Grant commands. and that I'M
der his administration it's expenses
will be reduced and kept at the min
imum figure. The resignation of
his commission would be regarded
rs misfortune and do more to pro
duce a public feeling of insecurity
than any folly or excess on the part
Of the President or Congress. The
people do not want him to surrender
his commission, and they have the
intelligence to place the response
bility of the removal of the District
Commanders where it belongs
on the President, and will hold him
to it. Gin. Com.