The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-02-29
TIE CONN, .xDER OF THE FIFTH DISTRICT.

of petty circle of public jobbers and self
seeking partisans, who have no interests IN
common with the substantial welfare'of the
general community. And it would be equally
vain to dissemble the grief which we all feel
at the spectacle of apparent discontinue and
humiliation presented by communicative
has won our esteem and confidence in an un-
precedented degree, when he is compelled to
retract step which considerations of self
respect and duty had imperiously required
him to take. At the same time it would be
difficult for superficial and unimpassioned
observer to account for the prevalence in
this community of sentiments SO warm and
30 pronounced towards General Hancock He
came here, expressly appointed, and with the
explicitly declared purpose, to continue the
execution of law regarded by all intelligent
and well-meaning people of the State as
odious and pernicious in its political, social,
I. material, and all other aspects. He has not
swerved from the plain requirements of the
law, either to the left or to the right And
this, indeed, is the simple though strange ex-
planation of the fast hold which he has gained
of our good opinion, and even of our hearts.
We were not accustomed to see in his position
man wko was sufficiently above fear, favor
OF aft ction, to do us full but only bare jus ice
under the iron letter of the law. He promised
only this in the beginning, and his subsequent
acts evinced his earnest desire to fulfill this
promise, conceding nothing to our advantage,
imposing nothing to our detriment without
warrant in an unbiased Interpretation of the
various provisions which it devolved on him
to observe and to carry out. In short, he did
not make his administration a running sup
plement to the reconstruction acts. He
did not exc out congressional omission
wLere, exactly aud construed applied, they
might fall short of partisan designs. He did
not overstep even the enormous powers with
which be was invested, in order, by so doing,
to vex, disquiet, lamiliate and depress us.
Our feelings towards him have come to be
such as the people of a Roman proconsulate
might have had towards Scipio, Cato, or a
Brutus, sent to administer to them the law of
the conqueror. In the strict administration
of similar law, his manhood, frankness,
dignity and honesty have won our respect and
our trust That is the whole story.
1t may well be conceived, then, that our
people would look upon the retirement of
General Hancock from his present command,
as scarcely less than public calamity. And
hence it is that they recur with painful appre-
tensions to the recent correspondence be-
tween himself and General Grant, in which
he expressed his desire to be relieved, in case
his action regarding the City Council should
be reversed In that correspondence General
Hancock said:
Ny stlfIespect as commander Of the district
made IL absolutely necessary that should take
sun mary measures regardless of the cOn.eq lences
with which partissns might threaten me. | do
not know What 6tter report could be forwarded in
the case for all The papers explaining my action
have be en- sent 20 you.
To suspend my order would be to destroy my
HseiulT ess here, and in such an eveht sense OF
wlai consider due TO me aud my position IN this
natter would necessiae respectful request to
be relieved from my present command.
Fortunately it is the President, and not
Gen. Grant, who is empowered to grant a re-
quest TO be relieved in such a case. Aud
when the President understands, as he doubt
less will, that Gen. Grants final order in this
matter was in furtherance of partisan ma
neuvTe to get rid of the present commsuler
of the fifth district, in order that minion of
radicalism may take his place and manage the
coming elections in this State and Texas, it is
not to be doubted that the President will bs
extremely reluctant to grant the request and
it is to be hoped that Gen. Hancock will be
Tecopciled to his position, II is well to re-
call here these words in his letter of Feb. 9
to Gen. Grant
was astonisbed at the action OF the Council,
end could not account for 1t except by the fact
that they lad been in-tgated to do it by design.
ing men who believed thst If dared to sks these
removals, il wonld end IN my own removal from
this place, ana that they would be protected at
any rate.
Gen. Hancock OWNED truly when he sup
posed that this whole matter originated with
designing men who wished to provoke him to
acts that would end in his removal The
same men are still at work here and in Wash
ipgton. And it must be clear TO the general
that the granting of his request to be relieved
would be to these men triumphant event.