The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-18


Borlo-A Cur1gas Picco OF ,istory--aAl-
1tary Eashioxa5f doing Bustness at the
White House, &se. ,e~
Among the shresAdest observers Of the dri II
OF events in the NATIONAL capital is the Wash
ington correspondent OF the Baltlmo re Co
xette. We make sSsns extracts from two 81
his 1eoeut letters, which will be- found inter-
esting: ssTs
WASHINGTON, Msrch 10.-It is idle il not
criminal to attempt$to. conceal the fact that
our best men are bScOmng alsrmed at the
progress Of events III th.s city. Several emf
nent gentlemen, whose names can be given,
have so EXPRESSED themselves to your oOrres-
pondent to-day. They are to alarmsts. usual
ly so-called. but arc fnen WHO, when the battle
ragged the erSess Nsre found sI always in the
known and ell is urApertainty when q gene-
rOus alton has takeda III clNef whose Tstlcence
has induced unversa comment, and who sd po-
htal notions have yet 70 be + vealed to the
country, under such circumstances undue inn
portance may possibly be given to acts which
at OF sr times would pass unnotlced. But the
regular onward tread ;of the new adrninistra-
ton towards a military iespo,ism does, indeed
alarm some of the plost able aud dist,ng lished
patriots now assembled at the seat Of the
Federal Governnent.,t E@1 Ai s,f
AS Commander Of the Armies OF the United
States, General GRANT was wont to consult no
sions, was unmilitary end not to be counte-
nanced. President Graut follows closely in
the foo, steps OF the late general Of the armies,
aud consults no one.S The military" rule is
utive mansion OF the 9ation and the OWL head
Of the nation is to-day surrounded by mill
tary staff. But wna9 follows upo. this new
order OF things ct thS9WMte House General
the United States, anda nouuces to the coun-
try the members Of Lis staff. Who are they !?
The order of 6ener1. sherman has startled
the thinking men. He embraces within
every bureau attacIien to the War De-
partment, and complRkely swallows up the
whole department., allowing nothing to es-
cape except the person of the Secretary Of
tor-GeneraI, Quarfero'aster-G Ger eraI, Commits
sary General, SurgeolssG General, Paymaster-
General, Judge Advocsse General. Chief Of En-
glneers and the Chief Of Ordnance, oil ofwhom
Secretary Of War, arc now declared to be but
the staff officers Of the General commanding
the army. We'll may lgsbe sald ''Ohello's oc-
cupation's gone. and Secretary Schofeld can
linn to do but to play 1elerk" to General sher-
man aud his urilliant staff. These are stub
born facts. and they araactualiy tvans olring at
the capital of a nation loud III it's boastlngs Of
civil liberty. ea Il.
The taeory Of our repubIicau system ia that
the military shall at all tine be subj sct to the
OWL power, and hence alter org g.uiziug an
army with all its requisite cfacers, the whole
army and otfioessEare y ga nader the com on,
military department., tor tho greater safety of
tha peoples loerty. iss placed under OWL
officer, bat THAT ofiicert thoP Presilenll does not
thereby become iaiiikary one. This would
pllshed. Yet the inpTs ssion is lsEapidly gaining
Ground here that ESaedlant Gras.ss,s taeory IL
tfiaS tho iliyitary sssarScts of his position has
- y
and hence he has drawn around hun In the
Executive mansion u fall corps Of military
subordIiiates, while General sherman has alb
sorbsd (dnder INSTRUCTIONS. 1t is balieyed,l the
whole civil mach nery Of the War Depat tment.
Again, it IL noticed and eommeutod on, in
Congressional circles moro particularly, that
President Grants first anxiety alter he had
qualified rs the civil head o: til, nation, was
dinates. Scarcely had the last sound Of his
inaugural d.od away, when his corps Of sta e
officials We're hurricdly engaged in lssping or
ders to Sheridan and Reynolds, Hancock and
Cauby, Meade. Rugsr and others. This per-
haps was albright, but 1t has caused some
ami no. little uleaslness among
lmanyof the higher officials of the country
wWAsHrNaToN, March 12.-The extraordinary
condition OF political affairs at this moment
calls for calm but decisive action on the parl
to exercise his whole influence to arrest usur-
patton OF authority wherevet fJund. It ii
needless to repeat the trte fact, that the FEEDER.
al Constitution is thug Of the past. ,s The
full power over the country ia its length anc
breadth. The sole strugaie now is betweeI
its 4leglslatveo and executive sections, or, in
palmer words, between the sword Of . ont
garchy. The devel .pments OF the past few
days have beeu Of momentoua significance.
Ihe dsmented people Of the country, with q
halfucinatfon typiAed in the fable of the froes
rnontnH fOe n 10 roQnifpuf iF hnv n
not bestlr themselves, and that instantly, they
will have lost the chance Of even choicel 4
Undoubtedly Grant consulted NO one except
his staff aud military friends in the selection o
his Cabinet. All the stories about his having
offered this OF that man this or that Cabine
portfolio are the yeriest tustiOn. His evident
design in the beginning was to combine the
pnrse and sword OF the nation, and to wieid
both In the accumulation II political power
Who constitute his civil advisers The whole
concern is pa!pable fraud. You have already
ventilated the progranme Of the War office
To-day 1t is authori.atively stated that thu
nominal Secretary OF tue Navy. requiies super
visory aid and we are told thet Admiral Por
ter has been ordered to, take charge or the az
chives Of tho depart neht; in other words, III
is TO be the real dsposer Of tho naval forces
aud dispenser Of naval favors. Washburne. Il
was known from tho first, was asHigned thl
State Department merely 90 q feeIer. Fhe ap
pointnent was SO snpremeiy ridiculous that II
eSAAOA
1a.ion OF the entire Cablaet was to be expected
ut an early day. The Stewart blunder (wel
known to the SENATE to be snoh at the time o
his confirmation, or he would not have beer
confirmed at ali) gave sthat body an opp6r
tnnity partially 20 blow the secret arrangeme1
INTO the cir, and you now SEQ the d,sorganisa
ton Of the new govsrnMent before ats lsga
organisation. q = ~. M sl tSstt a 5s
In thi, very remarkable state or sfFairs, tli,
smal squad OF Conservatives which Congress-
have alIowedsto occupy seats in the respective
Houses, are anxinusly inquiring what course
they ought to IGiTsuo during this inteatins
quarrel among taeir unprincipied atlyeraar1eB
winch danger Z ask ttey, 'sis the most irnnli
4nent2 1t is A0e inclsnb bent upon us, go all ihaz
ards.stO prevent an absorption OF the civil bJ
the MILITARY power2 The Senate, II as true, i
controlled BY q set Of isnosant mountebank5.
dsI.sdGd tsDatiss and reckless adventurerss bal
At the worst they can move but slowly. and tht
people may overtake them. We have hereto
fore voted in both branches Of Congress fo
the repesi OF the unoonst titutional Tenure. Of
Office act; but why still pirate about the consti
&rttS0n Yhy nv n fPu1klasaa aflhtrxaf,S n nm.