Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-03-19
United States, General Grant was wor

United States, General Grant was wont to
consult no one for consultation, except
on very rare occasions, was unmilitary and
not to be countenanced. President Grant
follows closely in the footsteps of the late
General of the armies, and co1sults no one.
The " Military " rule is now strictly OBJ
served and enforced in the Executive Man.
sion of the nation, and the Civil head of
the nation is to- day surrounded 10y maiti-
tdry staff. But what follows upon this new
order of things at the White House Gen.
Sherman assumes command Of the Armies
of the United States, and announces to the
country the members of his staff. Who are
they The order of General Sherman has
startled the thinking men. He embraces
within his direct military control the head
of every bureau attached to the War De-
partment, and completely swallows up the
whole Department., allowing nothing to
escape except the person Of the Secretary
of War himself. The Adjutant General,
Inspector General, Quurtermaster General,
Commissary General, Surgeon General,
Paymaster General, Judge Advocate Gen
eral Chief of Engineers. and the Chief OF
Ordnance, all of whom have been hereto
fore the subordinates of the Secretary of
War. are now declared to be bat the staff
officers of the General commanding the
army. Well may it be said Sc Othello's oc-
cupation's gone" and Secretary Schofeld
can retire from the Cabinet, as there is
nothing left him to do but to play "clerk"
to General Sherman and his brilliant staff
These are stubborn facts, and they are &C
tualy transpiring at the Capital Of the ma
ton loud in its hoastings of civil liberty
The theory of our republican system is
that the military shall at all times be sub
ject to the civil power, and hence after
organizing an army with all its requisite
officers, the whole-aruy and officers-are
placed under the command of the civil
head of the Republic. The Military De-
partment, for the greater safety of the peo-
pies liberty, is placed under q civil officer,
but thai officer (the President) does not
thereby become military one This
would defeat the very object sought to be
accomplished. Yet the impression is
rapidly gaining ground here that Presi-
dent Grants theory is that the military
character Of his position has been increased
and intensifed-not destroyed-and hence
he has drawn around him in the Execu-
tive Mansion full corps of military subor-
dinates, while Gen. Sherman has absorbed
(under instructions, it is believed), the
whole civil machinery of the War Depart
ment.
Again, it is noticed and commented
on, in Congressional circles more particu-
larly, that President Grants first anxiety
after he had qualified as civil head of the
nation. was to distribute and arrange his
military subordinates. Scarcely had the
last sound of his inaugural died away,
when his corps Of staff officials were hur-
riedly engaged in issuing orders to Sheri-
dan and Reynolds, Hancock and Candy,
Meade, Ruger and others. This perhaps
was all right, but it has caused some specu-
lation and no little uneasines among many
of the higher officials of the country.
Then the extraordinary power exercised
by President Grant in inprisoning parties
who had been pardoned by his predecessor
furnishes food for the gossip and eXcites
the fears of the timid. President Johnson
had full power to pardon and he exercised
it. Before the evidence of this Executive
had reached the prisoners the
United States Marshal was directed by the
new Administration to suppress this evil
dence, and it was done. The prisoners had
been pardoned-E Executive clemency had
been exercised, but the one President re-
calls the mercy which the other had shown.
1t left the bosom of President Johnson-it
is recalled to the bosom of President Grant.
The proposition may appear absurd, and
yet such things are transpiring here.
The question is now more seriously asked
than over before in Washington, "Whither
are we drifting 2"
Never in the whole history of our gov
ernment has there been such limping and
at the beginning of new Ad
and tonight, when the Ad-
is just one week old, no one
has an idea who is to have charge of the
financial affairs of the country. The other
members of the Cabinet have dropped in
one at time, and before the last one is
seated speculation is rife as Is coming
changes.