The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-12-04

.NlNO OIAH AND CAIAULlC
Gen. Grant and his Police.
There has been 8 general murmur Of dis
content throughout the nation At the man.
ner in which Gen. Grant has been making
q police establishment ont Of the regular
army. It ID not only among civilians that
classification at snch action exists, but in
the army itself land among the highest officers
it il found. Even Gems. Sherman and
Hslleck enter their protest againat an
abuse 20 weu calculated to create bitter
feelings. among the people against the army
and tend to its final abolition. Very few
persons probably have heard of Grant's
policy without thinking what storm of
indignation wonld have greeted such q
movement IL made by any administration
previous to the beginning of the late war.
Gen. Grant economies the services of
his troops by making deputy marshaas Of
them for the purpose of internal revenue,
sherifs for the enforcement 0f the criminal
lave, and police for the management Of an
election. Grants party is getting weak at
the polls and the effort to supplement their
inadequacy with the moral support Of gilt
tering bayonets 10 in keeping with the
usual strategy Of that great man. 1t is ev
ident, however, that where majority is to
be created by the army, it becomes a mere
form for announcing the win of the general
and might a. well be dispensed with. OF
course it would be 10 dispensed with
were it not that . respectable minority is
still necessary ally of the army.
The mere presence of q soldier in uniform
~ the polls would have aroused storm of
dangerous indignation among our fathers,
and now regiments are moved to control
elections without more of protest than
| that expressed in . dissatisded groyl. So
accustomed to military usurpationo of au-
thority did The nation become during the
Confederate war that it is only gradually
awakening to sense Of the insolence
which perpetuates such interference on the
assumption that somewhat Of &alGlQld dam
ger still exists. That assuppl b con-
sequences are very. family ~ the
South, but they have ~ d nsane bscome
domesticated at the North. T6e resent at
tempt to make them 80, has NEW an
opposition in some quaE1e aLet ensures
the defeat of the movements ndbf the gos-
eminent that Sustained it. Go. q,
Gen. Sherman says truly that puttng
the army on such service would &ronse che
jealousy of the people and proc Lnce collis-
ions which must result ii the reduction Of
the army to such footing as would place
it beyond the power Of doing either good
or harm. It is to be hoped; at least, that
there is stiff suficient spirit among the
people to insure such : result.s IS
I At any rate it is extssmely gratifying to
the friends of repuhlicanf41 we mean a
republican form ofoy6rnme1t--to per-
ceive that there is sssll civil virtue enough
left among the leaders Of our standing
military forces to protest against
the supremacy of the army and the eetab-
lisament of a military usurpation. The
army is not yet rip4 the overthF 6ssf
the republic even ifthS people ffsr.
emit. a ~ sss e Il
It is pleasant also tires lthe svsf
multiplying eea Wild ksrenees that
arise in the rank t6e dical party
First one wing On aAether OF thst hstsr-'
ogeneous mass declares its Independence
of Grant, and evidence comes from alf di-s
rections that the whole fabric III about to
crumble to pieces. A party which initiates
against the whole theory of self govern
ment and saps the foundation of our ma
tional edifice cannot too soon be. hurled
from its dangerous ascendency.
OUR F1REs.-The city is in mourning for
her children slain at the, cruel calamity of
Gravier street. The topping walls buried
in their ruin some of our bravest young
men. While the bells are still tolling for
their funeral obsequies, while the solemn
wailing of the brass band is ris-
ing and sinking in the air, let us
reflect moment on the criminal careless
ness which works such dreadful mishaps.
| Al