Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1871-11-17


fore Us, bat its great length prevents our
Publishing il 10 Oetail, as we would like
10 do. Ii 10 largely made up Of comments
on Phil SheridAn's usurpaGiOn OF power 81
Chicago. We eKtrAc. the following On.
answersble Arguments in regard to the
matter.
Ihave thus presented, with . degree OF
minuteness that may be thought unnsces-
aAry and tedious, an account Of the efforts
made by the state authorizes TO discharge
their whole duty, and protect every inter.
rest Of the citizens Of the state aud then,
TO make the Sistory eomplcte, will add
what Is well known; that on the l9th day |
Of October, 1871, both houses of the gen
eral assembly passed . bill approprlAting
two million nine hundred aud htsy-hve
Thousand three hundred and forty dollars,
With the interest thereon until paid, from
the treasury OF the state, for the relief OF
Chicago aud for che support Of its police
aud Gre dspArtments-which bill was 81
once approved by the governor.
twill be easily perceived that this state.
msnI does not present complete history oil
the acts Of the Mayor and Lieut.. General
the command Of the latter. ! have been in
formed Iha. he issued other orders in re-
specl TO the organisation and government
OF the regiment, and that either he or bis
subordinatss assume the right to command
the organized militia Of the State, and that
be also gave directions 10 the city police as
70 their duties Enough, however, can be
discovered in the faow developed 10 justify
- skaNt ka ,nnAunl nf the MaVOF
and the military forces-as well the regulsr
troops as the volunteers raised by Lieuten-
ant General SneridAu-wGs IN all respects
violauvs OF the Consultation and laws OF the
United States and Of thlsstA,e, and At the
same time. BY their direct effect and eK
ample, subversivs Of the principles o
Of free government.
II seems 10 me 20 be 40 clear that th
conduct complained Of Is contrary 90 th
constitution sad the laws, that II Is ion pos
sible, by any process OF reasoning. to max
il more so. The Mayor, the mere eKecu
tive officer Of city created by the laws o
this state, without control over the police, an
with only the general powers Of a consetv'
tor Of the peace, AbdicAted some Of th
most important functions and duties OF b.
office, aud, in connection with this refus'
90 discharge his own duties, attempted
place the laws Of the State under the feet {
a citizen, Who, forgetful Of his own duty
respect, obey aud enforce the laws, IN tn
capacity of an officer Of the United State
army, avAiling himself OF the color OF a.
thority conferred upon him by the Mayo
suI acted his follOw-citizsns to militar
rule. No officer )f the Uuited States, or {
the State of Illinois, has the constitutional {
legal authority TO exercise such TRANSFER
den. powers for Lieutenant General Sher
dan employed the troops OF the Unite
States in q manner not authorized by federi
laws, He raised troops without the conssr
OF Congress, and i'm posed upon them =
unlawful oath. de disregHrded the proV
sion Of the constitution OF the State whic
provides that "the military shall be 10 stri
subordination TO the civil power" and
posting his guards and sentinels upon u
streets OF a populous city, with instruction
to arrest psrsoas passing upon them, and
ire upon them in case Of refusal to ODE
their authority, the life Of citizen, VIII
was under the protection Of the laws, wa
destroyed. 4. - .-.....
Aud the srouod upon which this dSr
gerous assumption Of authority 10 defende.
is thEt ofsmsrgency or necessity. do n
admit that any necessity or emergency thu
could possibly arise would justify or eKcu'
the acts, Of the Mayor, and Lieut.. Ge
Sheridan: but ~ this defense for the
conduct has been vehemently urged, an
has q doubt. made acme Impression apo
the pu blio mind, IL may be proper TO cor
slider IL in the light of the fscts.
Up TO the time OF the arrival OF the stat
troops, on the morning of the llth day q
October, according TO al the evidence pre-
sented by the papers submitted, Lieut.. GeI
Sheridan had not officially iuterfered IN tn
slightest degree with the affairs of the city
nor was there a single soldier Of the arm
Of the United States in Chicago. IL ther
we're any doubts upon the point they are pu
At rest by his own statements, IN what :
Published as bis Official report. DE iher
says: "Ths disorgAnizsd condition Of affair
IN .his city, produced by and immsdiAtel
following the late fire, induced the city az
thori,iss TO ask tor the assistance oil IN
military forces, a. shown by the mayor
proclamstiop Of October IL, 1871.
To protect the public intei
ests entrusted mo by the mayor $ Procla~a
ton, / called to this city companies an
X etc. de obviously intends 10 Intoru
the Adi utAnI genera. that he ORDERED IN
trooos in Chicago after the issuance, aud u
IL he mad IN fact ordered regular troops 10
to Chicago prior 10 thA. tune, leave hlt
to reeoaeils that fact with his report TO hi
Official superior. The IRE fire broke on th
niybt Of the ssh OF October, aud cease
daring ,he afternoon OF the 9gh, and dur,n
ths AZ, .nd night &c the 9Sh aud the d.
.na ,tyht of the 10Th Of October, the civ
ofbo.rs and police force-aIded by sing
battalion Of state militia under Major Al
trup. who had rendered its services TO q
chief Of police on the 9th-And the PeoP
Of ths oity, large numbers OF whom h'
been sworn in az special police, mad witno
difficulty preserved order. Az four ocio
on the morning Of the llth the adjutA
general Of Illinois arrived, with two hal
dred men, to increase the force, and 81
O'Clock A. NJ. of Ihe same day, before {
MAYORS proclaim alton was issued, there ve
on duty In ChicAgo the regular poll
force, numbering upwards OF four hundr
men Major Alstsum', battalion. two hu
drsd msu sss hls report, the militia OF
state, 3l5 men see AdjutAnt generals
porll, others rapidly approaching, and 81
erAl companies OF organized militia with
easy reach see sdjut.nt generals repor
and the whole male population of Chica
and Cook county subject to the call OF
local authorities, and that of the state unC
the orders Of the governor.
The officers in command OF the troo
sent by me to Chicago we're among che M
distinguished Of the late volunteer serVr
In proof Of this, no soldier OF the late |"
need be more than reminded OF Col. Huro
Dilger, of the artillery of the army OF
Cumberland Major James Nj. besrds''
of the 18th Illinois volunteers, MAJOR T..
johnson, of the 7th Illinois volun'e =
Captain j W. s. SIsmbough, OF the U.
engineer corps; Captain I. Cuiver' wiz
honorable orutches attest his bravery; =,
tNiu f. Snyder, a trained soldier from
r,pean armies, who earned bis Amer'c
citizenship BY valuable services in the 500