Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-11-01
EnCoreiug the Lars.

Tho most constant organ OF tno Au-
ministraton, tho New York Times,
states that "there has not been time
within the past ten years when the
energies Of the Government were bent
with greater vigor to the enforcement
of tho laws. The order is to spare
nobody, friend or foe, who comes un.
dor the ban Of the law, 80 that whether
it bc Ku. Klux in the South, polygamy
in Utah, or fraud and corruption in
tho public service or in individual
rings, it is pursued with tho same un-
rolenting rigor." This is very inter
esting intelligence, and we have no
doubt that those officers of tho Gov
ernment who are thus energetically
doing their duty will thank us for
calling their attention to a conspicu.
ous instance in which the law is fla
grantly violated, but which from its
very magnitude and nearness TO them
might possibly escape their attention
unless it were especially directed to
tho subject. lgol .
An act of Congress relating TO the
army which was approved July 10,
1870, reads in its Sth section as fol.
lows: Il
at shall not be lawful for an, officer Of the
army Of the United States on the active list to
hold any civil Office, whether by election or ap-
pointment and any such officer accepting or cx-
ercsing the functions Of civil Office shall at once
cease to be an officer Of the army, and his commits
sion shall be vacated thereby"
This law has been violated ever
since it was passed by President
Grant, and by three officers of the
army, who, in defiance of the statute,
be has kept around his person, in
order to maintain tho military estab-
lishment and state which he seems TO
think necessary. These officers are
Gen, Horace Porter, who prctends to
fill the station Of Private Secretary to
the President; Gen. f. Il. Dent, who
pretends to be Assistant Private Sec
retary; and Gen. O. Il. Babcook, who
now holds tho office of Commissioner
of Public Buildings in Washington.
Gen. Babcock occupies his place by
public appointment of the President
and Gen. Porter and Gen. Dent exer-
else the functions of their representa-
tive civil offices by his private selcc-
ton, while they are borne on the rolls
of the army, the one us Major ID the
Ordanco Corps, the other as Colonel
of an artillery regiment, both serving
on detached duty on the staff of Gen.
Sherman.
All three of these officers are thus
under the ban OF the law, being en-
gagged in the performance ofcivil func.
tions which they arc forbidden to ac-
cept or exercise. The law declares
that they have ceased to be officers
of the army, and that their commits
sions are vacated and as the Times
informs us that nobody, friend or foe,
is to be spared, but that all violaters
Of the law are to be pursued with the
same unrelenting rigor, we cannot
doubt that these offenders wills at once
be dealt with and stricken from the
rolls of the army, as the statute re-
quires.
II is true that the fault is not mere.
ly their own, but that they have been
led into their misdoing by the Presi-
dent of the United States. The law,
however, does not provide for his pun
ishmont in the premises, except by
the regular process Of impeachment
and trial by the Senate, aud also by
the more effective means of impeach-
ment and trial before the people in
the election of 1872 But let the
proper officers of the law do their duty
in the case Of Porter, Dent, and Bah
cock, and the people will do theirs in
the case of Grant.-N Y. Sun.