The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-11-18

On account OF ,ho assistance Of the military in |
Very rcspccul,y, r. Is MASON, Mayor
On the 23l day of October / first learn |
cd of the death Of Gen. Thomas w. Gros-
venor, from wounds indicted by one Of the |
volunteers enlisted under tho orders of
Lieut.-G Sheridan, and on Monday the
23d Of October, in company with the adj
jutant-gencral, / visited Chicago to inves-
tgate the facts.
On the 9th day of October, from II con-
viction that it was my duty to see that the
laws are enforced ! addressed an official
letter to the Encouragement, herewith
submitted, and on the 30th the following
letter to Charles II. Reed, ESQ, S,ates-At-
torney of the seventh judicial circuit on
the same subject:
state Of Illinois Executive Department,
Springfield, Oct. 80, 1874.
Charles II. Reed:
Dear Sir: forward you herewith O copy of
an an official letter addressed by me 10 Hon. w.
cumstantes of tile death of Gen. Thomas w.
Grosycrnor.
The matter has occa stoned me great amount
OF anxiety, Hnd alter the. most mature reflection
aln forced to the convlctlod that the Indictment
against Treat, the person who inflicted the
wounds upon nm, should also include Philip III.
sheridan, Frank + sherman and the other per.
sons VINO claimed to be officers of the rrpiteu
company l., First regiment OF Chicago voun.
Some Of the reason. that have forced me to
this conclusion are contain sd in my letter to the
attorney general, and others will occur TO you,
familiar a- you are with the criminal laws, and
the course OF crimpal Justice.
II would be simply disLonOrable to you, and to
the state, tnprosecute young Treat alone, TO con-
viciion, whcn you, and every one besides that
are supposed To know what the law l., are bound
to confess thai, If he II guilty of a legal onense
so are those tina placed him in position to do
moi "a moi fl4ss- NUNn
Tues can find a legal excuse for dischsrging
T'eat without n trial. No course Is open to u
but to boluy and squarey stand up 10 the line of
duty
have written this to you because can well
understand that you may feel degree of hcsita-
ton IN ,dvlslng the grand Jury TO find an indct.
ment against such persons rs X II. Mason, u. II.
sheridan, Frank I. Sherman sLd a. thus case
concerns the state, in it, political capacity A.
much as in other re- poets, think 1t proper that
| the governor should take the responsibility OF
whit IL done And while have the utmost conf
| dcnce IN you, | do advise the Indictment and
| trial Ofall concerned, Respectfully
JOHN NJ. PALMER.
| have thus presented, with degree of
| minuteness that may be thought unneces-
| .ary and tedious an account o. the efforts
| by tho state authorities to discharge their
whole duty, and protect every interest OF
the citizens of the state; and then, TO make
the history complete, | will add what j.
well known, that on the 10Th day of Octo-
Der, 1871, both houses of the general as
sembly passed bill appropriating two
millions nine hundred and hfty-iivc thou.
sand three hundred and forty dollars, with
interest thereon until paid from the treas
ury of the state. for the relief of Chicago,
and for the support of its police and fire
Department. bill was at one, ap.
proved by the governor.
1t will be easily perceived that this
J statement does not present \ complete his
tory Of the acts Of the mayor and Lieut.
Gen. Sheridan, and the persons who acted
under the command of the latter. | have
| been Informed that he issued other orders
in respect to the organization and govern
ment of the regiment, and that either he
or his subordinltcs assumed the right TO
command the organized militia Of the
state, and that he also gave directions to
the city police rs to their duties. Enough
however, can be discovered in the facts dc.
veloped, to justify the statement that the
conduct of the mayor and the military
forces well AS the regular troops rs the
volunteers raised by General Sheridan
was in all respects yiolativc Of the cun,ti
tuition of the United State, and Of thi,
state, and ut the same time, by their direc
effect and example subvcrsiyc Of the prin
ciplcs of free government
1t seems to me to be SO clear that IN,
conduct complained of is contrary to tn,
constitution and the laws, that it il i'm
possible, by any process Of reasoning I,
make it more SO. The mayor, the mer
executive officer of n city created by tn
laws of this state without control over tb
police, and with only the general power
of n cOnservatOr Of the peace, ahdicatcC
some of the most important functions anC
duties of his office, and in connection wit
this refusal to discharge his own dutie.
attempted to place the laws of the stat
under the feet of II citizen, who, forgetiu
of his own duty to respect, obey and en-
force the laws, in the capacity ofan office
Of the United States army, availing him
self of the COLOR of authority conferred
upon him by the mayor, subjected hi
fellow-citizcns to military rule. No of
iicer of the United States, or of the state o
Illinois, has constitutional or legal author
ity to exercise such transcendent powers
for Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan employed the
troops of the United States in manner
not authorized By federal laws. He RAISED
troops without the consent of congress
and imposed upon them an unlawful oath
He dsrcrardcd the provision of the consti
tuition if this state which provides tina
"mlitary shall be in strict subordinatlon t,
the civil power and by posting his guard
and sentincls upon the streets ola populou
city, with instructions to arrest pcrson
passing upon them, and to fire upon then
in case of refusal to obey their authority
the life of II citizen, who was under tn,
protection of the laws, was destroyed.
And the ground upon which this dan
gerous assumption of authority is de
Tended is that Of emergency or necessity
| do not admit that any necessity or emer
gency that could possibly arise would
justly or excuse the acts of the mayor anC
Lieut.. Gen. sheridan but as this dcfenc,
for their conduct has been vehement,
urged, and has, no doubt, made some i'm
preston upon the public mind, it may b,
proper to consider it in the light Of tn
facts.
Up to the time of the arrival of Tn
state troops, on the morning of the Ill
day of October, according to all tn,
evidence presented by the papers sub
mitted, Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan had no
officially intcrfered in the slightest dcgre
with the affairs of the city, nor was thcr
a single soldier Of the army of the Unite
States in Chicago. If there were an,
doubts upon that point they are put at res
by his own statements, in what is publishes
as his official report. Hethere says" Tn
disorganized condition of affairs i
| tbi, city nrnlucal bv and ;,,n,od;