Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-23
A SENATOR DISPLAYS HIS IGNOR.
AECE

ANCE.
The Liberal Republican papers are skin
ming Senator Wilson in regard to his histor
ical knowledge, or rather the want of it.
In his speech at the Grant meeting in New
York, he said ''AIr. Trumbul complained
that we have an army officer that brought
us the Presidents message" and then as
serted that. 'the first message ever sent to
the Senate of the United States was on the
9Th Of August, 1889, and it was borne by
Maj. Gen. Henry Knox," that officer hay
inc ''carried one message from Gen. Wash
ington to the Senate" Mr.. Wilson also as
serted that "when Gen. Jackson came in,
he appointed Major Donelson Secretary"
and that "when Abraham Lincoln came in,
he took John Hay, an army officer, and de-
tailed him for duty in the White House"
he then added with a good deal Of EN-
phasis:
'Mr. Trumbull should know all this; and
when a Senator of the United States leaves
his post at Washington, and goes up and
down the country speaking to the people, he
ought to understand whereof he speaks,
and be acquainted with the facts of history,
and know what he is talking about"
Wilson was very unfortunate in thus TAX
ing his brother Senator to task, for in doing
so he exposed his own ignorance. The
Cincinnati Commercial calls attention to
the fact that there could be no improperly in
Gen. Knox carrying to the Senate a mes
sage from Gen. Washington, as he was
then the Secretary of War, a position he
had held from 1875. before the formation of
the Constitution, and in which he was re-
tanned by Washington upon making up his
Cabinet The Commercial adds: "Wash-
ington's private Secretary during his whole
administration was Tobias Leao, who had
never held military Office. Maj. Donel-
son, Gen. Jackson's private Secretary,
resigned out Of the army Feb. l
1922, more than seven years
before jackson became President. John
Hay, who accompanied Mr.. Lincoln from
Springfield to Washington, in 1861, as one
Of his secretaries, was not, at the time, an
officer Of the army. He was appointed an
Assistant Adiutant General of volunteers,
with the rank Of Major, Jan y, 1864,
and served in the field thereafter until the
close of the war. These are facts that Mr..
Wilson, who is chairman of the Military
Committee in the Senate, ought TO know;
and in assailing Senator Trumbull for his
want Of acquaintance with the "acts of
history" and with knowing nothing Of
'what he is talking about" he only makes
his own ignorance the more palpable and
ridiculous" The New York Tribune says:
"Senator Wilson was unfortunate in his
reference to the legality Of detailing mill
taTy officers as attendants at the White
House. A slight examination into the facts
shows that his citation Of precedent, except
those Of Andrew JOhnsOn's time, are incOT-
rect. But even those which he claims
as pTecedents were in existence be-
fore the passage of a bill which makes
Messrs. Dent, Porter and Babcock the lille
gal holders Of military commissions. That
law expressly provides that any military
officer accepting or exercising the functions
of a civil office, shall at once cease to be an
officer of the army, and his commission
shall be vacated thereby Yet, in the face
of this, Horace Porter remains Major of the
Ordnance Service, 0. E. Babcock is Major
of Engineers, and T. T. Dent, the Presi-
dents brother-in-law, is Lieut.. Colonel Of
the Second Artillery, and all act as ushers
and messengers at the Executive Mansion.
The Presidents obedience to law is as I'M
certain as Senator Wilson's historical accu-
racy."