The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-01-09
sHERIDANs RIDICULOUS cAvoRTING.

Whatever military reputation yer. fnll
Sheridan may have gained in Virginia, fight
ing battles forty miles away he has never
been entrusted with any special responsibility
since then but he has commenced by conspici
ously laundering, OVERRIDING the thing, OF
making an ass of himself He forfeited all
claim TO selfrespect and blackened the Ameri
can name by his ruthless murder, a few years
ago, of band Of helpless Piegan Indians. Hi
cavortings as military chieftain after the great
Chicago fire ia 1871, happily being overruIed
by men of better sense, only resulted in max
ing him general laughing stock; and nov
being placed by Gen. Grant at the head o!
military affairs in New Orleans, he signal.
yes his assumption Of power by another act
of conspicuous folly. He arrived at New
Orleans on Sunday, anG on Monday assumed
command Of the Department Of the South
issuing proclamation giving notice of tina;
fact ard sending an open despatch TO the
Secretary of War, which was at once pub
lished in the New Orleans papers. in which
he advises the Government at Washington
that sacn q state ofterrorism reigns all over
the south that something must Immediately
be done to protect the lives of the people
Defiance to law he continues, "and the
murder of individuals, seems to be looked
upon by the community here from stand
point which gives impunity to all who choose
to indulge in either, and the civil government
appears rowerless to punish, or even arrest"
Gen. Phil, therefore, proceeds to advise
that congress Immediately pass law author.
izing the arrest and trial, by military com.
mission, Of the ringleaders of the white
leagues. This he thinks should be done by
congress declaring them banditti, or outlaws,
or, to save congress the trouble, he suggests
that the same thing might bY done by pre-
clamation Of the President!
Before man in this codnuy can be de.
clarcd a bandit or outlaw he must have been
convicted of a capital crime, like murder,
treason and the like Did it occur to swag.
gering Phil that none OF the white ieaguers
had thus far been either indicted" as the
constitution requires, or tried by lawful
jury ofhis peers" &c; and that in any case
congress has no power to pass laws to pun
ish oiienses committed against the laws of Il
state? Phil has so palpably made an ass of
himself in this business that even the staid
ard solemn Joe Midell is forced to rldculc
him, and in the speeches in congress on Tues
day and Wednesday not one of the admins
traiioh speakers ventnred any apology for
him beyond the miserable one that he had
maize a bunder.
But ii is something more serious than r.
diculous blunder. His representation of the
coalition OF the south is grossly false and his
recommendation to brand the white men as
bandlttl is a bllghting Insult. And the in
suit may have still more serious conscGuen-
ces III the resentiments it may provoke. Iii
perhaps among the smallest of these that
Phil, wherever he appears in public IN New
Orleans, Is denounced to his face as a liar
and po!troon, threats to slap his face and
kick HIM are made, and even threats of assas.
sinaton are not wanting. OfcOurse no rIpbt
minded person can wish Phil any bodily
HARM but he ought To receive such lesson
in the present case rs will make him more
cautious hereafter, in his bobadilian cayor-
tingS about carelessly insulting whole com.
munities OF better people than himself