The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-05
TN A SOLDIER, SIR"

When the chivalric and honest-hearte,
Gen. De Trobriand had fulfilled the tasl
allotted to him, by the malignant and base
hearted tyrant at Washington, Of dispensing
the legally elected and sworn Representa-
tives of this State yesterday, a gentlema,
remarked to him: "This is disagreeabl
task for you, General" The gray-hairet
veteran replied: Sim soldier, sir, ant
have to obey orders" It appears to us tina
the time is fast approaching when the officer
Of the United States army may be callet
upon, by every instinct Of honorable man
hood and every principle and obligation 0
free citizenship, to look this question of ODE
dience to orders, involving political action b!
the military force, squarely in the face.
If State-House- Hall of Representa-
tives-can be invaded during the session O
the Legislature by United States troops and
the hall cleared, and members duly elected
and sworn in thrust from their seats at the
point of the bayonet, at the dictation of the
real or pretended Executive Of The State
what may not be done by bayonets?
Would Gen. De Trobriand walk into the
halls of Congress and drive out members al.
ready seated, and with pointed muskets I'M
seat an elected clerk and seat another, at the
dictation of Grant?
Would it be enough in such case, to say:
I'm soldier, sir, and must obey orders?" Is
there any point, where the military arm would
fail to respond to the will of tyrant who
stops at no civil or legal barrier? Do States
as well individuals, hold their tenure simply
by the sufferance of Grant and only where
''orders, sir" are withheld! g
These are grave questions for honest men
and patriots, whether soldiers or civilians,
and it might be better to refuse obedience to
illegal orders, than to destroy the fabric of
free government, under the plea of "obedi-
ence to orders, sir.
The history of the rid furnishes no
greater outrage on the dignity of legislative
assemblies than the action of yesterday. We
sincerely condole with the kind-hearted SOL
der whose name has thus been linked with
he last and greatest infamy of the kellogg
And while we render him every justice,
while we recognize most fully the discipline
md habit which make the soldier more a
machine than an ordinary human being, we
believe that Gen. De Trobriand yesterday
lung away or permitted to pass an opportu-
lity for everlasting and most glorious fame,
uch as is offered to only q very few men in a
century. He might have moved his troops
o the vicinity of the State-House he might
ave, under orders, even marched his troops |
nto the very halls Of the Capitol, but when
10 was ordered to virtually dis
olive the Legislature of q sovereign
tate if he had broken his sword aud refused
be party to SO profound wrong upon
ivil liberty he would have achieved i'm
Mortality, and his name would have stood
ut grandly in history as one who
,orned to be used as an instrument to
ccomplish the greatest crime against
zee government ever committed in this
: any other country. He might have
cen, and no doubt would have been,
ashiered by court-martial, but he would
ave been embalmed forever in the hearts Of
4 admiring and grateful people, and honors
would have been showered upon
i'm. We believe that no man more regretted
le humiliating attitude of the officers and
oops than General De Trobri md himself, {
I'd we have no doubt he realized as fully as {
" one the shameful spectacle presented
hen legislators of Louisiana, fairly elected at 9
% polls, were forcibly elected by his soldiers
was sight to make any man who loved his
untry, and who desires to see the perpetu-
ion of !republicanism, blush and flush by {
rns-a sight that we can almost fancy
,uld have made the founders of the Gov
nment stir in their graves.