The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-05-18
The Press upon the Outrage on
Custer.

Custer.
! An article from the Chicago Times will
be found on the first page of this number
OF the journal, relating to The strange ac-
| ton OF the President toward General Gus
ter On the same subject The Boston
Transcript, a Republican paper says
The Presidents degradation Of General Gus
ter on account of his volunteer raid upon Bel
knapery is, we are ashamed TO confess, only Il
characteristic act of the chief magistrate OF the
republic, and corroboratory OF the view that the
Presidents theory Of our Government is that
ii is of the Old Oriental, scn-ha1bdrou> variety.
himself as irresponsible despot. being at its
head with an absolute power 10 decapltate any
body offending hi, highnes7 or his fNorites and
grand YiZier3. To take.away from General Gus
ter his command and his t,icYct rank against
! The protest of the general of the army, and to
| the great in jury OF the pubic merest.-because
this gallant and able officer attacked the admin
| istration in testiling against Belknap, is only
Of piece with the discharge Of Henderson as
counsel IN the whiskcy prosecutions at St.
Louis f0i ''attackng the administration III his
sharp pursuit OF Buhcocl. 1t is Very bad for
the President that attacks upon thieverv so Of
ten involve personal atifonts to himself Gen
Grant has never learned anything yet, it seems,
even after his ten years experience, of public
,'perSpectiyt' rs applied to his conduct. lie had
never succeeded in raising himself personally
above the level of his Galena aud st. Louis as
>ociations and principles and will not more full
ly Justify 10 history Senator summers elaborate
philippie in the Senate against lis personal
prero4atiNe" principle in governing than the
Senator's earlier private judgment that Grant
vas 1.-The lowest man that ever sat in the presi-
Dental chair
The President may be man Of good inten-
lions. but he has fearful reapses. He is again
cutting loose from those influences which COM
PEELED the nomination Of Richard II. Dana, Jr.
minister to England When Belknap was
first exposed, President Grant could not do too
ni,lch~to remove the odium Justly falling upon
his administration because of the misdeetlS of
hi. War Secretary. Now a change has come
over the spirit of the Presidents dreams. He
does not feel the pressure of public opinion. as
directly after that exposure. Belknap is likely
IL escape Impeachment by the Senate from lack
Of jurisdiction. He will hardly be convicted by
any jury in Washington. Perhaps his entire
''vindcation' is now the cue. as Babcock still
retains IN important federal office, and it looks
as though he and Boss Shepherd had resumed
their old influence over the executive. Ii this
be so, the indignation of General Grant at
General Custer is fully explained. His testmo-
ny respecting post-tradedship would prove Il
stumbling block To even a packed Jury in Bel
knap's behalf, and render his eX0neration i'm
possible. President Grant, by retaining in office
General Iabcock after his Indictment for criini-
nal knowledge Of participation in safe bur
glary, and Furnishing General Custer for telling
the truth concerning the maifeasance in Office of
Gen. Belknap, exhibits in his acts the malign
influence of the corrupt 'bact-stars" cabinet
whose advice heretofore has proved nearly
fatal to the Presidents official reputation.
The Hartford Times referring to the
outrage SAYS -
Grant has degraded Genera! Custer, one Of
the most efficient OF the army officers, for the
reason that be testified before Il committee of
Congress in regard to the Belhnap and other
corrlptions. Grant called it ''circuating slam
dcre.' and though he is the ables general for
frontier service i'll the army. Grant degrades
him to the rank of LicutenHnt-C Colonel. General
Custer wrote the following letter, i'll which he
tried to get excused from coming to Washing
ton to testify But the committee would not
excuse him, and he was obliged TO appear at
the seat of government and testify. lie told the
truth, and is punished for it.
GENERAL CCsTER's LETTER.
FonT LINCOLN, Dakota, March IL, 1876.
Hon. Hester Clymcr:
While hold myself in readiness 10 obey the
summons of your committee, telegraph TO
state that am engaged upon an important en-
petition intended to operate against The hostile
Indians, and | expect to take tile field early in
April. Nv presence here is deemed very neces-
! sary. In view of this would it not be satiSacto-
ry for YOU to forward to me such questions as
plies by mali O. A. CUSTER.
The New y Ork Herald remarks:-
The outrage on General Custer continues to
excite the attention OF newspapers everywhere
| At least three-fourths of them bitterly denounce
the President for his cruel and autocratic action
against the gallant Indian fighter Even the
papers friendly 10 the President speak OF the
affair as one which need not have occurred.
and are sorry that he should have been iniudi-
cious at a moment when his party depended
upon him for wisdom. Something was due to
public opinion, which is ust now very sensi-
tive to any needless exposure of private spleen
| in its servants. There are a few papers which
defend the President on technical grounds, but
the people will not easily be convinced that in
| Furnishing General Custer the President did not
| really commit an outrage on themselves Pres
| ident Grant IS not at this day in position to
| put himself in contrast with any faithful militia
ry or civil officer before popular opinion. The
| odds are against him, and he will suffer with
| little effort on hi, own part. That he a teu an
| grily and unWiSely seems to be his own late
| opinion; for, As will be seen from our ST. Paul
| despatch, he will permit General Custer to ac-
company the expeditions not as its commander
| but as a suborlinate-that is, General Custer
goes in disgrace, being permitted to fight, but
| to fight only under punishment This last bit
| of news shows weakness and apology on the
part Of the President, but it does not wipe out
| the stain with which he has covered himself.
We might fill the Journal with articles
on this subject from our exchanges, 50
great is the Indignation against the Presi-
dent both among the Republican and Dem
ocratic journals of the better class