The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-10-18

I fore. triumphed not only moro surely in
/ the field. but in he crownng act OF the
free constitution OF l71s.
! Exceptionally to the teachings and
practice then generally obtaining. that
! instrument uithliolds from The executive
| head, the power TO declare war, and vests
/ II in the congress, Il body more iiUmcdi-
ately representing The people and the
states. Ii also clothes congress with
/ power 10 make rules for the government
and regulation OF the land and naval
! forces provide aud maintain a navy
TO provide for organizing. arming and
disciplining the militia. aud calling them
/ forth TO execute the laws of the L MON,
and to provide for suppressing rebellion
AMI repelling invasions: but neither the
congress nor the executive, nor, indeed,
any federal ma.istrscy is permitted to
J use the army or navy, even to protect a
state against domestic violence, except
upon the application of the legislature of
the state. or of its executive when the
legislature cannot he convened.
The spirit of these sanitary provisions
| has found other. vet Kindred expression.
| in the subsequent political action OF the
people Numerous instances of this fact
might be cited. but two or three will
suffice for illustration. Burr. VINO. from
ms experience. tastes aud prepoSsessions,
mignl ue classed as proIrsssViIai soi-
dier. was outstripped in the race for the
presidency by jefferson, a philosophical
aud practical Statesmen SO. Scott. lie
hero OF Luniy's Lane aud the conquerOr
of Mexico. by Pierce. ciNihau and eitl-
zen soldier. More remarkably out of
fifteen eminent men. in all. called 10 The
presidency. ia the course Of nearly
ninety years. only Two Of them were
professional >oldIers--ail Tire rest We're
civilians. Thus. the pr~ie1Ineut OF
civilians hss bes;. the rule the pr,ior-
nent Of probe s-ional soldiers the few eN-
eep,ion.. This Discrimination in such,
the rigor Of lis application. l. without
parallel in the history OF any other elec-
tive governm, nj .snd demonstrates. IN the
most striking manner. the strong and
characteristic bent OF the American mind
10 preserve the military authority in
STRIFE, subordination to the civil, and tie
practical. az well az the iheoreiic sPars-
ton OF each from the other.
The exceptions 70 the rule ,ias e>isb-
lished are Generals Tyler and Grant.
The former has passed away forever,
and il only remains Ia be said OF him rev.
erantly. that he was plain. honest,
brave and patriotic man; OF the latter AZ
an actor, now upon The public stage.
| more needs 10 be said. Prof. sionally.
| he is type OF the official class springing
| from the system OF standing armies in
troduced by feudal rulers 10 quell the
rising spirits and attempts of liberty: in
other words, to maintain the military
hierarchy OF the darker ages. Insight
into this system gives insight into this
class The system is partial and lame in
its operation. 1t disassociates ideas ana |
pursuits. stimulates some Of the mental |
faculties and neglccts or slight, the rest. |
It's natural. il not necessary consequence,
IL one-sidcd and eccentric development
True, it has produced sparkling idiosyn-
cracies and particular cxcclleaclcs in let
tiers, science and art. True, II may be
preferable Tor IL result, IN certain mar
row and isolated respects. in certain sim
pie demonstrations, but in the wider
field Of state. and other complicated and
changing affairs, it is not 50. II is dis
| cipliner. but not a creator.
| From this and other causes, but few
military men, since the sixteenth CEN
! fury, have proved themselves eminently
capable both as commanders and states
men. Cromwell, William OF Orange.
Washington, Bonsparte aud Jackson did
so; but OF these Bonaparte was the only
professional soldier, while all OF them
were naturally great above any single
profession or calling and As exceptions,
honored Themselves more in the breach
than IN the observance OF musty political
and military manuals. On the contrary,
numerous examples occur to illustrate
the rule. of which, we take only TAMIL
lar few. Gustavus AdolphuS and Fred
erick the Great were cOntessedly. able
and distinguished commanders, Yet his
torically failed as civil administrators.
Marlboro, the victor at Blenheim and
Families, was SO grossly ignorant, aside
from arms, as to make himself a butt to
redicule; while Wellington, the con-
queror OF the Peninsula and ut Waterloo.
filled with gloomy foreboding, persist
; emily oppoced every needed OWL reform
Of his day.
The last but not least notable eA.mnle
is in General Grant himself. Grant is iati.
: cent, composed. and discriminate of til,
comparative value OF means and ends.
; He did not assume that he had nothing
to learn aud that all wisdom would per-
ish with him. Hence, he was always ac-
cessl6le to opportune suggestions,
whether coming from officers
orprivates. and intuitlvely utilize them,
without any adectation of reserve, accord.
ing to his estimate OF their worth. What
lie had TO say. was said terselv aud to
the point. What he had to do, he did
unhesitstin2ly and directly. He was a
mSn OF action rather than OF theroies.
He was ready and dangerous foe,
though not strategist or tactician. His
conception Ut war was one OF all.destroy-
ing force. Thickening blows and pro-
longcd. and impossible endurance were
his system. His march in the wilderness
traced q swelling torrent ofblood, Heap
ing carnage were the awful testimonials OF
hie battles won or lost. A citizen, soldiery,
frm and dauntless, and superior In intel
ligence and selfreliance to the MacedO.
man phalanxes at Issus, or the Roman
legions at Pharsilia, crowned him with
pre-eminent success. Without such
| follOwinU ha prnhahlv would have