The daily gazette., 1876-07-07
E'afas Consequences Of the Peace
Policy.

EUfol Consequences Of the Peace
Policy.
The idlers and pleasure seekers ct this
Administration about Washington have
proved inefficient triflers in every de-
partment Of the government. And the
last terrible consequence Of this is the
defeat of the brave and generous Custer
and the massacre of himself and all his
officers and men by the merciless savages.
with whom what was termed the peace
Policy" has finally had this termina-
Lion. It is sad ending of a very
wretched system of robbery and plum
der, to which may now be added MUIR
der--for in no other light ought it to be
regarded. And thus with drunken
inbecile in the Presidential chair; a
miserable money-seeking trickster in the
War Office, hosts of Generals and swarms
OF army officers idling their time about
the country. and thousands of soldiers
in the South to keep up the negro ma.
Jorities and enable carpet -baggers to steal
the substance of the people, few brave
men are sent to fight and be massacred
by the savage Indians who ought to have
cen long since taught lesson which
they would never have forgotten.
The death of General Candy and the
Peace Commissioners, is now followed UP
by the massacre of whole companies Of
men with their commanders. Had the
assassination of General Candy and
those who fell by his side been avenged
as they should have been by the destruc-
tion of the whole of the tribes that as
sisted in that horrid work of death, we
should probably have been saved the
record of this terrible butchery, To
the shame and disgrace of the Washing.
ton officials.
The New York Herald of to-day, refers
to the terrible calamity all too mildly a.
follows
We had reason to expect something
better under President who is a great
soldier and has himself had experience
IN the Indian country, and whose mos,
Important subordinate in connection
with Indian affairs is the illustriou,
Sheridan, an old and successful fighter
against the savaRes, charged with q gen
eral superintendence and direction Of
military affairs in the present theatre ol
hestihties. We cannot believe thai
General Sheridan is directly responsible,
for these shocking fiasess in his military
department. He is subordinate officer
and il he has committed any fault or il
ohargeable with any neglect it is in to,
implicit Difference to the wishes o.
orders of President Grant, the Com
mander-in-Chief of the Army. But i
is unfortunate and deplorable that will
an officer of General Sheridan's consum
mate ability and special experience II
command of that department the coun
try has not had the advantage of hi
skill and efficiency. "Some one ha
blundered," and there are strong ground
for ascribing the mismanagement t
President Grant himself. In a fit q
pIque or spite he degraded General Gus
ter, and we behold the result in th
bloody massacre near the Little Hor
which sends thrill OF horror throug
the country.
The brave Custer, the best India
tighter in the army next to Sheridan
may have been rash in the desperate er
counter in which he and his three hsu
dred comrades dared death and scalpin
and met their fate, but we must tres
his memory with indulgence. Not til
famous six hundred in the charge of ih
hlght Brigade at Balaklava, when
Boldly they rode, and well,
Into the jaws Of death,
Into the mouth OF hell,
performed more signal act of uncalc,
iatlng heroism than the dashing Custt
and his Seventh Regiment OF cavalr,
Ihe country will give him ita admiratio,
its tears, its regrets it will pardon b
error, if he committed one. and inscrit
his name in bright letters on the roll ,
fame. For the planning of this mi
managed, ill-starred campaign he ws
not responsible. Itwas at first intende
thab ne should command il and in tn,
Oase the details would have hsen CON
mitted to discretion and e1nar;onc =
But in an evil hour the President actin
on an unworthy impulse, displaced an
degraded the brave Custer, putting hi,
IN 30 subordinate a position that N
oompaign lost the benefit of his counse
and direction. The result was a blu
dering and disjointed plan of operation
The N. Y, World says:
UBut the hatred of the President a,
the malice of partisan press agair
CusrEh are only secondary incidents
this great public calamity. The errc
in the method of carrying on the CO
test with the Sioux are serious enoup
but the great evil of the time is the {
lstence OF the war, and the confusion
affairs along our frontier. For ii
slate OF things the folly and knavery
tne Administration must be held ;
countable.