Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-04-02

for men educated at the expense of q
people who are free to show themselves
absolutely Indifferent to liberty. The
army gets much praise from con-
tractors and gold gamblers newspa.
pers and from the pencils of pictorial
blackguards like Mast and others, but
it is not getting very much praise just
now from the people who elect the
majority OF the Congress of the United
States, and why it is not is a fact the
officers should carefully consider.
The reason Tor the public suspicion
of the army is that its officers let il be
made the servile and decisive CO.
efficient In the policy of stranglng
free elections and of installing in Office
those who were fraudulently declared
chosen to il. That in fourteen years
after victorious war, the army should
have become national suspect is la
mentable but not surprising, when the
facts are borne in mind. The men
who put down the rebellion have be.
come private citizens nineteen-twen.
tieths of their commanders have done
the same. They would all like to bt
able to respect and look up to those
who now form the army, not one one
hundreth OF whose personnel had any
thing to do with the rebellion. They
have not been able so to respect and
look up to them, on account of the
misrepresentation conduct of leading
army men under important circum
stances. When de Trobriand seized th,
lawful Legislature Of Louisiana BY
force "a crime he was not even ordered
to do), he made every believer in the
superiority of the civil to the military
power realize that the army had fur
nished an instance in which it was tbs
enemy Of freedom and law in thii
country. When General Ruger &C
cepted a mission of brutality and shame
in South Carolina, and made himsel
and bis force the messengers and bulliei
for banded thieves there, he gravcly in
jared the status Of the army among
the people. When General Ord SEN
guards to cover the carcasses of th,
knaves in the Florida and Louisian,
returning boards, he made the crimes
of those boards possible and himself I
participant in them. When the army
was massed or Washington in 1857
to over-awe tho representatives Of thu
people, another cause was supplied
which lowered the esteem in which 1
was held or could possibly be held.
1t does not meet these cases to say
that the officers must obey orders
whatever they are. The officers can
at any time, resign rather than obey
infamous orders. The officers are cit
izens. They know the laws. They
know their rights under the laws
They know they have as much righ'
TO resign as to obey Infamous orders
and that in resigning they can let thcil
fellow-countrymen know the reasonl
why they have resigned. There is nj
officer named who would not hav,
thrown up his commission in disgust
had he been required to mess with
such persons as Chamberlain, McLin
Kellogg, Wells, Packard and the rest
but when they were ordered TO pro
tect and progress them in their perjury
and forgery, they did 80, and showed
avidity instead of disgust in doing it
The act of one representative Officer
saying to the Government a sent
you my resignation, rather than be
made help on the crimes against liber
ty and honesty, you direct me to aid,
would have rehabilitated the army il
the regard of the people. No sucl
act was done. Nosuch word was spok
en-. The army was made the partne
of crime and outrage and the peopl,
heard not word Of remonstranc,
from its officers.
That is the reason why the Congress
Of the people mean TO starve the fraud
ulent administration into such posi-
tion as will prevent such misuse Of th
army again or to starve the fraudulen
administration to death. That is th
reason why the Congress OF the peopl
mean to make laws so that the arm,
shall no more chance 10 interfere witt
the elections Of this country than wit
the tides Of the sea. That is the rcasol
why the Congress Of the people meal
TO end for all the officers for all th
future any such occupations as th
0rds and Rugers resorted TO in Colum
bia, New Orleans and Tallahassee /
1s76-77. And this result will be az
complished no matter what II involve
in time and consequences. The mex
Presidential election will be made on
in which the army will not be th
right wing of party nor the intlm
dator of citizens nor the protector {
perjurcd thieves. The Presidency wi
not be stolen next time, nor will th
use Of tho army be predicable as q
asset to help those who may want
steal It. The amount Of injury Ii
passive yielding to Infamous orders {
the alert avidity to carry thom out, 0
the part ofleading officers, has done u
army, cannot be accurately calculatc'
But the fact should be considered, an
II is fact that needed 10 bc as plainl
stated as Il has boon. Tho people wis