The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-09-09
THE ARMY AND THE LAW
HOW GENERAL HANCOCK SAVED
PENNSYLVANIA FROM BLOOD
SHED IN 1877.
The People Must Not be Accustomed to See Law
Enforced by the Sword

The following letter, published in the Philadel.
phia Inquirer Republican paper on the 3Oth of
June last, affords past illustration of the wisdom
patience and executive judgment, as well as oi
the true and law, abiding spirit Of General Hau-
cock. 1t shows him acting in the North as he
acted in the South with single eye to the public
peace and the majesty Of the law:
To the Editor Of the Inquirer.
SIR; The comments Of the Inquirer upon the
nomination Of General Hancock have been so
courteous that am sure that space will be given
to a brief paragraph or Two in reference to one
episode In his career which has been quite un.
noticed,
In the summer of 1877 he was in command In
this department and came to Philadelphia to take
direction of the movement OF troops to put down
the rioters. The events OF that time are now pret.
ty much forgotten, and 1t would be difficult to
recall the alarm and anxiety which then pre-.
vailed.
The question was gravely discussed whether
our system Of government could maintain law
and order abroad as we'll as at home. 1t was con.
tended that life and property would never be safe
with standing army Of only 10000 men, and that
after all, we should have to resort to strong
government" The clamor on every side was for
the use OF force, and any measures however mer.
CHESS would have been justified and applauded.
When General Hancock reached the city the road
| to Pittsburgh was not yet opened, and the lines
| through the Schuylkill aud the Lehigh valleys
were closed, and 1t was feared that the rioters
would set fire to every breaker throughout the
anthracite rigions. The force at his command
was very inadequate, but the call for prompt &C.
ton was so pressing that he was urged to move at
once This he declined until he was salts
fed that he could make such demonstra-
uon that there would be no resistance, and
thus quell the disturbance without further blood
shed.
Those who met him at that time will recollect
his constant anxiety on that point, and the en-
phssis with which he insisted upon the necessity
for the utmost caution and prudence IN the use OF
armed soldiers TO put down any popular outbreak,
1t will be remembered that Governor Hartranft
had called upon the President, under the act Of
Congress, for assistance in putting down the "in
surrecion," and 1t was In answer to this call that
the United States troops were sent. The tempo.
rary absence OF Governor Hartranft In tie West
might have excused some assumption Of authori.
| ty, but General Hancock never forgot nor permit.
ted any ore else to forget that he was here in
subordinatiOn to the State authorities TO assist
them in restoring order, and, after Governor
Hartrauft's return, the two cordially cooperated
In the movement which finally resulted in
the re.establshment Of order without firing q
shot
| So far as General Hancock was concerned the
situation was further complicated by the fact that
Judge McKennan Of the United States Circuit
Court had appointed receivers of the Lehigh and
Wilkesbarre Coal Company and for the Lehigh
and Susquehanna Railroad, and held their lease
| by the New Jersey Central Railroad COmpany y,
and in view Of the threats Of the strikers had is.
sued an order OF warning that any interference
| with either property would be punished by fine
| and imprisonment Upon application to Marshal
| Kearns of this district and Marshal Hall Of the
| Pittsburgh district they swore in large number
| of deputies but 1t was not thought prudent to re-
| ly upon them alone for the protection OF the pro-
| pertics and the arrest Of the strikers who were
stopping the railroad trains and the pumps in the
| mines.
Under these circumstances an order was oh.
| tanned from Attorney General DaVens that Gen.
! eral Hancock should render all proper assistance
in enforcement of the process of the United States
Circuit Court In this capacity his troops were to
act as posse cOmttdtuS In connection with the
| United States mRrshals and their deputies, and 1t
may be truthfully said that not only could no one
| have understood and appreciated more fully
every requirement and condition Of the COnstitu.
ton and of the law regulating the use of the mil.
| tary in such cases, but he was most conscious
and conservative In all his directions.
II was not enough that the letter Of the law Jus.
titled action. II it were possible to get along with
out putting the troops In motion he insisted that
| It should be DONE
He pointed out over and over again that ons
great value OF United States troops In Tepressing
such movement was due to the fact that they
constituted as yet an unused force and that II was
| of the utmost importance that those whose bust.
ness it 10 enforce the laws should not get into
the habit Of relying upon the army to do what 1t
as their duty to do themselves, and that the peo
should not be permitted 10 become accustOm.
to seeing soldiers acting in such capacity.
,bove all, he edeprecated chance collision, which
night result In loss of life and arouse spirit OF
revenge, which might lead to q general upris.
, ing oil the part Of the mining population. In a
| letter written at the time by 4e Of the counsel
OF the receivers his instructions were thus quo.
| ted:
General Hancock Is of opinion that the call
for troops as posse should be used sparingly and
only when the civil authorities absolutely need
them, and when called upon citizens should also
be associated as part Of the posse General Han,
COCKS disposition Is to aid In every way that he
can, but very properly he does not wish to i'm.
pair the influence exerled by the presence of the
troops by having them called upon too frequent
W. VI III huy Choeh HuSIt bu6 uGCtbslty uOes uOL
require 1t"
In short, while 1t was understood by every one
that If 1t became necessary, he would do his duty
| at whatever cost none could have shown high.
er sense Of the disadvantages and dangers Of using
the military as a substitute for the civil power or
the restrictions of the Constitution and the laws
upon such use; aud, II may be added, that Il was
the opinion at the time OF those best Informed as
TO the condition of things In the mining districts
that 1t was largely to his wise aud humane for
bearRuCe IN the exercise OF his power that the
people Of Pennsylvania may ascribe their escape
from wreGhed cohfiiCt which would have invol.
we'd the sacrifice Of macy lives and vast amounte
ofproperty.
II has been justly said that General Washington
never rendered greater service to the country
than by his suppression Of the whisky insurrectiOn
without blOOdshed, and there are l think, few
chapters In our history more instructive. But
even Washington did not IL 1894 prove more con
clusively how painful an idea' 1t was ITO exer
else the military power to suppress au insurrec-
tion, or how earnest was his "wish to render 1t
unnecessary By those endeayors which humanity,
love Ofpeace and tranquility and the happiness
OF his fellow citizens dictated " than did Hancock
In 1877. II he shall prove aqually calm ana wise
and cautious and obedient to the law In the ex-
erclse OF civil power, equally the master of him.
self and masterful Of others, he will be well able
to give up bis reputation as a General In ex.
change for that which he will earn as President.