Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-07-01
OUR CANDIDATES.

| WINFIELD SCoTT HANcoCK, was born
in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania,
February ID, 1894. He graduated at
West Point in 1874, served mainly on
| frontier duty till 1916, and afterward in
the war with Mexico. He was breveted
'as first lieutenant for gallant and merit.
orious conduct in the battles OF Contre.
ras and Churubusco. From lS4S TO
1898 he was again on frontier duty in
various parts, and from 1859 to 1861
was quartermaster of the southern dis.
trict OF California. At the breaking out
OF the civil war he yes recalled TO Wash
ington, and was made brigadier. gen eral
OF volunteers, September %, 1861. Dur.
ing the peninsular campaign he was es.
peclally conspicuous at the battles Of
Williamsburg and Frazer's Farm. lie
took an active part in the subsequent
campaign in Maryland, at the battles of
South Mountain and Antietam. IIav.
ing been made Major General, he com
manded division at Fredericksburg
and Charlottesville. On July |, 1863,
the first day of the battle of Getty sburg,
he was sent by General Meade TO decide
whether Il decisive battle should be
given there, or whether the army should
fall back. Hereported that Gettysburg
was the place TO fight, and took imme
date command until the arrival Of
Meade. In the decisive action OF July
3 he commanded on the left centre
which was the main point assailed by
the Confederates, and was severely
wounded. For his conduct at Gettys.
burg he received May 30, 1860 the
thanks of Congress. Having been dis.
abled by his wound, he was on sick
leave until March, 1864, being mean
while engaged in recruiting the second
army corps, which was placed under his
command. He took the active com.
mand of this corps at the opening of
the campaign OF 1864, and bore promi.
nent part in the battles Of the Wilder.
ness May 3, g., Spottsylvania Court
| House May 800, and North Anna
| May %, - J, the second battle of Cold
/ Harbor (June b, and the operations
around Petersburg until June 10, when,
his wound breaking out, he was for
short time on sick leave. He aiterward
resumed command, and took part in
several actions until November 2G.
when he was called to Washington TO
/ organize the first corps Of veterans.
.
successivcly in command Of the middle
department llSGj-'G), the department
Of Missouri llSGG-'7l, Of Louisiana and
/ Texas tlSG7-'S.)
Louisiana and Texas comprised the
Fifth military district, and after Gen.
| Hancock assumed command his first
official act WAS to inform the people Of
those states that he had come to be
their Governor under the Reconstruc.
| ton Act, and to let them know how he
proposed TO rule over them. He issued
his celebrated General Orders. Number
40" dated the Goth day Of Nosember
! 1867. Probably no more aStonished and
delighted people could be found than
the people of Louisiana and Texas when
the purport of that order came to be
| understood. They expected to have,
what they had had before, military
dictator. They expected to be governed
10y ''orders' instead Of laws, and TO live
under military despotism. instead of
governing themselves 10y their own civil
regulations. General Hancock informed
them that he took command in accord.
snce with the orders he had received
from the Headquarters of the Army, but
that he did not mean TO rule by military
orders at all. lie congratulated the
people Of the Southwest that peace and
quiet reigned among them. To best
preserve that state OF things he propos.
ed to let the civil authorities execute
the civil laws. War he regarded as
only necessary to destroy opposition to
lawful authority, but when peace was
established, and when the civil authori.
ties were ready and willing to perform
their duties the military power should
cease TO lead, and the civil administra.
ton shorld resume its natural and
rightful conditions. He declared him.
self solemnly impressed with the be.
lief that the great principles of Ameri.
can liberty were the lawful inheritance
of the whole people, and should forever
continue TO be. lie declared that the
right of trial by jury, haJeaS corpus.
liberty of the press, freedom Of speech.
the natural rights OF person and of
property should be preserved. lie
| believed that free institutions being
essential to the prosperity and happi.
ness OF the people were themselves the
strongest Inducements TO peace and
order. He declared that the civil au.
thorities and tribunals should have the
consideration of the Jurisdiction over
crimes and ofienses, and should be sup.
ported in the exercise of that iuris.
diction.
On March 9, 1868, General Hancock
supplemented this order by his long.
able and justly celebrated letter TO
Governor Pease, of Texas, from which
the following extracts will now be read
with revived interest ;-"lt is rather
more than limited in your letter that
there is no local State government in
Texas and no local laws outside of the
acts of Congress which ought to re.
spect, and that should undertake to
protect the rights of persons and prop
erty in my own way and in an arbitrary
manner. lf such be your meauine /
am compelled to differ with you. After
the abolition of slaverv fan ava,,t ,.k:zl