Daily Republican., 1880-06-28
..My PeIicy"-Haneoek's New OF.
leans Service.


his policy" Of giving up to the South,
In the process Of Reconstruction, all II
had lost by the war. On August 10, Of
that year, he assigned General w. s.
Hancock TO the'command Of the Depart
ment Of the Missouri, with headquar
tiers at 81. Louis. General Hancock
had been q Democrat from his youth
lup. He was opposed to the reconstruc'
ton laws Of Congress, in their letter
and spirit, and 1t was perfectly natural
that President Johnson should seek q
man Of his sentiment to execute the
laws the operation of which he was
anxious to Illustrate.
When construction was begun in the
South, Gen. Phil. Sheridan was COM
mander Of the Fifth Military District,
which comprised Louisiana and Texas,
two Of the most vicious OF the rebsllious
States. President johnson removed
Gen. Sheridan, Notwithstanding the
earnest protest of Gen. Grant, Aug. rs,
!lS67, and ordered Gen. Hancock to
take command OF the Fifth District.
The order was obeyed and Gen. Han
cock assumed charge Nov. 20, 1867.
He signalized his advent into power by
. general order which at once made him
the idol Of every uursconstructed rebel
In hisdistrict, and was the perfect en-
bodiment Of the "my policy" views OF
Andrew Johnson.
He told the citizens Of Louisiana and
Texas while they were still unrepre.
scented in Congress, that their courts
and Legislatures should be allowed to
govern them in their own way, and
that in no case would the military in
terfere with them unless an actual
breach Of peace occurred. While not
stating it in so many words, his or
der meant, and was understood TO
mean, that the rebellieus States were
on the same footing as they had been
before secession, and tina. the traitors
who were all powerful might continue
to rule them as before the war. In
plain words, this general order meant
that Gen. Hancock intended to enforce
"my policy" instead Of the reconstruc-
ton laws Of Congress.
A change for the worst was manifest
ed at once. The slumbering embers Of
rebellion again broke forth spasmodi-
cally, and Louisiana and Texas once
more became unsafe for loyal men.
Gen. Sheridan had issued an order on
August Oath prohibiting any person
from serving on juries. The order was
manifsstly proper and necessary TO pro-
tect the rights Of loyal citizens Of the
districts in the courts. A previous Or
der by Sheridan had prohibited the
registration Of any person who had
borne arms against the Government,
30 tina! traitors, by the order Of August
Oath, were qualified for acting as jurors.
On December 9Th General Hancock is
sued an order declaring that the "qual-
ifcations of q Juror under the law is q
proper subject for tho decision Of the
courts" and that "the commanding |
General in the discharge Of the tiust
reposed in him will maintain the Just
power Of the Judiciary, and is unwilling
to permit the civil authorities and laws
TO be embarrassed by military inter-
ference.
The order then revokss Gen. Sheri-
dams order to Jurors, aud leaves the
question Of their qualification entirely
in the hands Of the courts. The rebels
were jubilant, and the name Of Han
cock became household word in the
South. But Gen. Hancock did more
than this to gain the gratitude Of trail
tors and endear himself to the Demo-
cratic party. He followed up his jury
order on January IL, 1868, with anoth-
er declaring the order of Gen. Sheri-
dan, which excluded the rebels from
registration as voters, null and void,
and commanding "the registers to be
guided by their own Interpretation Of
the laws, and the fourteenth constitu-
tional amendment" This order placed
the ballot boxes again in the control Of
the disloyal elements Of Louisiana and
Texas, and Hancock stock went ste&di.
ly up with the traitors of the South,
while it went steadily down with the
loyal men of the North.
The term Of his power Of Military
Governor, however, fortunately for the
success of reconstruction, was very
brief. On February S, General Han
cock issued an order removing from
Office William Baker, State Commits
sloner for the City Of New Orleans,
against whom charges of malfeasancs
In office had been preferred, and Arthur
Gsstinsl, Recorder for the Second Dis
trict who had been pronounced ineligi-
bic to the Office by the Supreme Court
Of Louisiana. Two days later the City
Council Of New Orleans passed a reso-
luton providing for the immediate cleo
ton of a Recorder to fill the place of
Mr.. Gastinel, and for doing this Han
covk removed from office the nine mem
bers who voted for the resolution, two
white and seven colored men. General
Grant, to whom the matter was referred
revoked this order OF Hancock, and
reinstated the nine councilmen, whore.
upon General Hancock at once asked to
be- relieved. In this he was gratifed,
and on March %, he was transferred to
the Division of the Atlantic, with head
quarters in New York.
For thus trucking to the rebels of
the south and the state sovereignty
Democrats of the North, Gen. Hancock
was rewarded by having his name
brought forward as candidate fer the ,
in the Democratic Conven- t
ton held in New York July 4'l0, 1868. t
He was supported this time by very |
nearly ths solid South, who judged by
his record in Louisiana that he would
continue the policy Of Johnson, and (
prevent the nation from reapiug the !
fruits Of the war. Tennessee chung to
Johnson until the eighteenth ballot, 9
when, finding that her favorite had no
nh ance aha swuno ouar IN Hancock as