Morning journal and courier., 1880-07-28
.GENERAL oRDER NO. 4o. ;,

1 General Order No 40," which greatly pleased a portion of the Democratic party at the time it was issued, which commend l ed General Hancock to Democratic favor
 as g presidential candidate in 1868, and 1 which is put forward as his chief claim to the support of his countrymen to-day, is not
 what it has been made to appear by Demo- l cratic politicians and the Democratic press, and before the campaign is over this fact will be much better and more generally under stood than it is now. The important part of the famous document is as follows:
 The general commanding is gratifed to learn that peace and quiet reign in this de- partment and it will be his purpose to pre- serve this condition of things. As means to this great end, he regards the maintenance of the civil authorities in the faithful execu- tion of the laws the most efficient under existing circumstances In war 1t is indis- pensable to repel by force and overthrow and destroy opposition to lawful authority; but when insurrectionary force has been over thrown, peace established and the civil au- thorities ready and willing to perform their duties, the military power should cease to lead, and the civil administration resume it's natural and rightful dominion.
 The Democratic idea concerning this order seems to be that 1t contains all there is of statesmanship, that General Hancock invented the doctrine that when peace has been re- stored the military should be subordinated to the civil authority and that his invention and utterance of it at that time averted unuttera- ble woes. The facts are very different. The order does not prove that General Hancock is statesman The principle contained in it was not original with him. It is not even the especial property of the Democratic party, nor is that party any more sound on this point than the Republican party. More over, subsequent events proved that General Hancock made a very understandable move in issuing the order at the wrong time, that stored as to make the Isubordination of the military to the civil power wise.
 It is so long since this order was issued that the events which preceded and followed it's appearance and which show it's unwis- dom, are forgotten by almost everybody. They only need to be recalled to make it evi- dent that no war Democrat, at least, can fairly feel much pride in 'General Order No. 4O." The reports of General Sheridan,
 
 district, show q very bad state of affairs Unrepentant rebels were in a majority in all the communities, and the local tribunals and municipal offices were all in their hands, The laws passed under Confederate rule for the oppression of Unionists were executed and enforced by these tribunals while the malignant hate of defeated rebels toward the freedmen and Southern Unionists found it's readiest means of exercise through the in- strumentality of miscalled courts of justice. General Sheridan acted vigorously and had well-nigh trodden out the spirit of rebellion which still existed when President Johnson interfered and appointed General Hancock to the command of the Fifth district. When General Hancock came upon the stage every thing already accomplished in the direction of justification and reconstruction was un- done. His ''General Order No. 40' was openly interpreted to signify an intention on the part of the administration to countenance the restoration of old rebel functionaries to their full power and the deliverance of freed men and Unionists into their hands, And the horrible record of atrocities committed by the murderous and lawdetesting seces- sionists, whom General Hancock encouraged by his order, is ample evidence that he and President Johnson misused their power. In stead of subordinating the military to the civil power they helped to subordinate loyal men to rampant rebels.
 It is stated that l" General Order No. 40," with some account of the circumstances of it's issue, and the story of few of the terri ble massacres which occurred as the direct result of General Hancock's work as a civil ruler, is to be published as Republican campaign document It will make an effect :,