, 1880-08-09

intelligent direction of civil affairs. 1t
is little remarkable that the same OBJ
lection was never brought against Gen.
Taylor or Gen. Grant, from the same
quarter; but that is one OF the peculiar
tiles of party judgment. Gen. Hancock
has on repeated occasions exhibited =
knowledge OF constitutional law which
would have been creditabe to any jurist
/ in the land, and devotion to republican
principles and civil rights which, among
military commanders, has but u single
parallel in history, and that immortal
lied the name OF Washington. Every
written document emenatlng from Han
cock has shown knowlege of the sub
| .ject treated, vigor of thought and cons
mand of language which display the
| highest qualities Of craftsmanship. His
military eIder on taking command of the
Department OF Louisiana and Texas; his
letter to Gov. Pcase and his letter ac-
ceptng the domination for President
viii rank as models Of oftomposition with
| the state papers OF cur most eminent
| statesmen.
| We have now another letter from Gen,
Hancock, not written for publication.
which has been called out, at his own re-
quest. to meet the charge that has been
banded about, that pending the decision
of the Presidency, after the election, he
proposed to sustain Tilden, if he took
the oath of office, notwithstanding the
determination of the count by the Sen
ate. That charge was based upon this
letter to Gen. Sherman, which is now for
the first time published. at the request of
Gen. Hancock. The letter is too long
for publication in our paper; bat the
following extracts are those Immediately
bearing upon the question a. issue, the
whole beng only protest against the
employment of the army for party pur-
poses:
The whole matter OF the Presidency
seems to me to oe simple and to admit
of peaceful solution. The machinery
for such Il contingency as threatens to
present itself has all been carefully pre-
pared. 1t only requires fabrication ow
ing to disuse The army should have
nothing to do with the Inauguration or
! election of Presidents The people elect
the President, Congress declare, in jent
session, who he is We of the army have
only to Obey his mandates, AMI are pro-
tected in so doing so far as they may be
lawful, our commissions express that.
like Jefferson's way of Inauguration; it
suits ou- system. He rode alone on
horseback to the capitol, Il fear it WAS
the old capitol) tied his horse to rail
fence, entered and was sworn in. Then
he rode to .he Executive mansion and
took possession. lie inaugura,ed him,
| self by simply taking the oath of office.
There is no other legal Inauguration in
our system. The people or politicians
may institute paradcs in honor of the
event, and public officials may add to the
pageant by assembling troops aud bans
ncrs, but all that only GENES properly af
ter Inauguration. not before, and it is no
part OF it. Our system 1oes not provide
that one President should inaugurate
another. There might ue danger in that
and it was studlsusly lett out of the
charters. But you are placed in an ex>
ceptionally important position in connec>
| tion with coming events. The capital is
in my jurisdiction also, but am suh-
ordinate and not on the spot, and il |
were Sc also would he my Superior IN aus
thority, for th re is the station of the
General>in>Chiet. On the principle that
4 regularly elected Presidents term of
office expires with the Sd of March, (of
which | have not the slie htest doubt,)
and which the laws bearing on the SUBJ
Ject uniformly recognize, and in conoid--
Grafton OF the possibility that the lawful
" elected President may not appear un
til the 9TH of March. a great deal of re
sponsibillty may necessarily fall on you.
You hold over, and will have the power
and prestige to support you. The Secre-
tary of War, too, probably holds over,
but If the President appears he may not
be able to exercise the functions in the
name of the President, for his proper acts
are those OF known sup rior--a lawful
President. You act on your own respon-
sibility and by virtue of commits
sion only restrcted by law. The Secre-
tary OF War is the mouth-piece of Pres
ident. you are not. If neither candidate
has constitutional majority of the cleo
toral college, or the Senate and House on
the occasion of the count do not unite in
declaring some person legally elected by
the people, there is lawful machinery
already provided to meet that contin-
gency and decide the question peacefully.
1t has not been recently used, no occasion
presenting itself, but our forefathers wise>
ly provided 1t. 1t has been exercised
| and has been exercised and submitted to