The Portland daily press., 1880-10-06
Inside History of the Famous
Document.
SOME PREGNANT STATEMENTS BY
GEN. GRANT.
He Reveals the True Inwardness of Gen.
Hancock's Political lCourse.


Speaking of Hancock the ex-President said:
Down to 1864 he seemed like man ambitious
to do his duty as an officer. But in 1864, when
Mcclellan was nominated, Hancock received
one vote, and that greatly excited and chang
ed him. He was SO delighted that he smiled
all over. 1t crazed him. Before that we got
on well. After that he would hardly speak to
me. l was working to enforce the laws of
Congress and he was working for the Pres-
dency. Perhaps he thought did not praise
him enough. But; anyway, he hardly spoke
to me. 1t was only by my nomination that he
was made Briadier General of the regular
army. When was made General, Stanton
told me it was compliment to me, and that
could name the men to fill the vacancies in the
Lieutenant Generalship and Major General
ship caused by my promotion. I nominated
HIM for the vacant Major Generalship in the
regular army. He acknowledged it manfully.
He was very fair corps commander, but was
never thought OF for any great places When
the army OF the Potomac was hunting for a
commander it took almost everybody, even
came over into the West for officers, but no.
body ever even suggested Hancock for the
place. After he received that vote in 1864 he
had the bee in his bonnet and shaped every
thing, watched and planned and waited till at
last he has received the Democratic nomina-
ton.
General, do you think he is lin sympathy
with the South?
He is crazy to be President. He is ambi-
tious, vain and weak. They will easily control
him..
THE ORDER NO. 40.
DO you think, General, that his celebrated
Order No. 40 represents the direction of his
sympathies?'
L will give you the true history of Order No
4O. Congress was striving to prevent Andrew
johnson from undoing the reconstruction laws.
whenever Congress passed law johnson
bent his energies to defeat its enforcement,
and would find pretexts to dodge round it.
Then Congress would pass another to hedge
him up there. So it went on till Congress
had taken from him all control of all Generals
commanding the seven districts of the South,
except the power to remove them and appoint
others in their places. These commanders
could remove any civil officer of any grade,
Judge or Governor. When was made Gen
eral and they were determining my powers
and duties, they gave the General, by accident
l think, or without seeing all it involved, CO.
and as was senior, it gave me uthority.
sHERIDAN's DoINGs IN LOUISIANA.
Gen. Sheridan was sent to the Department
of Louisiana, covering Louisiana and Texas
He is very shrewd and very able. He kept
his eyes open, learning rapidly the men who
were not worthy to occupy their places, and
discovering competent and worthy men to put
in their places. The. Legislature of Louisiana
passed a law authorizing the issue of seven
million dollars of levee bonds, ostensibly for
the levee. They conditioned their sale on
their bringing to the State not less thon so per
cent of their face. The Governor and three
Commissioners were to place the bonds on the
were not bringing more than 40 per cent. To
avoid the law they invented the plan Of Dor.
rowing money and using the bonds as collateral,
They could borrow about "a or 35 per cent of
the face of the bonds. just at this juncture,
to prevent Shese men from defrauding the
fof frOtr off I'm dc Of Al
Governor and Commissioners SO quick that
they did not know what allied them, and ap-
pointed good men in their places.
A STRUGGLE FOR REINSTATEMENT.
For some reason the removed men were very
anxious to be re-appointed. They employed
Reverdy johnson and another lawyer to work
for them, agreeing to pay them $250,000 if
they were reinstated. This is great deal of
money for four men to pay for positions unless
there is some special gain in the case. Rever-
dy johnson came to me. but I was SO stupid
and stubborn that could not be induced 10
reappoint them. He went to Andrew john
son and made his case, and Andrew johnson
even it it is only for one day; l will promise
that they will resign" I thought johnson
might not know of the motive why they were
so anxious to be reinstated, and thinking
would do him great service in keeping him
from a great blunder, l told him that one hour
folded their intent, but johnson insisted on
their being reinstated. refused and excused
myself johnson then removed Gen. Sheri-
dan and appointed Gen. Hancock. He called
Hancock to Washington to instruct him in de-
feating the laws OF Congress concerning recon-
struction.
'NIGGER DOMINATION
AS soon as learned that Hancock was in
town called at his hotel instead of sending
for him. l wanted to see him privately in his
own room. found him in his room, perhaps
before he had had his breakfast. said "Gen-
eral, you and are soldiers-army officers; we
have life position; we serve under successive
administrations without regard to parry 1t is
our duty to enforce the laws of Congress. We
are not responsible for the wisdom of the laws,
Congress bears the responsibility. We simply
enforce them" He said, "Well I am opposed
is not question of niger domination. -Four
millions of ex-slaves, without education or
property, can hardly dominate thirty million
of whites, with all the education and proper
ty. 1t is question of doing our sworn duty"
He said: We'll, I'm opposed to niger domi-
nation" saw that my only chance to intiu-
ence him was by the remnant of authority left
In my hands. He was determined to please
the Democratic party and the South.
A PLANT TOOL OF ANDY JOHNSON.
He went South and removed the Governor
and commissioners that Gen. Sheridon had ap-
pointed. instantly telegraphed him not to
appoint to office any men who had been re-
moved, and to give me his reasons by mail for
removing the men. He telegraphed in long
reply, costing the Government $780, his rea-
sons. l telegraphed him that the reasons were
not sufficient; to send by mail other reasons
He again telegraphed about the same points,
only not quite SO long, costing only $15O He
telegraphed that if he could not have freedom
to act his usefulness would be destroyed, and
thot he would have to ask to be relieved. 1
telegraphed him to revoke his order He
asked johnson to relieve him, as no one else
could.
That is the inner history and spirit of his
celebrated order No. 40. This order resulted
in the loss of many lives. know Of cases
and can give them. His statement that civil
authorities are supreme is a truth admitted by
all in time of established peace, but I can
demonstrate that he did not subject the mill
tary power to the civil, but that he used his
military power to overthrow the civil
THE CHICAGO CONVENTION.
In speaking of the Chicago Convention Gen.
Grant said:-"There are three reasons why
would have accepted the nomination.:
First-On account of the character of the
men who urged it. 1 esteem their respect and
confidence more than the nomination.
Second-I believe could have broken up
the solid South. Many lifelong Democrats in
the South had given the strongest assurances
VI bl0I Co1uidl ouPpOiU, uOliOfAuS COulu
deliver them from the evils of solid South
Third-There is another partial reason. I
believe that 1 could have induced, from my
knowledge of our consulates, the enactment of
certain laws touching our.commerce that would
have given us control of much desirable COM
merce-for instance, in Mexico-instead of
dealing with people who use only slave labor,
and receive little or nothing but sterling in ex-
change
Dr. Fowler, who held the above converse:
tion with the ex-President, was until recently
editor of the Advocate, a leading Methodist
paper published in New York. He is now
Missionary Secretary of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church.
SPORTING.