The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-08-19
MisrfHany.
GENERAL HANCOCK'S BEST.
A Letter Written in the Course OF
the Celebrated Correspondence
With Gen. Sherman. s
An Item i'm the History Of the
Presidential InabrOgliO Of
7T.V NJ
ST T,oI,Is Mo.

y 81. ss- rWrF hSsV'ass IA E8EH8
=" Sr. LOUIS, No.,
,saaao-g December 20, 1876.
NY Dear GeneralAYour favor of
the 4th inst, reached me in New
York ofthe 9Th. the day before | left
for the West / intended to reply
to it before leaving, but the cares
incident to departure interfered. u
Then, again, since my arrival
here, I have been so occupied with
personal affairs of business nature
that | have deferred writing from
day to day, until this moment, and
now | find myself in debt to you
another letter in acknowledgement
of your favor of the 18th, received a
few days since. dra.-
have concluded to leave here on
the 29th, tomorrow evening, so
that l may be expected in New
York on the 3lst inst. 1t has been
cold and drearv since my arrival
here. | have worked like Turk.
CT presume that means hard work.
in the country in making fences,
cutting down trees, repairing build
ings. etc, and am at last able to
say that St. louis is the coolest
place in winter and it is the hottest
in Summer, of any that / have en-
countered in a temperate zone.
| have known St. Louis in Decem
Der to have genial weather through
out the month. This December has
been fierce and the river has been
frozen more solid than | have ever
known it. When | heard the ru-
NOR that / was ordered to the Pacif-
ic coast l thought it probably true,
considering the past discussion on
that subject. The possibilities
seemed to me to point that way.
Had it been true, | should OF
course have presented no complaint
nor made resistance of any kind
| would have gone quietly, if not
promptly. certainly would have
been relieved from responsibilities
and anxieties concerning Presiden-
tial matters which may fall to those
near the throne, or IN authority,
within the next four months, as well
as from other incidents or matters
which | could not control, and ac-
tions concerning which | might not
approve.
was not exactly prepared to go
to the Pacific, however, and l there
fore felt relieved when / received
your note informing me that there
was no truth in the rumOrs. Then
/ did not wish to appear to be escap-
ing from responsibilities and posi-
BILE dangers which may cluster
around military commanders in the
East, especially in the critical peri
cd fast approaching.
''All's we'll that ends well" The
whole matter of the Presidency
seems to be simple and to admit OF
peaceful solution. The machine
nv for such contingencies as threat
en- to present themselves has beer
carefully prepared. 1t only requires
fabrication owing to disuse. as.
The army should have nothing tC
do with the election or Inauguration
of Presidents. The people elect 6
President, and Congress declares, in
Joint session. what he Is. We of the
army have only to obey his man
dates, and are protected in so doing
only so far as they may be lawful.
Our commissions express that.
l like Jetferson's way of inaugu-
ration. 1t suits our system. He
rode alone on horseback to the Cap
itol, (I fear it was old Capitol. tied
his horse to rail fence, entered and
was duly sworn.
Then rode to the Executive Man
sion and took possession. He in
| augurated himself simply by taking
the oath of office. There is no 9TH
er legal Inauguration in our system.
The people or politicians may in
stitute a parade in honor of the
event, and public officials may add
to the pageant by assembling troops
and banners, but all that only comes
properly after inauguration, not be
fore, and it is not part of it.
Our system does not provide that
one President should inaugurate
another. There might be danger
in that, and it was studiously left
out of the character,
But you are placed in an excep-
tionally important position in con
nection with coming events. The
capital is in my jurisdiction also,
hut | am subordinate and not on
the spot, and if ! were YOU would
be my superior in authority, for
there is the station of the general
in chief. On the principal that q
regularly elected Presidents term
of office expires with the third OF
March. of which | have not the
slightest doubt. and which the laws
bearing on the subject uniformly
recognize. ...5 I.. ....tl... -
And in consideration of the pos
sibilitv that the lawfully elected
President may not appear until the
fifth of March, a great deal of re-
sponsibilitv may necessarily fall up
on you. You hold over; you have
power prestige to support you. + ia,
The Secretary of War, too, proba.
bly, holds over, but if the, President
appears, he may not be able to ex-
ercise functions inithe name OF the
President. for his proper acts are
those of a known superior--a lawful
President. ~ se t4I
| You act on your own responsible,
| ty and by virtue Of a commission
only restricted by the law. The
Secretary ofWar is the mouthpiece
of the President. You are not.
IT neither candidate has a con-
stitutional majority of the Electo-
raj College, or the Senate and House
on the occasion Of the count do not
| unite in declaring some person le-
+. gally elected by the people. there is
lawful machinery already provided
to meet that contingency and decide
the question peacefully.
1t has not been recently used, no
| occason presenting itself, but oui
forefathers provided it. 1t has been
Exercised and has been recognized
and submitted to as lawful on every
1-hand. That machinery would prob
ably, elect Mr. Tilden President ant
Mr. Wheeler Vice-President. 1eR
| That would be right enough, fol
the law provides that in failure Il
elect duly by the people, the Hous'
shall Immediately elect a Presiden