New-York tribune., 1880-07-01
WILL GENERAL HANCOCK RESIGNi


been nominated for President. the question
naturally has arisen whether pending the cleo
tiOn he will resign his commission i'll the Army.
And some of his friends, who have perhaps run
before they were sent, have hastened to say
that there is no need of it whatever; that there
is nothing in his military position at all incOm-
patible with his candidacy, and that the pre-
cedents in the cases of General Scott in 1852
and General Grant in 1868 are in favor of his
retaining his commission while a candidate.
Ii will be time enough for him to resign, II Is
said, when he has been elected TO the higher
position. 1t will not be denied that in ordinary
circumstances the argument would hold gC cd.
There is no apparent improperly in an army
officers retaining his rank and continuing III
the discharge of his comparatively unlmpOrtaDt
duties in time OF peace, at the same time that
he is a candidate for a civil office. This view
of it is grounded in reason as well as sup
ported by the precedents cited. The only
question that would ordinarily arise would be
as to the policy of such a cOurse as a matter of
party tactics; for it does look little like lack
of confidence III the result for man to hold
on TO the Office he is sure of pending his cleo
tion to a higher one. His resignation might
lend confidence to his supporters, while his
holding on would im2art to them the doubt
which it would Indicate to exist in his own
mind. From the Republican point of view
were there no other considerations to be
weighed, he would be justified in retaining his
commission and rank in the Army.
But we submit that General Hancock's case
is made by certain recent revelations to differ
from that of any Of his predecessors. 1t has
been said upon Democratic authOrity-and we
have information that the report is widely be-
heved among those who were influential In
procuring his nOmlnatiOn-that General Han
cock upon the occasion of the last Presidential
election, he being then the senior Maj jOr- Cen
eral in the Army, and commanding military
department, not only expressed repeatedly and
openly his individual dissent from the judgment
of the constitutional authorities as to The cleo
ton of the President, but even went So far as
to set UP his own Judgment against that of the
legal tribunal to which the question had been
referred, and to declare his purpose to obey
tbe orders of the defeated candidate if that
candidate should take the oath of office and
begin revolutionary proceedings. II Is said III
lust so many words that General hancock was
ready and willing to use his Office and the mill
tary force at hls command to put Mr.. Tilden
into the Presidency, if that gentleman had but
sgnifed his willingness to take the initiatOry
step in the revolution. We understand that
General Hancock does not deny that in the
main the report is true, though as circulated it
is inaccurate in triflmg details. Senator
Eaton, of Connecticut, is credited with saying
that he not only believed it to be true but that
he considered it IN the highest degree credit
able to General HancOck's patriotism; and it
was his opinion that if generally known il
would increase his vote by hundreds i'll Con-
npcticut, and by thousands throughout the
country.
Now, the facts in that case are well known
it is not necessary to repeat them. The
simplest statement of them is that there was
disputed election; that it was referred TO an
impartial tribunal by the consent Of both
paItes and that the decision of that tribunal
was adverse to Mr. Tiden. General Hancock's
position may also be very simply stated He
would have refused to abide by the decision,
and had Mr.. Tilden consented to it, would have
inaugurated a rebellion and civil war. This
time he is a candidate himself. 1t is by no
means impossible that the circumstances of
1876 NAV again occur. Indeed, everything
DOntS that way. Inc only nope OF tic DEMO
cratic party is in a disputed election. Upon
one pretext and another they mean to contest
the returns wherever the election is close
enough to give them the opportunity, and to
use all tie advantages they have to secure con
t,oi of the Government. The whole course of
the present Congress- all the acts Of the Demo
cratic party, and al the speeches of
their leaders, have had i'll view
the contingency of close election
and the need OF providing for it beforehand.
He himself being the candidate General Han
cock would not be less likely to dispute an
adverse decision by the constituted and consti-
tutional authorities than when Mr.. Tilden was
the individual most concerned Nor would he
be less ready to use the military force at his
command for his own Inauguration than he
was for Mr.. Tilden's.
The situation differs totally from any preyi
GUS one. The country is now nicely balanced
between two contending parties. Democratic
suppression of the Republican vote in the South
has made the Presidential election close and
doubtful and multiplied the danger Of q dis
puie over the result while Democratic neg
ligence and incapacity have LETT the country