Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-10-06
POLITICS.
Grant Recites the Inner History
Of Order No. 40.
THE CONNECTICUT ELECTIONS.
Foreign Manufacturers and the Result
of the Campaign.
FURTHER NOMINATIONS FOR CONGRESS.
Tnoroughness of the Democratic organi-
cation in New York.
POLITICS.
THE CONNECTICUT ELECTIONS.
PURIFIER NOMINATIONS FOR CONGRESS.
IsazciAl BY rEnzaRArH 20 THE RnooRD-uslos.l

EzaxciAL BY rEhzeRAPH 20 THE RkooRD-us,eS.I
NEw YORK, October 9TH. = The Times
prints the following special from Cincinnati :
TINS Gazette will print tomorrow a report of
an interview between Rev. c. H. Fowler,
D.. D., and General Grant, which gives some
startling points in connection with the inside
history of Hancock's Order No. 40. General
Grant talked freely to DR.. Fowler, and after
the interview, gave him written consent to
its publication under certain restriction as to
time. The conversation took place in General
Grants library, at Galena, on the Dist of
September. Speaking of Hancock the ex-
President said: Down to 1861 he seemed
like man ambitious TO do his duty as an of
hcer, but in 1864, when Mcclellan was nomi-
mated, Hancock received one vote, and that
greatly excited and changed HIM. He was so
delighted that he smiled all over. 1t crazed
him. Before that we got on we'll After that
he would hardly speak to me. was working
to enforce the laws of Congress, and he was
WORKING FOR THE PRESIDENCY.
Perhaps he thought that I did not praise him
enough, but any way he hardly spoke to me.
1t was on my nomination that he was made
Major General in the regular army. When
l was made General, Stanton told me that it
was compliment to me, that | could name
men to Fill the vacancies in the Lieutenant
Generalship and the Major -Generalship
caused by my promotion. | 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 place. When
the Army of the Potomac was hunting for a
commander, it took almost everybody; it
even came over into the West for officers, but
nobody even suggested Hancock for the place.
After he received that vote in 1864 he had
the bee in his bonnet. and shaped everything
to get Democratic and Southern favor. He
has watched and planned and waited till at
last he has received the Democratic nomina
ton.
General, do you think he is in sympathy
with the South?
HANCoCK's CHARACTER.
He is crazy to be President. He is am.
bilious, vain and weak. They will easily
control him.
Do you think, General, that his celebrated
Order No. 40 represents the direction Of his
sympathiesy
Well, l will give you the true inner history
of Order No. 40, Congress was striving to
prevent Andrew johnson from undoing the
reconstruction laws. Whenever Congress
passed law johnson bent his energies to de-
feat its enforcement, and would find pretexts
to dodge around. Then Congress would
pass another law to hedge him up there. So
it went on till Congress mad taken from him
ali control of the Generals commanding the
seven districts of the South, except the
power to remove them and appoint others in
their places. These commanders could re-
move any civil officer of any grade, Judge or
Governor. When l was made General and
they were determining my powers and duties.
they gave the General, by accident, /
think, or without seeing what it involved,
coordinate power with these District Com
manders. Sheridan was sent to the Depart
ment of Louisiana, covering Louisiana and
Texas. He was 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 law authorizing the issue
of $1,000, 600 levee bonds, ostensibly for
levee. They conditioned their sale on their
bringing to the State not less than so per
cent. of their face. The Governor and the
Commissioners were to place the bonds on
the market, but they soon found out that the
bonds would not bring more than 40 per cent.
To avoid the law, they invented plan of
borrowing money and using the bonds as col
lateral They could borrow about "a or 81
per cent of the face of the bonds. just at
this juncture, to prevent these men from de-
frauding the State,
GENERAL SHERIDAN TOOK OFF THE HEADS OF
THE GOVERNOR AND THE COMMISSIONERS
So quick that they did not know what allied
them, and appointed good men in their
places. For some reason the removed men
were very anxious to be reappointed. They
employed Reverdy johnson and another
lawyer to work for them, agreeing to pay
them $3.50, goo if they were reinstated. This
is great deal of money for four men to pay
gain in the case. Reverdy johnson came to
me, but I was so stupid and stubborn that l
could not be induced to reappoint them. He
went to Andrew johnson and made his case,
and Andrew johnson sent for me, and asked
me to reinstate those men. L refused to do
SO. He said; ,Reinstate them, even if it is
only for one day. / will promise that they
will resign" l 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, told him that one hour would
do those men as well as one day, and IN
folded their intent, but johnson insisted on
their being reinstated l refused and excused
myself johnson then removed General
Sheridan and appointed General Hancock.
He called Hancock to Washington to instruct
him in defeating the laws of Congress on re-
As soon as | learned that Han
cock was 10 town | called at his hotel, instead
of sending for him. l wanted to see him phi
yately in his room. | found him in his room,
perhaps before he had his breakfast. I said,
- General you and I are soldiers-army off.
GERS. We have bfe positions. We serve I'M
der successive Administrations without regard
to party. 1t is our duty to enforce the laws
of Congress. We are not responsible for the
wisdom of the laws. Congress bears that re.
sponsibility. We simply enforce them.
OPPOSED TO NIGER DOMINATION.
He said "Well, l am opposed to niger
l said General, it is lot
question of niger domination. Four mill
ions of slaves without education or property
can hardly dominate 10000. 600 of whites
with all the education and property; it is a
question of doing our sworn duty" He said:
. Well, Pm opposed to niger domination"
| saw that my only chance to influence him
was by the remnant Of authority left in my
hands. lie was determined to please the
Democratic party, and SO he went South and
removed the Governor and Commissioners
that General Sheridan had appointed. / in
stantly telegraphed him not to appoint TO
office any men who had been removed. and to
give me his reasons by mail for removing the
men, He telegraphed in long reply, costing
the government $3.50, his reasons. l tele-
graphed him that the reasons were not suffi-
Gent, and to send by mail other reasons. He
again telegraphed about the same poirt s,
only not quiteso long, costing only $3.50. He
telegraphed that If he could not have freedom
to act his usefulness would be destroyed, and
that he would have to ask to be relieved. 1
him to revoke his order. He
asked Johnson Co relieve him as no one else
could. That is the inner history and spirit of
the celebrated Order No. 40. This order re.
suited in the loss of many lives. I know of
cases and can give them. His statement that
the civil authorities are supreme is truth
admitted by all in time of established peace.
But can demonstrate that he did not SUBJ
ject the military power to the civil, but that
he used his military power to overthrow the
civil.
DIR. Fowler. who had the above conversa-
ton with the ex-President, was, until re-
Gently. editor of the Adrocdte, a leading
Methodist paper published in New York.
He is now Missionary Secretary of the Meth
e1;et En;scopaI Cburch