The daily gazette., 1880-08-27

HANCoCK-SHERhAN letters have
been published in pamphlet form, and
the letters appear in the N. Y. Herald,
which says they are unimportant ex-
cept in that they show that Gen. Sher-
man had the greatest confidence in the
Senior Major General, Hancock; that
Sherman held similar views to those
expressed in Hancock's long and cele-
bratsd letter,-and that "it is not sur
Uprising that Hancock poured out his
"heart to the General of the Army in
"a similar spirit. The correspond
"ence on both sides shows that the
"highe- officers of the army are ac-
customed to study constitutional and
"legal questions, and that while re-
"cognizing the duty of military obe-
"dience their obedience is not passive
"but intelligent"
The Herald remarks further that,
eve think it would be an nnwarrant-
ed and unworthy imputation to say
that Hancock's long argumentative
letter to Sherman was written with a
view to future Presidential chances
1t bears every internal mark of being
the spontaneous effusion of the mo-
ment. Its historical inaccuracies re-
specting Jefferson's first Inauguration
| prove that it was not composed for
Hancock by some able political friend,
and was really written, as it purports
l to have been, at a remote point in
| Missouri, where its author had no ac-
cess to authorities to correct his loose
recollections of our early political his
| tory. Had he been coached by Judge
Black or other able friend his histori-
cal illusions would have been as accu-
rate as his constitutional statements
wers clear and sound.
1t is worthy OF observation that al
| though General Sherman is Repub-
| lican and General Hancock Demo-
crat the correspondence shows no
marked discrepancy in their views of
the relation of the army. to political
questions. We have reason to be
proud Of the intelligence, candor,
| friendliness and fidelity to each other
of the higher officers of our army; and
| if our politicians were equally consid-
crate, as mutually respectful and gov
erned by as high a sense of honor we
might escaped the disgusting abuse
and scandals of our heated President
ial elections"
From the Phila. Times.
we got the best of the Hancock -Sher-
man correspondence in General Ham
cocks letter from Carondelet, which
was published some weeks ago. The
letters printed to-day are little more
than introduction and postscript to that
remarkable document. They are of
real interest, however, for the further
| illustration they give Of The mutual con-
| fidence existing between the General o
the Army and the senior Major General,
| aud Of the carefulness and intelligence
with which they discussed together tue
relations Of the army with politics and
their duties under an emergency which,
at the time, seemed more than possible.
So far as concerned the employment OF
troops to influence political results, they
appear to have been nearly Of one mind.
| At all events General Sherman neglects
Hancock, to express his distaste for this
sort of thing, and both were apparently
equally anxious that tue matter of the
Presidential succession should be de
cided in way that would leave no
questions for them TO consider. Evident
ly each officer valued the opinions ofihe
other and wrote with confidence and
| respect, and the supposed reasonable
| correspondence which the organs scented
| from afar will heighten the public esti-
nation of both of them. The perfect
impartiallty with which General Han
cock discusses the situation is a very re-
markable feature OF this remarkable cor
respondence, and the allusions to tie
Electoral Commission bill and its pro-
bable effect give evidence of degree OF
sagacity which good many profession
al Statesmen failed TO exhibit. When
ap' aceful means Of deciding the elector-
al dispute had been adopted, the two
soldiers agreed that the subject 10 longer
concerned them and it was accordingly
dropped; but their correspondence forms
very interesting contribution to the
inner history of the crisis OF 1876, not
less by what 1t suggests than by what it
expresses. Certainly the | artisans ol
General Hancock have 40 reason tor any
other feeling than satisfaction at his
share in it, and they may thank the Re
publican organs whose idiocy compelled
tho publication OF these letters for hav
ing furnished them with the very bes
documents Of the campaign.