Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-07-14
GENERAL HANCOCK'S ORDER
NO. 40.


The Democrat quoted approvingly last
week from Gen. Hancock's "order No.
49," and deduces therefrom the conclu-
sion that the author thereof is great
statesman, and eminently fitted for the
presidency A little history will serve to
throw some light upon the subject, and
show that Hancock was playing into the
hands of the rebels and their friend
Andy Johnson. Gen. Sheridan, when in
command in Louisiana and Texas address
ed the following letter to Gen. Grant
NEW ORLEANS, La, January %, 1867
GENERAL The condition of freedmen and
Union men in remoter parts of Texas is indeed
horrible The government is denounced, the
freedmen are shot, and Union men are perse-
cuted if they have the temerity to express their
opinions.
This condition exists in the northeastern coun-
ties of the state to an alarming extent. Appli-
cations come to me from the most respectable
authorities for troops but troops have so little
power that they are efficient only in the moral
effect which their presence has.
am, General very respectfully, your obedi-
ent servant, 2. III. SHERIDAN,
Major General United States Army
General U. S. Grant, Commanding Armies of
the United States.
This gave the rebels so much dissatis-
faction that they made raid on Sheri-
dan and induced president Johnson to
remove him, and place Hancock in COM
mand The latter signalized his advent
into power by issuing the celebrated or
der in question, which, says The Albany
Journal, gave the people of Texas and
Louisiana so much delight. By its pro-
LESSONS Hancock gave way in everything
to the civil authority-a power not yet
safe to be trusted. And yet he cunning
ly reserved the right to interfere after
having declared that the courts were
open for the redress of grievances and
for the punishment of crime That he
did SO interfere we shall see presently.
The "Order No. 40' created a wide
spread feeling of alarm among the Union
ists-both white and black. 1t was es-
teemed, by Unionists and Confede-
rates alike, that it nullifed the act of
congress for the more efficient govern
ment of the rebel States. Basing his ac-
ton upon this order, General Hancock
sought to make the law ineffective. While
magnifying the civil power, he interfered
so far as to arbitrarily remove William
Baker-the street commissioner of New
Orleans, and civil officer-and to put
George D. Field in his place. Two days
after this he issued another military Or
der removing three members of the board
of aldermen and five members of the
board of assistant aldermen "for contempt
of orders from these headquarters, and
then he appointed substitutes for all these
officers without consulting either the pre-
sident or General Grant.
On the following day General Grant
directed that this order be suspended.
Hancock begged him to withdraw the sus-
pension as ''it will destroy my usefulness
in New Orleaus." Then Hancock went
to still greater lengths. On the ID of
January, 1868, he refused to wait for the
courts-his own protested authority-and
appointed Joshua Baker, governor, in
place of B. F. Flanders, resigned. At
last his utter disregard of the laws Of the
United States became SO fragrant that
Hancock was recalled, having served but
few months in that part of the country.
His idea seemed to be that the courts
should be trusted as long as they would
give Confederate decisions but that the
military should be relied upon to make up
all Deficiencies And this is the record
upon which democrats rely to prove the
craftsmanship Of their candidate, and to
base their claims upon the support of
loyal people!