Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-10-13
What General Grant Said as tt
General Hancock and Order
No, 40,

home at Galena, Illinois, some days
ago, by a correspondent of the Cincin-
natl Gazette. The interview, or that
part of it that relates to Hancock,
reads as follows:
General Hancock is a very good corps
commander. He was ambitious, and
had courage and a fine presence but
be is vain, selfish, weak, and Is easily
flattered. He cannot bear to hear any
one else praised, but can take any
amount of aattery. Down 10 1864 be
seemed like man ambitious TO do his
duty as an officer but in 1864, when
Mcclellan was nominated, Hancock re-
ceived one vote, and that greatly ex-
cited and changed him. He was so de-
lighted that be smiled all over. You
could not even sit behind him without
seeing him smile. 1t crazei him. Be
fore that we got on well. After that
be would hardly speak to me-. l was
working to enforce the laws Of Congress
and be was working for the Presidency.
Perhaps be thought did not praise
him enough, but any way, he hardly
spoke to me. 1t was on my nomira-
ton that he was made Brigadisr Gen
eral IN the regular army. When | was
made General, Stanton told me it was
a compliment to me, and that l could
name the men to fill the vacancies in
the Lieut.. Generalship and Major Cen
eralship caused BY my promotion.
nominated him for the vacant Major
Geuerslship in the regular army. He
acknowledged it manfnlly. He was
very fair corps commander. After
he had received that vvte in 1864 he
had the bee in his bonnet and shaped
every thing to gain Democratic and
Southern favor. He has watched, and
planned, and waited, till at last he has
received the Democratic nomination.
HANCOCK AND ORDER NO. 40.
"General, do you think be is in sym
patty with the South q
4" He is crazy to be President. He
Is ambitious, vain and weak. They
will easily control him"
"Do you think, General, that his Gel
ebra,ed Order No. 40 represents the
direction of his sympathies %
"Well, will give you the true inner
history of Order No. 40. Congress was
striving to prevent Andrew johnson
from undergoing the reconstruction
laws. Whenever Congress passed law
ohnson bent his energies to defeat its
enforcement, and would find pretext to
dodge around 1t. Then Congress would
pass another law to hedge him up there.
So it went till Congress bad taken from
him all control of the Generals com
manding the seven districts of the south,
except the power to recall them and sp-
point others IN their places. These
commanders could remove any civil
officer of any grade, Judge or Cover
nor. When | was made General and
they we're determining my powers and
duties, they gave the General, by acci-
dent, l think, or without seeing all 1t
involved, coordinate powers with these
district commanders, and as L was
senior, it gave me authority.
, "General Sheridan was sent to the
F, Department of Louisiana, covering
Louisiana and Texas. He is very
shrewd and very able. If he is in
charge of any field, aud there is any
thing be ought to know in that field, he
is sure to know it. He is as able and
vigilant an officer as the country has, or
any country has. He KEEP, 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 He had a
good list and blazed list, list OF un-
worthy officers, ready to change them
in an hour when the time should come.
He consulted with me privately about
it, and did nothing rash.
1.-The Legislature of Louisiana passed
q law authorizing the issue of SI,OOU,-
900 of levee bonds, ostensibly for the
levee. They conditioned their sale on
their bringing to the State not less than
so per cent Of their face The Gov
ernor and three Commissioners we're to
place the bonds on the market. But
they soon found that the bonds would
not bring moro than 40 per cent. To
avoid the law they invented the plan Of
borrowing money and using the bonds
as collsteral They could borrow about
81 OF So per cent of the face OF the
bonds. Just at this juncture, to pre-
vent these men from defrauding the
State, General Sheridan took off the
heads of the Governor and Commission
ers SO quick that they did not know
what allied them, and appointed good
men in their places.
THE SCHEME IN IT.
"Eor some reason the removed men
we're anxious to be reappointed. They
employed Reverdy Johnson aud anoth-
er lawyer to work for them, agreeing to
pay them $3.50. 900 if they were rein