Year: 1868




The order relieving Gen. Pope OF
the command Of the Third. and Cen
Ord OF the Fourth, Military Districts
was issued by Gen. Grant at instance
of the President. It is understood
at Washington that Ger Ord was re.
lieved at his own request, not re.
moved for cause. His command ia
turned over to Gen Gillem, who will
hold it until Ord's successor, Gen.
Mcdowell, arrives from the Pacific
coast. a


The change gives opportunity for
the enemies of Gen. Grant to de-
nounce MIN as a tool of johnson, and
ready 70 carry out his will. The
same outcry was raised when Sher-
idAn was removed, yet ii has since
been made known that Gen. Grant
demonstrated with the President in
decisive language, and did all it was
proper for subordinate officer to do
to prevent his removal. as
{ What is Grant to do? ssIf he is
willingly In the War Office, WE'LL"
says the N. Y. Tribune; .sifunwilling.
ly, let him resign" Bat. what has
that, pray, to do With the issue Of the
orders relieving the commanders of
the departments? It is not as Sec-
retary OF War Qd interim that he acts,
but as General of the armies Of the
United States. The Tribune will
please call to its recollection the
special law OF Congress, passed last
winter, which makes'it imperative in
the President to issue all military
orders through the General COM
manding, whose headquarters are
nxed by the same law at w Washington
IL was Intended as check upon the
President in case, as was then vague
ly surmised, he might undertake to
overswe or disperse Congress by
military coup d. etQt


What il Grant did resign the Office
of Secretary of War, would anything
be gained thereby? He would none
the less be obliged to issue the or
ders Of the President. as he did in
the case of Sheridan, and as he has
now done in the ease of Pope and
Ord He demonstrated against the
one. . the Tribune authorized to say
he did not against the otherp How
does it know that he obeyed the will
Of johnson with alacrityp To have
fatty refused to obey the command
OF the President, as Commander in
chief of the Army and Navy, would
have subjected him to the liability of
a Court-msrtial, and under the Arti-
cles Of War, he would have been
found guilty of disobedience of or
ders-no light offense, and in its
consequences upon discipline full Of
unmixed evil. But he could have
surrendered his commission, perhaps
the Tribune will suggest. That is
true, but to what end? Would Pope
or Ord have been saved? The peo-
pie feel secure with Grant as the
General commanding the army
Whether he favors reconstruction
according to Congress or Andrew
johnson, whether he approves negro
suffrage or opposes it, they know
that the military power of the Gov
ernment will not be employed for
base or dishonorable purposes while
Grant commands, and that under his
administration its expenses will be
reduced and kept at the minimum
fioure. The RESIGNATION of hi5 COM
mission would be regarded as mis-
fortune and do more to produce a
public feeling Of insecurity than any
folly or excess on the part of the
President or Congress. The people
do not want him to surrender his
commission, and they have the in
telligence to place the responsibility
of the removal of the District Com
manders where it belongs, on the
President, and will hold him to it
Gin Com