Year: 1877

The New York Commercial Adver-
tiser, that eminently respectable and
conservative sheet, has taken very
decided stand as regards Major Reno
and his case, and one that is not of a
flattering nature to the principals in
the case, and that is extremely severe
upon the superior officers of the army
for having decided that his dismissal
should be modified to suspension from
rank and pay for two years on account
of "long and faithful services" Major
Reno was tried by u court martial
composed of his peers, and selected
from among his brother associates of
the service, with great impartiality and
care, and by them he was found guilty
of conduct highly reprehensible, and
unbecoming in an officer and gentle
man, and this finding was acquiesced
in by Gen. Sherman and the Secretary
of War. This sentence, however,
is eventually modified on recommends
tion of Gen. Sheridan, who steps in at
this stage of affairs and recommends
that the sentence be modified on ac-
count of Reno's long and faithful SER
vices, and this the President and his
cabinet decided to do.


We think that the action thus
taken in this matter is wrong
from beginning to end, and es-
tablishes precedent that cannot do
other than harm when relating to the
better government of the armies of the
United States. A court martial here
after may be regarded as farcical pro-
ceeaing when being held by army
officers, for, Notwithstanding the fact
that the officer on trial may be found
guilty, it will not affect him in the
least, provided he can show ''long and
faithful services as an eXtenuating
circumstance, and has the necessary
influence at Washington to aid him in
being reinstated. 1t establishes pre-
cedent in that hereafter an officer,
cashiered for drunkenness or other i'm
moral conduct, can, on the finding of
the court, appeal to headquarters, and
cite the case of the Major as cogent
argument, why he who has only been
guilty of Cassio's fault, should not be
held as guilty as Iago Reno, who has
been convicted of slandering the Des-
demona of his brother officer. Besides,
it reflects upon the good judgment and
common sense of the officers composing
the court martial, and it not only re-
fleets upon them, but it reflects in
highly reprehensible manner upon the
virtue and conduct of the lady whose
spotless character has been so vilely
assailed. Either the Major is guilty
and should suffer the consequences of
his villainy in endeavoring to ruin the
character of Il brother officers wife
in any case he is guilty of conduct
open to censure-or else the lady is,
and should be made to suffer accord
ingly. 1t has always seemed to us
that there was n cat in the bag
somewhere in this matter, and 4 very
large-sized cat at that, for it does not
seem possible that the Major would
have proceeded to the extremes that he
did if there were not some proofs to
hang his doubts upon. If he have no
proof to show cause for his having
acted as he has, then the major must
be mad, and being mad, should be
treated accordingly, and be placed un-
der restraint, otherwise his madness
may take some shape rs shall cause
those about him to repent of their
leniency in this matter. In any event,
however, we do not believe that this
will be the last that we shall hear of
Major Reno and his case. Had the
affair occurred in any other country
than ours, the officers most interested
in the scandal would have acted indie
pendently of court martials or SUI
perior officers, and the matter would
have been settled satisfactorily.
The scandal would never have
got outside of military circles. There
would have been no necessity
for court martial to convene to
vindicate their honors, and the gener-
ais at the head Of the army would not
have been obliged to put themselves on
record in Il case that at best is one of
most questionable honor.