If The American People Can Learn The Necessity Of
Employing Their Best Men For Their Highest Work - If They Can
Recognize These Honest Men, And Trust Them When They Are So
Recognized - Then They May Become As Great In Politics As They Have
Become Great In Commerce And In Social Institutions.
St. Louis, and indeed the whole State of Missouri, was at the time
of my visit under martial law.
General Halleck was in command,
holding his headquarters at St. Louis, and carrying out, at any rate
as far as the city was concerned, what orders he chose to issue. I
am disposed to think that, situated as Missouri then was, martial
law was the best law. No other law could have had force in a town
surrounded by soldiers, and in which half of the inhabitants were
loyal to the existing government and half of them were in favor of
rebellion. The necessity for such power is terrible, and the power
itself in the hands of one man must be full of danger; but even that
is better than anarchy. I will not accuse General Halleck of
abusing his power, seeing that it is hard to determine what is the
abuse of such power and what its proper use. When we were at St.
Louis a tax was being gathered of 100l. a head from certain men
presumed to be secessionists; and, as the money was not of course
very readily paid, the furniture of these suspected secessionists
was being sold by auction.
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