{"newspaper_name": "The daily union.", "edition": "01", "page": "p2", "byline": ""}
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Of 5000 be divided between two Of hs sPOissR n.,s


t appears that all consideration. for the pr,,,
yatlon Of tAs purity and virtue q our sTs a.
siye and partial in the bestowal Of his oces fom H. ~
sire to retain the attachment and allegiance Of his o
been Of such importance TO the democratic party 49,
single lucrative once Ia not suncent 10 reward ht
the benefit Of his county that pr0miSsat p.s
Of moBarchca governments and one which k aliogeIs,
half as the only Of exhibiting the gratitude Of S
repubei Greater men than he have not been hbtal


Will the Washington Union be ssod enough to sDl,,,
en- upon tho good effects Of plurality Of Oness in ~
| publican government 70


The NASHVILLE Banners follows up its blow, i,
its number of the 10Th inst. We lay the whole aie
before our readers, that they may with their ov,
eyes, the decenoy and beauties Of some Of the .so
end or third rate stars Of the whig press


"swHrsEHr ExrspLDIED'-TAs Nashville B.nD., =,
yesterday works itself into quite bad temper sgslnst
present administration in article headed bemoereyL In
Is receiving salary Of about - 900 as commissionsr ~
General Land oniesand is at the time receiving H.
informed itself upon this subject before Il went oa R
truth Is, Mr. shields resigned his once commissionsr
the Land once the reception OF the other once and a.
present acting Commissioner Is attending 10 TIE duts,
the once and Is receiving its emoluments


ry in It's article by giving y. another Illustrator
whg prints aceustomei TO abuse and denounce the A
minstraon without knowing what they
and by making assertions wholly uniOundsd and utterly
/ talsef


"The foregoing extract is from the COLUMBIA
| (Tenn,) Democrat Of the 10Th instant


"We should like very much TO know where thz
sagacious editor obtained the information that M
Shields has resigned his Office as Commissioner Of
he Land Office The event has not been announe,d
to our knowledge, either in the Washington UniOa
or the Nashville Union--both Of which have be,s
generally looked upon as prominent organs Of The
administration. To be sure, the home coneet1
on Duck river may be more conyersant with Ii,
movements Of officeholders than even the executy,
editor at Washington. IL IL is il should impan 4,
information 10 its eoadjutor in Nashville, so that


fact which has been repeatedly referred to in olhsr
papers, and has been mentioned twice in the Ban.
ner, might be contradicted with some appearance Of
authority.


"But sense and reason--if the editor Of the Dem
ocTat knows what those words mesn--are totally
at variance with his account Of the matter M
Shields, he says, has resigned and the acting CON.
missioner is attending to the duties and receivn,
the emoluments Of the Office. Ii Mr. or ralhsT
General Shields has resigned, why should there !,
} an acting commissioner Why should not sue
, cessor TO the former incumbent be appointed In
evident that this wsescre does not know the differ.
ence between acting and an actual commissioner
He has seen, no doubt, notice Of the appointment
OF Mr. Piper, as acting commissioner Of the Land
Office and forthwith he takes upon himself to assert
that General Shields has resigned-knowng that
most Of his readers-we pity them il he has many
will never arrive at the truth. When he sees the
recent announcement in the Washington Union that
in the absence Of Mr.. Buchanan from that city, N
p Trist, esq, discharges the duties Of Secretary Of
State, under acting commission from the Presi.
dent we suppose he will assert that Mr. PolkS ore.
mier has resigned. He may do so with as much
show Of reason and verify as he has exhibited in Ii.
foregoing extract" ...


1t is eminently due to General Shields, the late
able and efficient Commissioner Of the G.nsnl
Land Office who is at this moment actively and al.
sntly employed in the service Of his country, 10
yindicate him from the aspersions contained in h.
preceding articles from the Nashville Banner.
The Banner denies that General Shields h.,
dissolved his connexion with the Land Office, and
asserts that he is now in the receipt Of the comp,n
saton Of brgadier and also Of that of commission
er In reply to this charge, we state that we hsV,
caused an examination to be made into this matter
and in vndcation of an absent patriot end soldier
we assure the editor of the "Banner," upon h.
highest possible evidence, that the statement Of
the columbia Democrat is correct to the letter
General Shields was notified of his appointment
as brigadier general on the 18th July, 1896 bengu
that time absent from this city on visit to Illnoi,
On the same day he resigned his commission as
Commissioner of the General Land Office and on
the same day his compensation as commissioaa
wholly ceased. The following is his letter of rsss
nation: .-..... ..


| "ALroN, ILLINOIS, July lS, 1886


"SiR Having received and accepted my commiS
sion of brigader general in the service Of the United
States, hereby tender my resignation as Commis
sioner Of the General Land Office.


81 have the honor to be your excellency's obe
dient servant, JAS SHIELDS
"The PRESIDENT ra.. rs...


After this unequivocal declaration on our part,
sustained, as it is by the public records of the cOun
try is it presuming too far to ask the editor of the
"Banner" to give publicity to our statement, and
thus do an act Of justice, not only to himself, but
also to one of the most gallant and merorous off.
GERS of which our country can boast
i Again the editor of the Banner, seeing that Mr.
Trist chief clerk in the State Department had been
appointed by the President "aciing Secretary Of Sta'
during the temporary absence Of Mr.. Buchanan, n
ferred, most astutely, that similar process was
necessary to constitute acting Commissioner Of
the Land Office. In this however, the editor is en-
tirely mistaken. BY an act of Congress, ap.
proved on the 4th of July, 1886, it is express
ly provided that, "in case of vacancy in The
office of Commissioner of the General Land Oacs,
or of the absence or sickness Of the comms'
sioner, the duties of said office shall devoT'
upon, and be performed ad interim by, the princpa
clerk of the public lands" Hence no direct appoint
ment by the President is necessary in reference to
the land offce--the legislature having made posi-
tive and specific arrangement in the event of the sS
sence of the COMMISSIONER provision which has
not been made with regard to the State Department
nor any other department or bureau connected with
the Executive, with the exception, perhaps, ofh'
General Post Office. w.. ...


The letter of General Shields to the President, re |
signing tho control Of the Land Office, bears date
18th July, 1876, and was received very few daysOe
fore Congress adjourned, not allowing sufficient
time before the close of the session for the Pres
ident to select a successor.


We repeat the SALARY of General Shields as Com II