New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-20
PRESIDENTIAL PRETENSES FOR STATIONS
REMOVAL.

The DleSluentS statement Oh lUc ItdSO0S lOI
removing Secretary Stanton is disingenuous.
His real reason, as is well known, was that Mr..
Stanton would not remove District Commanders
like Sheridan and Sckles, who aimed to carry
out the Reconstruction acts in good faith, and
substitute in lieu thereof military tools like
! Steedman and Hancock, who would attempt to
cOunter-legslate, in the interest of Rebels and
reaction, against the acts of Congress. 10 this,
the real reason, the President is utterly OBJ
livious. Instead thereof, he assigns, first, that
/ Mr., Stanton would not resign when requested.
But why did he request him to reslTf A
request TO resign and a removal are so nearly
one and the same thing that to account for the
| latter the former must be explained. Mr.. john
sons answer is like that of the urcllln who was
| asked what made yonder bell nngf Some
"body," he replied, "must be pulling on the
"rope." The Presidents second reason IS that
the Secretary received at 10 o'clock on Sunday
n dispatch from Gen. Baird relative to
the difficulty in New-0rleans which culmi-
mated in n riot on Monday morning, and, had
the Secretary sent this telegram to the Presi-
dent, the latter would have us infer that the
riot would have been avoided. Nothing
can be more insincere than to cast the
| blame of that event on the Secretary.
What were the facts2 Some Republicans,
Black and White. who regarded the Presidents
effort to form q State Government for Loulsl-
ana as a failure, had met in Convention to
take steps toward giving the State new State
| government based on universal suffrage with
out distinction of color. The Llcutenant-Goy-
ernor and Attorney General of the state, and
| the Mayor Of the city, were Johnsonites IN
| favor of White suffrage only. They were
/ aiming in connection with some OF the City
Judges, to have criminal process issued to pre-
vent the assembling of the Convention, or to
| arrest the members and break it up If It should
meet. They were in correspondence 10y telc-
| graph with the President and obtained nom
| him an order that the military should sustain
the courts, and by inference break mp the Con-
vcntion As there was really nothing to indlct
| or arrest the Convention for. this pretense OF
| obtaining process Of the courts was dropped
and those who intended to break up the Con-
vention moved forward in mob, without any
process of court, and, inspired by the au-
dacity impaired to them by the assurance they
had received from the President that he was
on their side, they broke it up by a wholesale
murder and massacre of its members. Mean
while, the Governor of Louisiana favored The
| Convention, and he and Gen. Baird were in
communication with the War Department n
the ex-Rebels were with the President. Now,
| let MS place the dispatch received 10y the
President and that received by Mr. stanton
side by side, and sec what facts are communi-
! Gated TO Mr.. Stanton that had not been made
known 20 the President.
DESPATCH 10 TIE TErsl DISPATCH TO Mr. st,ST9N.
DINT. ON The same 18th ~ Au-
By kilograms from the cu.t, the following telegram
Lieutenant Governor and was cent 10 MI stanton ny
Attorney. General of I0uis Major Gen. Butd then
aua. dated the 18th and 18th oWng To tLc ab'cne u
OF August. / was advised Cen sheridan IN c9glnanu
that body Of dclcgates OF the military al NtWO I-
claiming TO be Consttu- leans ,...,, o..
tional Convention, were The non EDWIN ". STAY
about 90 assemble IN New Ton, NGfidiB ~ var.
orleans that the matter Convention has been called,
Was before the Grand Jury with the sanction Of Gov
but flat il would be- mpos Wells t0 meet here on Mon
sibe 10 execute civil process day The LieutenuGpN-
ton was asked Isthe mill think n unlawful aud pro
tary 10 interfere prevent osc 10 break arrest
process Of Court ." This ing the delegates. have
question asked at time given orders ON the sub
when the civ courts were Ject but have warned the
IN the fun exercise Of their parties that could not coun
srnt nv telcgraph ON the ton without instruction 10
same 2sth II August. was that cfcc from the Prcsi
this: The military will be- dent Please instruct me ~
! expected 10 sustain and not once by Telegraph
! interfere with the proceed
iugs OF the courts
The only fact communicated TO Mr. Stanton
which was not contained IN the dispatch 60 the
l
toned by Gov. Wells; and that fact he knew
abundanty from other sources rs Gov. Wells
was well known to the whole country 10 have
been the prime mover I'm calling the COnyen-
ton. The President knew that the Convention
was called to aid in TeOrganizing the State on
the basis of universal suffrage, aiterward
adopted by Congress. The Rebel party were
seeking some means TO break il up The Presi-
dent wanted it broken up by some means,
though he wished to dodge the responsibility
OF riot by assuming the prctcnso OF sustain
ing the civil authorities. He well knew that
the civil authorities, especially the police of
New Orleans, would be the authors of riot, and
that all he need do was to hold off the military,
and the riot, i. e., the attack of the Rebel po-
lice on the Convention, would begin. He or
dcred the military to let them alone and the
riot began and eliminated virtually according
| to his command.
This being his attitude, the late pretense that,
had he received, Gen. Bairds dispatch, lac would
have been found on the other side, and sus-
tanning the Convenhcnyis unwarranted.
The remainder of his communication is de
voted to proving that Secretary Stanton
approved his reconstruction policy, and dis
approved the Tenure-of- Office law as uncon-
stitutiOnal. 1t is not claimed that these views
Of Mr.. Stanton formed any part of the reasons
| for his removal, and they are only brought
forward to impeach his political consistency,
and diminish the respect of his friends. The
Presidents efforts in this direction are equally
disingcnuOus. Mr.. Stanton stated in public
speech n year ago. and more recently in his
| testimony before fhe Imneachment Committee