Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-12-13
Case Of Mr.. e. NJ. Stanton.
From the Associated Press.

The President sent to the Senate yesterday
message giving his reasons for the suspension
of Hon. Edwin NJ Stanton as Secretary of
War, on the 18th of August last.
The following, tits believed, are the essen
tial ,ponts;of the document: q
The President, for considerations Of Z. high
character, requested Secretary Stanton to r: :
sign his Office, and Mr.. stanton, In reply,
ouo{ing the phrase of the President, sad that
'consderations Of a high character alone had
induced him to continue at the head OF the De-
partment. and constrained him not to resign
the Office of Secretary OF War before the next
meeting Of Congress. .....t,9 y
This, the President says, was not merely u
decliuation of compliance with the request tor
his resignation, bur was defiance. Whatever
propriety there may be in the expression OF
his opinions 10 Others, one thing was certain, it
Was official misconduct, to say he least OF 1t,
to parade thu before his superior othcer, and
showed want Of proper respect and dignity
| for the President I! -
In addition to the above recitcd ground If
the Secretary, why he did not resign, he denied
the Presidents right to remove him. But the
President says that under Mr. Stanton 8 sense
OF duty he could not refer to the law creating
the War Department, for that confersy on the
| President the right to remove the head or the
| Department.
| The only o'ker law under which Mr. Stan
| ton could plead e1tenuatlon OF his conduct was
that in relation to tenure of office. Nothing in
| that Law compelled him to remain in Office he
was free at any time to resign 1T The tenure
of office bill did not pass without notice. Eve
ry member of the Cabinet was consulted upon
| the subject, and particularly the Attorney Gen
eral and Mr. Stanton, the latter having Tor
merry held the office. Mr. Stanton's condem-
| nation Of the law, the President says, was most
elaborate aud emphatic.
Some reference is made to the circumstances
| under which the President retained his prede-
cessor's Cabinet including MIR. Stanton ), and
he remarks, as to the proposed mode OF recon
structing the Southern States, all the members
| we're in perfect accord with himself. .."..-@
The President, after setting forth at length
| his view Of the case, assigns special ground
| for the suspension of Mr.. Stanton 1t will be
recollccted that during the summer Of 1866
General Baird telegraphed from New Orleans
| to the Secretary of War that convention was
about to assemble, and that the Governor and
| the city authorities, thinking it was an unlaw-
| tul assembly, would break it up The General
asked the Secretary for lnstructIons-to te!e-
graph him at once. Mr. Stanton did not,
| however, give General Baird thedesred orders,
| nor did he commuuca'c the Tact Of thu reccp-
ton OF the dispatch to the President. who knew
nothing of its existence until tea days alter it
came into Mr., Stanon's HANDS, and not until
after the riot had occurred. The President,
therefore, takes the ground that Mr.. Stanton
was responsible tor delinquency, and that if he
(the Presidency had known that General Bliri
had sought advice, the might have been
prevented s....,, lis .-...:. . - -...... ."
The President holds that, so far as the public
interests are concerned, there is no cause to
regret the removal Of Mr.. Stanton, for the
present Secretary al interim has, by bis meas
ures Of economy, saved millions of dollars to
the Government