The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-21
Presidential Pretenses for Stanton's
Removal.


Presidential Prstenses for stantOn's
Removal.
From the NJ p. Tribune.
The Presidents statement Of the reasons for
removing Secretary Stanton is disingenuous.
His real reason, as is well known, was that
Mr.. Stanton would not remove District Com
manders like Sheridan and Sickles, 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-legislate, in the
interest of Rebels and reaction, against the
acts of Congress. To this, the real reason, the
President is utterly oblivious. Instead thereof,
he assigns, first, that Mr.. Stanton would not
resign when requested. But why did he re-
quest him to resign request to resign aud
removal are so nearly one and the same
thing that to account for the latter the former
must be explained. Mr.. Johnson's answer is
like that of the urchin who was asked what
made yonder bell ring? Somebody" he re-
piled, 'must be pulling on the rOpe.'' The
Presidents second reason Is that the Secre-
tary received at 10 o'clock on Sunday a
despatch from General Baird relative to the
difficulty in New Orleans which culmi-
mated in riot on Monday morning, and, had
the Secretary sent the 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
facts Some Republicans, black and white,
who regarded the Presidents effort to form
State Government for Louisiana as a failure
had met in convention to take steps towards
giving the State a new State Government
based on universal suffrage without distinction
Of color. The Lieutenant Governor and At
toney General Of the State, and the Mayor of
the city, were Johnsonites, in favor of white
suffrage only. They were aiming, in connec-
tion with some of the city judges to have cri-
minal process issued to prevent the assembling
OF the convention, or to arrest the members
and break it up if it should meet. They
were in correspondence by telegraph with the
President, and obtained from him an order
that the military should sustain the courts,
and by inference break mp the convention.
As there was really nothing to indict 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 auda-
city impaired to them by the assurance they
had received from the President that he was
on their side, they broke it up by wholesale
murder and massacre of its members. Mean
while the Governor Of Louisiana favored the
Convention, and he and General Baird were in
communication with the War Department as
the eX-Rebels were with the President. Now,
let us place the despatch received by the
President and that received by Mr.. Stanton
side by side, and see what facts are communi-
Gated to Mr.. Stanton that had not been made
known to the President.
DESPATCH TO THE PREsI- lDEsPATcH To MR. STAN.
by kilograms from the on the same 2sth of Au-
Lleutenhnt-GOv and gust, the following tele-
Atorney-GonerAl OF Lou gram was sent TO MIR Stan
aiana, dated the 9Th and ton. by Major Gen. Baird
2sth OF August, was ad- then lowing TO the absence
vised that body OF dele of Gen SheTldan) In COM
gates, claiming TO be mRnd OF the military at
Cons itutOnaC Convention New Orleans
were aOOut 10 assemble 10 The Hon. Edwin n.
New Orlehns that the stanton, sec retary Of War
matter was before the Convention has been
Grand Jury, but that IL called with The sanction
would be impossible 10 of GOV. Wells, TO meet
execute civil process with. here Monday. The
outariot; and this question aud
was asked:-'ls the mill city authorities think IL
tary TO Interfere 10 pre-. unlawful and propose to
vent process OF Court p break IL up by arresting
This question was asked the delegates 1 have
at "A time when the civil given orders the
courts Ia the fu eX Isubjeft, but have warned
ercise OF their authority, the parties that could
aud the answer sent by not cOuntenauce or permit
telegraph on the same 2sth such action without IN.
OF August vas IN s:"Ihe strnctlOn 10 that effect
military will be expected from the President. Please
10 auGiain and not utter Instruct me at once by
fere with the proceedings telegraph"
OF the courts"
The only fact communicated TO Mr.. Stanton
which was not contained in the dispatch to the
President is that the Convention was sane
toned by Gov. Wells; and that fact be knew
abundantly from other sources, as Gov Wells
was we'll known TO the whole country TO have
been the prime mover in calling the Conven-
tion. The President knew that the COnven-
tion was called 10 aid In recognizing the
State on the basis Of universal suffrage, alter