The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-16
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1867.
The Reasons for the Removal of Hon.
Edwin M. stanton.

The Reasons for the Removal of Hon.
Edwin M. Stanton.
TEE communication sent by the President to
the Senate, in which he states his reasons for
removing Mr.. Stanton from the post Of Secre-
tary of War, has been at last published in
full. 1t is, in truth, much weaker document
than we had anticipated, from the carefully
prepared synopsis which was furnished by
the President. The object of the entire docu-
ment is clearly not to explain the cause of the
removal, but to injure Mr.. Stanton. This is
apparent in every feature of the report. Else
why should a number of alleged inconsisten-
cies in the Secretary's political record be
pointed out at such length ? Surely even
Mr. Johnson does not mention such
inconsistencies as cause for expul
sion from Office But if it should
tend to injure the Secretary, its end would be
accomplished. The attempt, however, is a
signal failure. What Mr.. Johnson states as
the crowning act of wrong on the part Of the
Secretary, is more calculated to endear him
to the people of the land than anything
which he has done. There has been all along
q fear that Mr.. Stanton lacked delicacy in
holding on to his Office, and the great card
which has been played against him by all his
enemies in the land is that he maintained his
position not from a sense of duty, but
from love of power. This is removed from
him by the President himself. There can be
no more powerful exculpation than Mr.. John
son himself furnishes. He says, speaking of
Mr.. Stanton's refusal to resign:-
"This language is very significant. Mr.. STAN
ton holds the position ttn10ttiRgty. He is ready
10 leave lOhep Is safe TO leave and the danger
which he apprehends from his removal then
will not exist when Congress is here, he is con-
does not say that no one other than himself
can at any time be found TO take hrs place and
perform his duties On the contrary, he e1-
presses desire to ledUe the o0Ice at the earliest
moment consistent Oith these high public considera-
tionS. He says, In effect that while Congress is
away he must remain, but that when Congress
is here, he can 60 In other words, he has lost
confidence in the President. He is unwilling
10 leave the War Department in his hands, or
In the hands of any one the President may
appoint or designate TO perform It's duties II
he resigns the President may appoint Score
tary of War that Mr.. Stanton does not approve.
Therefore, he will not resign. But when Con.
gress is in session the President cannot appoint
q Secretary of War whom the Senate does not
approve. Consequently tolen Congress meets Mr..
Stanton is ready TO resign"
Mr.. Stanton ought to be eternally grateful
to the President for these words. They remove
from him the only slur which his enemies
could cast upon his actions. They at once
make all those who, like him, had 'lost conf
dence in the President, " approve of his action.
We have the Presidents own word for it that
the Secretary 'held the position unwillingly;"
that he "desired to leave the Office at the
earliest moment consistent" with duty and
that when Congress met he was ready to
resign" Here, then, we see gentleman in
the true light of patriot. His feelings
had been wounded; he was insulted;
he desired to relieve himself of
his unpleasant position; but he feared for
his country, he felt that duty ought to be
obeyed before desire, and he decided to remain.
The whole loyal North was, at the time when
MIR. Stanton so acted, filled with the same dis
trust of the same Executive, and they can
appreciate Mr.. Stanton's self-denial in seeking
to serve them by sacrificing himself. This
confession of the President makes it un-
necessary for us to go over the ground as to
whether Mr.. Stanton acted with delicacy or
not, as to whether he had cause or not for his
action: the Presidents own words tells us he
acted only from sense OF duty, and that he
did so against his personal WILL That is sufa-
CeHt. Mr.. Stanton is justified by his bitterest
enemy from all blame.
The second charge, if it can merit such a
name, is in regard to the Tenure of Office law.
He says
Every member of my Cabinet advised me
that the proposed law was unconstitutional.
ALI spoke without doubt or reservation; but
MI Stanton's condemnation OF the law was the
most elaborate and emphatic. After all this. /
was not prepared for the ground taken by Mr..
Stanton In his note OF Aug. H. was not pre-
pared to f1nd him compelled, by new and in
definite sense of public duty under the Consti-
which, under the solemn obligations of public
duty, imposed by the Constitution itself, he ad,
Vised me was q violation of that Constitution
make great allowance for change OF opinion
but such a change as this hardly falls within
the limits of the greatest indulgence. Where
our opinions take the shape of advice and infiu
charity will scarcely justify us in repudiatinl
them when they come 70 be applied to our
selves"
The President seems to think that he ha
detected Mr.. Stanton in an act Of gross incOn
sistency. We pass by the fact that, were thi
true, the fact is not germane to the matter i
question. But Mr.. Johnson went out of hi
way to act as special pleader, and injure MI
Stanton; for communication such as he sen
to the Senate was no place for quoting error
of judgment. We pass by all this, and den
that there is any Inconsistency in Mr.. Stanton
course. When the bill was proposed, b
deemed it unconstitutional. 1t was not the