Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-12-14
TIE REnoyAI OF srANroS.

The President sent q message to the
Senate on the 18th inst, giving his rea-
sons for the supersedure OF Hon, +. NJ
Stanton as Secretary Of War, on the 18th
day Of August last, A copy of the mes-
sage could not be procured for publica-
tion, nor was Che document read in open
Senate, but the following il is believed,
are the essential points Of the document
1t will be recollected that the President,
for considerations of high character,
requested Secretary Stanton to- resign his
Office, and that Stanton, in reply. quot-
ing the phrase of the President, said
that considerations of a high character had
induced him to continue at the head of
the Department, and constrained him not
TO resign the Office of Secretary Of War
before the next meeting of Congress.
This, the President, says, is not merely
a declination of compliance with therequest
for resignation, but was defiance What
ever propriety there might be in IMPRESSIONS
to others, one thing was certain, it was
official misconduct, TO say the least OF Il,
to parade them before his superior officer,
and showed want OF proper respect and
dignity for the President. In addition to
the above recited grounds Of the Secretary,
why he did not resign, he denied the Pres
idenfs right to remove him, but the Pres
ident says that under Mr.. Stanton's sense
of duty, he could not refer TO the law crea-
ting the War Department, for that confers
on the President the right to remove the
head of the department. The only other
Law under which Stanton could plead
extenuation of his conduct was that in
relation TO the bill known as the tenure of
Office. Nothing in that law compelled him
to remain in Office. He was free atany time
to resign it. The tenure bill did not pass
without notice. Every member of the
Cabinet was consulted on the subject, and
particularly the Attorney General and Mr..
Stanton, the latter formerly having held
Office as Attorney General. Stanton's cons
demnation of the law, the President says,
was most elaborate and emphatic.
Some reference is made to the circum-
stance under which the President retained
his predecessors Cabinet, including Mr..
Stanton, and he remarks as to the mode of
reconstruction in the Southern States, all
the members were in perfect accord with
himself. The President after setting forth
his views at length, assigns Especial ground
for the suspension of Mr.. Stanton. twill
be recollected 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
tine city government thinking it was an
unlawful assembly, would break it up.
The General asked the Secretary for in
structions TO be telegraphed him at once.
Stanton did not, however, give an answer,
nor did he communicate the fact of the
dispatch to the President, who knew moth
ing Of its existence for ten days after it
came into Mr. Stanton's hands, and not
until the riot had occurred. The Presi-
dent therefore takes the ground that Mr..
Stanton is responsible for the delinquency,
and if he, the President, had known Baird,
the riot would have been prevented. The
President holds that SO far as the public
interests are concerned, there is no cause
whatever to regret the removal of Mr..
Stanton, for the present Secretary dd interim,
has, by his measures of economy, saved
millions of dollars TO the government.