The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-11-26
General Grang. Ts..insny nefore

u.,srnI Granps Tcshmony Before
the Impeachment Committee.
NEW YORK, November 25.-The Tri-
bune publishes the testimony of Gem
eral Grant, Judge Chase, Secretary
Seward and others in the impeach-
ment case. General Grant said;
l have seen the President very ire.
quently in reference to the condition oil
affairs in the rebel States. When l was
asked to be at Cabinet meeting IL was
because some question was up, III which,
as General of the Army, was interest
ed: / am not aware of any interview
with the President on amnesty; / have
occasionally recommended person for
amnesty; / thought myself, at the
time, that there were no reasons why,
because q person had risen to the rank
of General, he should be excluded from
amnesty any more than one who had
failed to reach that rank; / spoke on
that point; / did not see much reason
for the $4,000 clause; these are the
only two points that ! remember to
have spoken of at the time.
afterwards, however, told him that
/ thought he was much nearer right on
the twenty thousand dollar clause thah
was; / was present when the prociauia-
ton was read in the Cabinet; but my
views were not asked; never gave any
oninion TO the President that 1t would
be better at that time to issue procla-
nation of general amnesty.
Questionable you ever give your
opinion to the President that his procla'
NATION interfered with the stipulations
between yourself and General LeeG
Answer-Ne sir. / frequently had to
interfere for General Lee and Other
paroled officers, on the ground that
their parole, SO long as they obeyed the
laws OF the United States, protected
them from arrest or trial. The Presi'
dent at that time occupied exactly the
same ground that / did, that they should
be tried and punished. He wanted tC
know when tbs time would come that
they should be punished. told him
not so long as they Obeyed the laws anc
complied with the stipulations. That
was the ground ! took.
Question-Did you not also insist thai
it applied as well to the common sci
diers.
Answer-Of course, it applied t'
every one who took the parole, but tha
was not canvassed except in the case o
some leaders. / claimed that Ill sur
rendering their armies and arms the!
had done what they could. A portion
of them could have escaped, but they
surrendered in consideration OF the facl
that they were to be exempt from IRA
so long as they conformed to the obllga
tions taken and they were entitled tt
that. Grant said that was his view
Still the President disagreed with him
He insisted that the leaders should bt
punished and wanted t. know when the
time for their trial would come.
Grant replied-When they violated
their parole; but these terms did not
apply TO JEFF. Davis as he did not take
any parole.
| The President coutended for the tria
of General Lee, but General Grant il
sisted that that would violate the pa
ole.
General Grant had urged nothing
He had only given his opinion wher
asked for it.
ssThc President at first seemed anxious
to punish the leaders, saying treason
must be made odious," but lie after.
ward got to agreeing with the General
as to the effect of the parole.
As to political rights, General Gran;
did not think the parole gave them any
whatever. That was matter entirely
in the hands OF Congress.
Grant further testified that although
L Il - fhn NJ M nf n III,
nesty, he WIS in favor of doing so, aud
that the issuing of the proclamation
was only carrying out President Lin
coln's policy for restoring civil govern
ment in tue Southern States.
The General then named several Gen
erals whose applications for pardon b,
had recommended, among them Lee
Longstreet and Stuart. He had never
recommended universal amnesty, as IL,
time for it had not arrived.