Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-12-18
why Stanton Was Suspended.

The President Sc 1T to the Senate yester.
day message giving his reasons for the
suspension of Hon. Edwin NJ. Stanton as
Secretary of War, on the 2lst of August
last. A copy of the message cannot now
be procured for publication, nor was the
document read in open Senate, but the fol-
lowing, it is believed, are the essential
points of the document: .
1t will be recollected the President for
considerations of high character, re.
quested Secretary Stanton to resign his Of
flee, and that Stanton, in reply, quoting the
the phrase OF the President, said that
considerations of high character alone
had induced me 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, was not merely a de.
clination OF compliance with the request
for his resignation, but was defiance
Whatever propriety there might be i'm the
expression of his opinions to others, one
thing was certain, it was official miscon-
duct, to say the least of it. to parade them
before his superior officer. and showed a
want Of proper res pect and dignity for the
President. -
In addition to the above recited groun DIS
of the Secretary why he did not resign, he
denied the Presidents right to remove him,
but the President says under Mr.. Stanton's
sense of duty he could not refer to the law
creating the War Department, for that con-
ters on the President power to remove the
head of the department. The only other
law under which Stanton could plead ex-
tenuation of his conduct was that in rela-
ton to tenure of office. Nothing in that
law compelled him to remain in office. He
was free at any time to resign it. The
Tenure of Office bill did not pass without
notice. Every member of the Cabinet was
consulted on the subject, and particularly
the Attorney General and Mr.. Sta 1ton. the
latter formerly having held the office of
Attorney General. Stanton's condemna-
ton of the law, the President says, was
most elaborate and emphatic.
Some reference is made to the circum-
stances under which the President retained
his predecessors Cabinet, including Mr..
Stanton, and he remains.
AS to the proposed mode of reconstruct.
ing the South, all the members were in
perfect accord with himself The Presi
dent, after setting forth at length his views
of the case, assigns special ground for the
suspension of Mr.. Stanton. 1t will be re-
membered that during the summer of 1866.
General Baird telegraphed from New Or
leans to the Secretary of War that a con-
vention was about to assemble, and that the
Governor and city authorities, thinking il
wills an unlawful assembly, would break il
up. The General asked the Secretary for
instructions to be telegraphed him at once
Stanton did not, however, give General
Baird the desired orders, nor did he com
municate the fact of the reception of the
dispatch to the President, who knew moth.
ing of its existence till ten days after II
came into Mr.. Stanton's hands, and not un.
til the riot had occurred. The Presiden,
therefore takes the ground that Mr.. Stan
ton was responsible for the delinquency
and if he, the President, had known that
General Baird had sought advice, the riot
might have been prevented. The Presi.
dent held that, so far as the public inter
ests are concerned, there is no cause to re-
gret the removal of Mr.. Stanton, for the
present Secretary dd interim has. by his
measures OF economy, saved millions OF
dollars to the Government.