Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-01-08

| ents, h.s patriotism, his vigilance, his untiring
| devotion 10 the cause, and his unflinching de-
| trmination TO put down the rebellion. had
justly entitled him TO the gratitude and adrnira-
| ton of the country. In the worst times he was
| true and faithful. When many others seemed
TO dss pair, his fortiiude was mistaken.
| When defeat and disCouragernent darken ed
| the rand, ne was rot appalled,, but his genius
| pierced the gloom and saw the light Of ap-
| preaching triumph. We cannot sympathi1e
| WIN That spirit which, without fixing upOn
him so much a. plain charge OF fnisoonduct
would cast him down and ruin his well-e2rned
r'putstion.
| The report next takes mp the charge made by
the President. that SECRETARY Stanton eoncurred
| an the veto ofthe Tenure OF the Ouioe bill. and
says that Mr.. johnson alleges that when ne
| " toed the Tenure OF Office bill. Mr. Stanton
concurrsd with him and the rest of the Cabi-
| net, holding IL TO b. Unconstitutional aud he
now charges Mr.. Stanton with a change Of
oplnl,n partaking of bad faith, in invoking
The act as protection against the efforts 20 sus-
pend him. He speaks TO the effect that the
Secretary ought still To regard IL as in
valid and Imperative, and declares thai If
any one of his Cabinet officers had then said 10
him THAI he would avail himself OF the
provisions of that bill IN caSe il became a law
| be should not have hesitated moment as 70
his removal. II II true that Nj. stanton
| thought that the bill was unconstitutional. and
| was opposed TO its becoming law. Such was
sincerely his view. Some of the ablest states
men IN the country have enterta ned the same
opinion, while Others equally able have held a
contrary doctrine. among whom was Mr. Web
ster. This controversy il almost as odd aS the
Government, but does AZ follow that because a
public officer has entertained such sn opinion
OF proposed measure, he is to carry has opiu-
ions 80 far as TO trest n void when formally
enacted into law by two-thirds vote of each
House OF Congress Mr.. johnson has not
dared 10 do this, for his very order suspendin,
MI. Stanton from the Office, provided by this
same law, is recognition OF its validity
The next point of the PrPsldent's mpssage
noticed by the committee is that wherein he
charges that MIR. Stanton was in accord with
MS (Mr Johnsons) policy, and endeayors to
make him partly responsible for il The reDort
oftbe committee SAYS in this relation thai N -
not true, and in support of the assertion quotes
AT length Mr.. Stanton's testimony on The sub-
ject, given before the Impeachment Committee
OF the House, wherein he details what took
place in the Cabinet after Mr.. YS.1Sson became
President. together with the action of Mr. Lin
coin Just preyiods 10 his death i'm reference 10
reconstruction.
This report says il Is evident that MIR Stan
ton was not the originator Of the plan adoptad
but that Mr.. Seward was the responsible antror
and designer. That IL is evident that Mr. Stan
ton was opposed TO the exclusion of the blacks
IN commencing reconstruction AT the South
bnt hnaliy gave assent TO Jobnson's instruc-
tions to the North Carolina Convention from
the fact that n was regarded tenn porary TO
control Congress by all the Cabinet, and As an
pears IN the various instructions given TO the
Provisional Governors by Mr.. Seward. In re-
gard TO Mr.. Johnson's claims as being resuon-
siele for the conduct of the Executive Depart.
ment, the report asks whether he submit hi
responsibility for the dispatches from the
Secretary OF State TO the Provisional Gov.
ernors and maintains that be must admit l.. and
be bound by them. Yet in his message TO Con-
gress IN letf, he suppressed such intimations
and astonished the country by announcing
that he had fully reorganized an r.couStructaJ
the rebeliious States, and nothing remained
Tor Congress 10 do but 10 pa-s unon
the naked questions of regulating the elections
and qualifications OF the Senators and Repre-
sentative elected. Who, then, has Committed
me onence, IL ~ De one, OF changing front on
TINS great question OF power-Con CREST Who
mas been the onlyand original opponent of grant
ing the colored man the Ballot for his protection
and for the security of the country against an
other rebellionl Not Mr.. Stanton, surely. His
opinions on these subjects have ever been the
same, and Mr.. johnson knew them fun well
from April, 1e65, down to the time of susnap
sion, and Yet n the end of two years aud four
months, during which he had been in almost
daily Official intercourse with him IL .rans
pIres that these opinions cannot be tolerated
and Mr.. johnson discovers that public consie,e-
ratlons of high character requires his sU span-
sion from Office Ii is obvious that this is only
pretext. and no motive for getting rid OF So
retary stanton existed in August last excent
such as he has already pointed out AT az
rare your committee have in vain searched for
others.
Another and special ground OF complain;
alleged against Secretary Stanton, in the mes
s2ie, is that he omitted TO communicate To the
President the telecraphic despatch of Gen
Baird. dated 18th July, 1896 relative 20 the
State CONVENTION OF Louisiana, then about 10
meet at New Orleans, and that the Sscrrtary
dlq not send Gen. Baird instructions, as re-
CURED After quoting Mr. Johnson,s message
on this point very fully, the report states that
these passages from the message show pIainlv
enough that the purpose of the author Is -
prove that be had no opportunity TO prevent
the riot and slaughter Of that bloody day and
is therefore Tree from the responsibility of
which he speaks, and that his failure to prevent
them is clearly chargeable TO the Secrptary's
delinquency in not sending Gen h .rd in
tstruetlons and IN withholding from him the
PrpSl6Gnfl 1rrh An.i.
not Incumbent on your Committee TO INQUIRE
into The PRESIDENTS responsibility in resr,ect 70
this lanentable event, yet If in demonstrating
the groundlessness OF this charge. they find AZ
necessary 10 show the Presidents respo sibil,ry
surely he Will have no reason TO coinpIain
for the charge itself naturally challengg a care
ful consider alton OF the facts.
First-1s there reason for supposinC thar Mr.
johnson would, in case this dispatch had been
made known 10 him immediately ON It's receipt
have ayerted the riot
Second-Was Mr.. Stanton in fault for not
sending instructions 10 General Baird of such
a character as 20 have secured the same end ?
Third-Was he in fault for not cornnunicar
ing this dispatch TO the President
After quoting the dispatch as sworn to nv
Gen. Baird, the report says: .srhis is the d.
patch. word for word, as furnished and sworn
10 by Gen. Baird In the copy thereof inserted
in the Presidents message, the words ar on,
are found between .'me" and .'by." The copy
furnished by Gen. Il. implies little or no urpsn
cy, while that furnished by the President i'm
plies it strongly. The comparative expressions
follows
"Please instruct me by telegraph.
BLAIR"
"Please instruct me az once by tsiegranh
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
The report does not attempt 10 accoant f,r
this discrepancy, merely mentioning the fact
The report details at length the origin of tbe
Convention. the facts relating thereto b.ing
taken from the report OF the Select Conlrnittee
of the House OF Representatives on the New nv.
leans nots.
The circumstances of the assembling of tha
Convention are then detailed. and the comnitI,,,
are of the opinion that there was no lack of an
thority upon the part of Gov. Wells To is~ua
the writs for filling vacancies. The report A..
cuses President johnson OF being aware OF tbe
existence OF Mayor Monroe's letter to General
Baird of 18th July, and also of the intention of
the rebels to disperse the Convention. Kaow
ing these facts, the committee asks why presi
dent johnson did not make arrangements f,r
preventing the riot, as the Convention owed its
existence primarily TO the President A. coIo
mander -chief Of the armies, he could h,ye
discovered IL, and failing to do that they St,fa
that he was bound TO protect il against yio,enre
Even had he ceased to regard il as a Law fuI A.
sembly. he should have protected Its ,nen,hers
private citizens.
After replying TO the charges of Judee ah.u
against the consututionaiity of the coromi,,a.
he ayaiis himself of the visit of Joseph ADJ
phus Rossier, OF New Orleans, to Washing ngron
and the interview Of that gentleman X,'it6 Tie
President and much OF his testimony Is 81
to show tina; he and the President agreed a. 10