The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-02-19
The Trail Of the Plotters.

1t seems that Gen. Grant has decided that
he will obey the orders of Secretary Stanton,
against the order of the President that he
shall disregard them.
The law creating the department of war
provided for an officer to perform certain
enumerated functions that might be confded
to him by the President of the United States,
and all under the direction of the President.
The law creating the Office of general OF
the armies of the United States expressly
provided that his duties should be executed
under the direction of the President of the
United States. We have recently published
the text of both these provisions of law.
1t has also been decided by the supreme
court that the President of the United States
is not bound to issue orders, relating to the
affairs of any department, to the head of that
department, but may issue them through the
heads of any other department, or directly
TO the ofhcer on whom duty is to devolv-
ed.
The secretaries are officially known only
as the executive subordinates of the Presi-
dent, and every order issued by anv one of
them IS, by invariabie usage hitherto, sub
scribed as ''by order of the President
Even the secretary of state, who is held most
directly responsible for the treatment of d.
plomatic questions with foreign powers, in
variably acts in the name of the President as
| the directing authority.
If therefore, Gen. Grant has assumed that
he will not obey the order of the President
| to discontinue observance of orders of MIR
Stanton, which do not emanate from di.
| rect authority of the executive, or that he
| will obey orders of the secretary which the
President has not approved, but has forbid.
den him to respect, he has assumed one Of
the functions of dictatorship above the
law, in advance of the legislation of his par.
tisan friends, to give him the sanction of
| congress, which is yet suspended in that
body.
We cannot imagine this step of violent
INSTRUMENTATION to have been taken without
consultation with the radicals in congress-
1t may, therefore. be taken as a step forward
in the contamination of schemes in respect
to which it is pronounced by the leaders that
there Is, under the circumstances, no step to
| TO be taken backward
Inc programme of operations is to be
gathered by colligating various parts which
| have been brought forward almost simultan-
| eously.
In the midst of them, impeachment of
| the President rs Swallowed forth as an expe-
dent, to be tried again in the last extremi-
| ty, when party emergencies determine it to
| be absolutely necessary.
Two bills have been introduced, making
preparations for that measure, if it be in
dispensable.
The first is senate DILL providing meth.
cd of proceeding in cases of impeachment
They are almost in the nature of drum
head court marital. They direct the senate
to make swift work, and on the next da1
after the presentation of articles of impeac6
ment, cor sooner if so ordered by the senate, ;
: to organize as court and proceed to tn,
trial, and continue day by day until tn
trial is completed. A quorum of the senat
is made a quorum of the court.
The number of senators, whom they rec
+ ognize as of themselves, is 81, and %
therefore q quorum. Two thirds of2e woul