Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-02-18
VOL. 30.
JOHNSON-GRANT CORRESPONDENCE.
THE PRESIDENTS REPLY.
Endorsement of the Cabinet Officers.
Another Letter from Gen Grant.

Inc loIIOWlnS auuIIObal correspondence,
called for by the RoUse of Representatives,
was laid before that body on Tuesday last:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Feb. TO- 1868.
General: The extraordinary character of
YOUR letter of the Sd instant would seem to
preclude any reply on my part; but the man
ner in which publicity has been given to the
correspondence of which that letter forms
part, and the grave questions which are in
yolved, induce me to take this mode of CIV
ing as Il proper sequel to the communications
which have passed between US, the statement
of the FIVE members Of the cabinet who were
present on the occasion of conversation
on the 14th ultimo. Copies of the letters
which they have addressed to me are accord
ingly herewith enclosed.
You speak of my letter of the 31st ultimo,
as u reiterutiou of the many gross misreprc
sentatons contained in certain newspaper ar
ticles, and re assert the correctness of the
statements contained in your communication
of the 18th ultimo, adding. (and here give
your own words,) anything III yours in reply
| to the contrary, Notwithstanding. When a
controversy upon matter of fact reaches the
| point to which this has been brought. further
assertion or denial between the immediate
parties should cease, especially where, upon
either side, it loses the character Of
spectful discussion, which is required by the
relations in which the parties stand to each
| other and degeuerates III tone aud temper.
In such Il case, il there is nothing to rely
upon but the opposing statements, conclusions
must be drawn from the statements alone,
and from whatever intrinsic probabilities they
afford in favor of or sgaiust either party.
| should not shrink from this test in the
controversy, but fortunately it is not left to
/ this test alone There were FIVE Cabinet Of
ficers present at the conversation, the detail
of which, in my letter Of the 2Sth ultimo,
you allow yourself to say contains "many
gross misrepresentation. These gentlemen
heard that conversation, and have read my
statement. They speak for themselves; and
| have the proof, without word of COM
meut. | deem 1t proper, before concluding
this communication, to notice some OF the
statements contained in your letter. You
say that a performance of the promise alleged
to have been made by you to the President
"would have involved a resistance to law aud
an inconsistency with the whole history of
my connection with the suspension of Mr..
Stanton"
You then state that you had fears the Pre-
sdemt would on the removal of Mr.. Stanton,
appoint some one in his place who would en-
barrass the army in carrying out the RECON-
slluctiuu acrS aud add 1T was 20 prevent
such an appointment, that l accepted the Of
fee of Secretary of War, at intcriD,, and
not for the purpose of enabling you to get
rid of Mr.. Stanton by my Withholding it
from him in opposition to law, or, not doing
SO myself, surrenderng it to one who would,
as the statement and assumptions in your COM
munication plainly indicate sought"
First of all, you here admit that from the
very beginning of what you term 'the whole
history" of your connection with MIR. Stan
toms suspension, you intended TO circumvent
the President 1t was to carry out that in
tent that you accepted the appointment. 1t
was not, then, in obedience to the order of
your superior, as has been been heretofore
supposed, that you assumed the duties of the
office. You knew it was the Presidents
purpose to prevent Mr. Stanton from resum-
intended to defeat that purpose.
You accepted the Office, not in the interest
of the President, but of Mr.. Stanton. Ifthis
purpose, so entertained by you, had been con-
fined to yourself; if, when accepting this office,
YOU had have done SO with mental reserva>
ton to frustratc the President, it would have
been a tacit deception. In the ethics of some
persons such course is allowable. But you
cannot stand upon that questionable ground.
The "history" of your connection with the
transaction, as written by yourself, places you
in a different predicament, and shows that
you not only concealed your design from the
President but induced him TO suppose that
you would carry out his purpose to keep MIR.
Stanton out of office by retaining it yourself,
after an attempted restoration by Il e Senate,
so as to require Mr.. Stanton to establish his
right by judicial decision.
now give that part of this "hstory," as
written by yourself in your letter of the 2Sth
ultimU Some time after | assumed the du-
ties of Secretary of War ad interim, the Pre-
sidcnt asked me my views TO the course
Mr.. Stanton would have to pursue, in case
the Senate should not concur in his suspcn-
sion. to obtain possession of his Office My
reply was, in substance, that Mr.. Stanton
would have to appeal to the courts to rein
state him, illustrating my position by citing
the ground had taken in the case of the
Baltimore police commissioners"
Now, at that tme as you admit in your
letter OF the Sd instant, you held the Office
for the very object of defeating an appeal to
the courts. In that letter you say that in
occupying the Office one motive was to pre-
vent the President from appointing some
other person who would retain possession, and
thus make judicial proceedings necessary.
You knew the President was unwilling to
trust the Office with any one who would not,
by holding it, compel Mr. Stanton to resort to
the courts You perfectly understood that
in this interview ''somc time" after you ac-
cepted the Office, the President, not content
cd with your silence, desired an expression
of your views, and you answered him that
Mr.. Stanton would have to appeal to the
courts" If the President had reposed con-
fdence before he knew your views, aud that
confidence had been violated, it might have
been said he made mistake; but violation
of confidence reposed after that conversation
was no mistake Of his, nor of yours. 1t is
the fact onlv that needs he stated that at the