The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1868-02-14
voU UNeEMENTs.

] :; :; ! ! =: !:
zols 1I You take oc-
Xzn;, sent publication,
EWeU tstances connected
* ~ .0&.jy yourself of the
AslA1VS[of War .ad interim,
II ~ orrecting the state
n gross misrepre-
81 ss<ssl,zS 8 rsar p = sat length your own
JseA0be .be W. facts under which,
BiSA SecrSa of the President,
!, be ~ Nh a vieN received and ac-
- which Sent, you yielded
ionssE War to the present
q ing 81 knsieK ID in your commune
zoLk@liA e after you had as
o. Sznt irtme Secretary of War
,,ge n ~ snt as changed views re-
Ey pSst<S ufs M In noi1N.hat should be pur-
PSls ISoaw fi5I.ssSs.,at of the non-concur-
Ing 81 4z1ssnAza in the saspenslon. |.
d pufz<s 1sziesSss5T@ at the War, De-.
I, e IS e aI maIl1ng sole object in then
}hiu.;na 5hi@aent; oject to your attention,
was ! as.earfin .a{fin what would be your
own ,otion sould such an attempt be
made or his.estoration to the War De-
prtme,t. hat object was accomplish
Ied for the Iterview terminated with
ilh misunderstanding that II, un-
dcs reflect, you should prefer to be-
come a py to the controversy, or
should coride it would be your duty
to surrend the Department to MIR.
Stanton u. action i'll his favor by the
Senate, yOFere to return the office to
me prior tdvice by the Senate, in or
der that if desired to do so, might
designate ae one to succeed you. 1t
must have en- apparent that had not
that undertaking been reached, it was
my purposorelieve you of the fur
ther dischae of the duties as Secreta-
nv of War; interim, and to appoint
some othene in that capacity. Other
cOnversatis upon the subject ensued,
all haVing,i my part, the same object
and leadinto the same conclusion as
the first. is not necessary, however,
to refer to ~ of them except the state
ment men1ned in your communities
tion. AS twas then known that the
Senate haCproceeded in the case OF
Mr.. Stanto, l was anxious to learn
your determination after the appointed
inbrview, aring which the provisions
of the tenue Of office bill were fully
disussed. Yeu said that as it had beer
agreed upon in our first conference. yoI
WOld either retutn the Office to my
possession in time to enable me to ap
poit a successor before action by thu
SeBte upon Mr.. Stanton'S suspension
or 'ould remain 1t its head awaiting
deGion by judicial proceedings. l
waShen understood there would b
a trther conference on Monday, b
with time [ supposed You would b
prearcd to inform me Of your final dc
cisil. You failed, however, to full
tb.l lgagement. and on Tuesday not
| iiRkG in writing of the receipt of yoU
OH al notification of the action of th
Semte in reference to Mr.. StantOn.-
Wit the understanding between us,
do MT believe that the embarrassment
would have attained its present prOpol
ti0nS or that the probabilities of il
repetition would have been so great
kuw that with a view to an early tel
minaiOn of the state of affairs SO detr
menhltO the public interests. volu
tarily offered both on Monday, the l5t
inst. and on the succeeding Sunday,
call upon Mr.. Stanton and urge upo
him that the good of the service rcqui
ed hiSTesignatiOn. l confess | cOnsiC
cred YOUR proposal as sort of repair;
ton for the failure on your part to q
in accordance with an understandin
more than once repeated, which it w;
considered received your full asseI
and under which you could have return
ed tome the office which l had confe
red upon you, thus saving yourself fro
endorsements and leaving the respo
sibiliK where it properly belonge
with the President, who is accountab
for the faithful execution of the law.
I have not vet been informed by V,
whether, as twice proposed by yourse
YOU had called upon Mr.. Stanton al
made an effort to induce him voluntari
to resign the War Department. Y
conclude your communication with !
| ferenceto our conversation at the me,
inc of the Cabinet, held on the 18th j
slant. In your account of what the
occurred you say that after the Pre-
dent had given his version Of our pl
yious conversation, you stated the
substantially as given i'll your letter, a
that youin "no wise admitted the ct
rectness of his statement, though
soften the evident contradiction of I
statemant [ said, alluding to our fl
convetatiOn on the subject, that t
Presidelt might have understood it
! ! tsl1s,,s>e>-s ~, said, viz: that had promis
| to r,ce9eeD if | did not resist the re
statement, but made no such promis
NV recollection Of what then transpil
is diametrically the reverse of your ,
| cIaration in the presence of the Ca
net. [ asked you, first, if in a conv
sation which took place shortly al
your appointment as Secretary of w
If YOU did agree to remain at the HI
of the War Department and abide s
iudicial proceedings that might foil
| {he non-concurrence of the Senate
Mr.. Stanton's suspension, or sho
YOU not wish to become involved
such controversy, to put me in
same position with reference to
Office as previous to your appointing
by returning it to me in time to ant
nate such action by the Senate. I
You admitted. Second, l then as
YOU if at the time the conference |
ceding Saturday, 1 had not, to avoi
misund erstanding, requested you
state what you Intended to do,
further, if in reply to that inquiry,
had not referred to my former con1
sations, saying that from them | unt
stood your position, and that your