The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-02-19

"Other conversations upon the subject ensued, all
having, my part the object and leading to the
same conclusion the first It's necessary, how
to refer to OF them excepting that of the 18th
inst. mentioned in your communication AS it was
then known the Senate had proceeded in the case of
Mr. Stanton. was anxious to learn youf determine
ton. After proracted interview, during Which the
provisions of the tenure of Office bill fully dis
cused you said that as had been agreed upon IN
first conference, you would either return the office to
my possession, III time to enable to appoint sue
before final action by the Senate upon Mr. Stan
toms suspension, would remain at its head, awaiting
| decision by judicial proceedings
Al was then understood there would be a further
conference on Monday, by which time supposed you
would be prepared to inform Of your final decision
i You failed however, to fulfill the engagement, and on
Tuesday, notified me, writing of the receipt OF an
official notification of the action Of the Senate IN refer
to Mr.. Stanton and, at the same tlme Informed
me that according the act regulating the tenure of
certain civil Offices your functions Of Secretary of War
ad interim ceased from the moment OF the receipt OF
the notice.
'.You thus, in disregard of the understanding be-
tween u.s. vacated the Office without having given no.
tice of your intent to do 1t is but just to say how
ever that in your communication you claim you did in
form me OF your purpose and thus fulfilled the promise
made IN our last preceding on the subject
The TACT that such promise existed IS evidence OF an
arrangement of the kind have mentioned. You had
found IN first conference, that the President was
DESTROYS of keeping Mr. Stanton out of office, whether
sustained in the suspension or not \ on knew what
reasons had induced the President to ask from you
promise. You also knew that, in case your views OF
duty did not accord with his own convictions, it
his purpose to fill your place by another appointment
even ignoring the existence of positive under
standing between US, the conclusions were plainly de-
ducibe from various conversations II is certain,
however that even under these circumstances you did
not oerto return the place to my possession but, ac
cording to your statement placed yourseifn po-
| sition where, could | have antcaped your action,
would have been compelled to ask you as was com
PEELED to ask OF your predecessor In the War Depart
meut, letter of resignation, to resort to the more
dsagreeabe mode of suspending you, by the appoint
| ulent Of a successor
GAS stated in your letter, the nomination of Gov.
Cox Of Ohio, for Secretary of War, suggested to
me. This appointment Mr.. Stantons successor was
urged in your name, and it said that his selection
would save further embarrassment. l did not think
that in the selection OF cabinet officer should be
tranmeled by such considerations. was prepared 10
take the responsibility of deciding the question IN ae
cordance with my ideas of constitutional duties and
having determined upon course which deemed right
and proper was anxious to learn the steps you would
take should the possession of the War Department be
| demanded by Mr.. Stanton. Had your action been in
conformity with the understanding between do not
believe that the embarrassment would have attained
its present proportions, or that the probability ofsts
| repetition would have been great. l know that,
with view to early termination of state of af
fairs so detrimental to the public interests, you voun
tarly offered, both on Monday the 10th inst, and on
the succeeding Sunday, to call upon Mr.. Stanton and
urge upon him that the good of the service required
| his resignation.
81 confess | considered your proposal as sort of
reparaon for the failure your part to- act in
dance with an understanding than repeated,
which had received your full assent and under which
you could have returned to me the office which had
conferred upon you, thus saving yourself from embar
easements and leaving the responsibility where it prop
erly belonged, with the President who is accountable
for the faithful execution of the law.
81 have not yet been informed by YOU whether, as
twice proposed By YOURSELF You had called upon Mr.
Stanton and made effort to induce him voluntarily
to resign from the War Department.
'You conclude your communication with reference
to conversation at meeting OF the cabinet held on
the l4th inst In your account of what there occurred
you say that after the President had given his version
OF stated
TALLY given in your letter. and that you In no wise
admitted the correctness of his statement, though to
soften the evident contradiction my statement made,
said (aluding to our first communication on the sub
iect the President might have understood in the way
he said, viz that had promised to resign if did not
resist reinstatement. Imade no such PROMISE a |
"My recollection of what then TRANSFERRED is demet
rcay the of your narration. In the presence
of the cabinet asked you first, if in conversation
which took place shortly after your appointment
Secretary of War ad Interim did agree to remain
at the head Of the War Department and abide any u
dlclal proceedings that night follow the nonconcur
should you not wish to become involved in such contro
versy to put in the position with reference to
the office previous to your appointment by return
ing it to me in time to anticipate such action by the
Senate. This you admitted.
s'Second-I then asked you it, at the time of the
ference the preceding Saturday, had not to avoid
misunderstanding, requested you to state what you in
tended to do and, further if in reply to that inquiry
you had not referred to my former Conversations say
ing that from them understood your position. and
that your action would be consistent with the under
standing which had been reached To these questions
YOU also replied in the Affirmative
Thrd-I then asked if at the conclusion of in
tervew Saturday, it was understood that we were
to have another conference on Monday before fnal
ton by the Senate in the of Mr.. Stanton. You
replied that such the under> landing, but that you
did not suppose the Senate would act soon; that
Monday you had been engaged in conference with
Gen Sherman: and was occupied with many little mat
ters and asked if Gen. Sherman had not called that
day. What relevancy Gen. Sherman's visit to me on
Monday had with the purpose for which you were TO-
did not inform me WI ether you had determined to
tain the office or to afford me an opportunity to APP
point successor in advance of any attempted rein
statement of Mr.. Stanton. ~
" This account of what passed between us at the
cabinet meeting, on the l4th inst widely differs from
that contained in your communication for it shows
that, instead Of having stated our conversation, as
given in the letter which has made this reply
ry you admitted that my recital Of them was entirely
Sincerely anxious however, to be correct in
my statements have today read this narrative Of
what occurred or the 4h inst the members of the
cabinet who then present. They, without eycep
ton, agree in its accuracy. -.".r
90 It is only necessary 10 add, that on "Wednesday
morning. the 18th, you called on me in company with
Lieut.. Gen Sherman. After some preliminary CONVEX
saon, You remarked that an article in the National
Inteigencer of that day did you much injustice.
replied that had not read the Intcllgencer of that
morning You first told me it your intention to
urge Mr.. Stanton to resign his office. After you had
Withdrawn, carefully read the article Of which YOU
spoke and found its statement Of the understanding
between us substantially correct. On the 18th
caused to be read to four i've members OF the cab
met who present at conference on the 18th,
and they concu1red in the general accuracy of the
statements respecting our conversation on that occa-
sion. ..
20 In reply to your communication have deemed it
PROPER to prevent further misunderstanding, to make
this simple recital Of facts.
-" Very respectfully yours, ANDREW JOHNSON.
" Gen. U. s. Grant, commanding"
a GRANT no THE president.
"HEADouARrERs UNITED STATES ARMY,
s Washington, DC. Feb. 8, 1863. |
A." His Excelency Andrew johnson, President of the
United States: $EE# d #A p%# @&4-E Ia i
"Sir--I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt
of your communication of the 3lst ult., in to
mine of the 26h ult. After careful reading and
parison of the article in the National lntegencer, of
the 18th ut with the article the initials j. b. S.,
in the New York World Of the 9th ult supporting to
be based upon your statement, and that of the
bers of the cabinet therein named fnd it only to be
but reiteration somewhat in detail of the many
and misrepresentation contained in these artl
ees ana which my statement of facts, set forth in my
letter of the 2Sth ult., intended to correct, and
herein reassert the correctness of statements in
that letter. anything in your reply to the contrary not
l@z ri &.r -z4@ *a-ta5 + los y
Al confess my surprise that the cabinet officers re-
ferred to should greatly msapprehend the facts, in
the matter of admission alleged to have been made by
me at the cabinet meeting the 14h ult suffer
their to be made the basis of the charges in the
newspaper articles referred to the accuracy