Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-02-21

Il.
such was the understanding, but that he
did not suppose the Senate would act 80
soon that ON Monday he had been en-
gagged in a conference with General Sher-
man and was occupied with many little
matters, and asked if General Sherman
had mot called on that day l take this
mode of replying to the request contained
in the Presidents letter. because my at
tention had been called to- the subject
when the conversation between the Pres
ident and General Grant was under con-
sideration.
Very respectfully,your, obed't servant, z
~ ALEX. w. RANDALL,
49, Postmaster General.
To the President. a s ii-a
SECRETARY BROWNING LETTER, Ella
80 DEPARTMENT. OF THE INTERIOR,
.s WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. g. 1865. ! -
SIR: am in receipt OF. yours of yester-
day, calling my attention to a=Correspond-
ence between yourself and General Grant,
published in the Chronicle. and especially
to that part of said correspondence which
refers to the conversation between the
President and General Grant, at the Cabi
net meeting on Tuesday, the 18th Of Janu-
ary, and requesting me to state what was
said in that conversation. In reply l sub
NIT the following statement: = -
Atthe Cabinet meeting, Tuesday Janu-
airy 14th, 1868, General Grant appeared
and took his accustomed seat at the board.
When he had been reached in the order of
business, the President asked him, as usual,
if he had anything to present. In reply,
the General, after referring to q note
which he had that morning addressed to
the President, enclosing copy of the
resolution of the Senate refusing to concur
in the reasons for the suspension of STAN
ton, proceeded to say that he regarded his
duties as Secretary of.-War Gd interim ter
minated by that resolution, and that he
could not lawfully exercise such duties for
moment after the adoption of the resolu
ton that the resolution reached him last
night, and that this morning he had gone
to the War Department, entered the Sec
retary's room, bolted one door on the in
side, locked the other ON the outside,
delivered the key to the Adjutant General,
and proceeded to the headquarters of the
army, and addressed + the note above
mentioned to the President, inform
ing him that he was no longer Sec
rotary of War 0d interim. The President
expressed great surprise at the course
which General Grant had thought proper
to pursue, and, addressing himself to the
General, proceeded to say, in substance,
that he had anticipated such action of the
Senate, and, being very DESTROYS to have
the Tenure-of Office bill tested and his
right to suspend or remove. a member of
the Cabinet decided by the judicial tribun-
al of the country, he had some time ago,
and shortly after General Grants appoint
ment as Secretary of War Gd interim,
asked the General what his action would
be in the event that the Senate should
refuse to concur in the suspension of Mr..
Stanton; and that the General had then
agreed either to remain at the head of the
War Department till decision could be
obtained from the Court, or resign the Office
into the hands of the President before the
case was acted upon by the Senate, SO as to
place the President in the same situation
he occupied at the time of Grants appoint
menJ. The President further said that the
conversation was resumed On the preceding
Saturday, at which time he asked the Gen.
eral what he intended to do if the Senate
should undertake to reinstate Mr.. Stanton.
In reply to which, the General referred to
their former con versation upon the same
subject and said, "You understand my
position, and my conduct will be conform
able to that understanding" that he, the
General, then expressed a repugnance to
being made party to judicial proceed
ing, saying that he would expose himself
20 fine and Imprisonment by doing so, as
his continuing to discharge the duties of
Secretary of War 0d interao after. the
Senate should have refused to concur in
the suspension of Mr.. Stanton, would be
q violation Of the Tenure-of Office bill );
that in reply to this the President inform
ed General Grant that he had not sus
pended Mr. Stanton under the Tenure of
Office bill, but by virtue of the power con-
ferred on him by the constitution, and, as
to the fine and Imprisonment, the President
would pay whatever fine was imposed and
submit to whatever Imprisonment might
be adiudged against him, the General !;
that they continued the conversation for
some time, discussed the law at length, and
finally separated without having reached q
definite conclusion, and with the under
standing that the General would see the
President again on Monday. In reply,
General Grant admitted that the CONVEX
sations had occurred, and said that at the
first conversation he had given it as his
opinion to the President that in the event
Of Inconvenience by the Senate in the
action of the President, in respect to the
Secretary of War, the question would
have to be decided by the court; that
Mr.. Stanton would have to appeal to the
court to reinstate him in office that the
ms would remain in until they could be
displaced and The outs put, in by
legal proceedings; and that he then
thought So and had agreed that
if he should change his mind
he would notify the President in time to
enable him to make another appointment.
he had not looked very closely into the
law ; that it had recently been discussed
by the newspapers; that this bad induced
him to examine it more carefully, and that
he had come to the conclusion that if the
Senate should refuse to concur in the sus-
pension, Mr. Stanton would thereby be
reinstated and that he, Grant, could not
continue to act as Secretary of War Gd
interim, without subjecting himself to fine
and imprisonment; that he came over on
Saturday to inform the President of this
change in his views, and did so inform
him: that the President replied that he
had not suspended Mr.. Stanton under the
Tenure-of Office bill, but under the Consti-
tuition, and had appointed him, Grant, by
virtue of the authority derived from the
Constitution, &c; that they continued to
discuss the matter some time; finally he
left without any conclusion having been
reached, expecting to see the President
again on Monday. He then proceeded to
explain why he did not call on the Pres
ident on Monday, saying he had long
interview with General Sherman; that va
r;o,,a 1if<lo ,,oottarc had. oceu Mad his TINA