Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-02-20
MORE OF THE GRANT-JoHN.
SON CORRESPONDENCE.


The President this afternoon sen
the following letters to the HOUSE
of Representatives, in accordance
with the resolution adopted yester
day:
THE PRESIDENT TO GEN. GRANT.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Feb 10 1903
GENERAL.-The extraordinary
character of your letter of the 3d
inst would seem to preclude any reply
on my part; but the manneril which
publicity has been given to the
correspondence of which that letter
forms a part, and the grave ques-
tions which are involved, induce me
to take this method Of giving, as q
proper sequal to the communica-
tions which have passed between us,
the statements of the five members
of the Cabinet who were present on
the l4th ult. Copies of the letters
which they have addressed to me
upon the subject are accordingly
herewith inclosed.
You speak Of my letter Of the 1st
ult as "a reiteration of the many
and gross misrepresentation con-
tanned in certain newspaper arti-
cles," and reassert the correctness
Of the statements contained in your
communication of the 2Sth ult., adj
ding-and here l give your own
words-"anything of yours in re-
ply to it to the contrary notwith-
standing" When controversy
upon matters of fact reaches the
point to WEIGH this has been bro t,
| further assertion or denial between
the immediate parties should cease,
especially when upon either side it
loses the character of respectful dis
cussivn, which is required by the
relation in which the parties stand
to each other, and de9enerates in
tone and temper. In such a case,
if there is nothing to rely upon but
the opposing statements, conclu-
sions must be drawn from those
statements alone, and from whatev
err intrinsic probabilities they afford
in favor or against either of the par
ties.
l should not shrink from the con-
troversy. But, fortunately, it is
not left to this test alone. There
were five Cabinet officers present at
the conversation the details OF
which, in my letter of the 2Sth ult.,
you allow yourself to say contains
many and gross misrepresenta-
tons. These gentlemen heard that
conversation, and have read my
statement. They speak for them
selves, and | leave the proof with
out a word of comment.
l deem it proper, before conelu-
ding this communication, to notice
some of the statements contained in
your letter. You say that a per
fJrmance of the promises alleged to
have been made by you to the Pres
ident "would have involved a re-
sistance to law, and an inconsistent
cy with the whole history ofmy con
nection with the suspension Of MIR.
Stanton >
You then state that YOU had fears
that the President would, on the re-
moval of Mr.. Stanton, appoint some
one in his place who would embar-
rass the army in carrying out the
Reconstruction Acts, and add: 1T
was to prevent such an appoint
ment l accepted the office of Sec
retary of War nd interim, and not
for the purpose of enabling you to
get rid of Mr.. Stanton, by my Will
holding it from him in opposition
to the law, or, not doing so myself,
surrendering it to one who would,
as the statements and assumptions
in your communication plainly in
dictate, was sought
First of all, yoHhere admit that
from the very beginning of 'wIot
you term the whole history of your
connection with Mr.. Stanton
suspension you intended to circum-
vent the President. 1t was to car
ry out that intent you accepted the
appointment; this was in your
mind at the time of your accept
ance. 1t was not then in
obedience to TIE order OF your
superior, as has heretofore been
supposed, that you assumed the
duties of the office You knew
it was the President purpose, 10
prevent Mr.. Stanton from resuming
the office of Secretary of War, and
YOU intended to defeat that pur-
pose. You accepted the office, not
in the interest of the President, but
of Mr.. Stanton. If this purpose,
so entertained by you, had been
confined to yourself; if when ac-
cepting the office, you had done SO
with mental reservation to frus-
trate the President, it would have
been a deception. In the ethics OF
some persons such course is allow
able; but you can not stand even
upon that questionable ground
The history of your connection
with this 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
10 eup,oSa fhat won would carry