The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-02-13
To the President.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, }

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Feb 8, 1868
/ am in receipt of yours of yesterday calling
my attention to a correspondence between
yourself and General Grant published in the
| Chronicle (newspaper,) and especially to that
part of the said correspondence which ref r. to
| the conversation between Gen. Grant and the
| President at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday,
| the 18th of January and requesting me TO st te
| what was said in that conversation. In reply
l submit the following statement:-
| AT the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the 18th
| of January, 1868, Gen. 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, al
ter referring to a note which he had that morn
| ing addressed to the President enclosing a
copy of the resolution of the Senate refusing to
| Concur in the reasons for the suspension of
| Mr.. Stanton, proceeded TO say that he regard
| ed his duties as Secretary OF War cd interim
| terminated by that resolution and that he
| could not lawfully exercise such duties for
moment after the adoption of the resolution
| by the Senate; 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 inside
| 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 aforementioned to the / resident,
| informing him that he (Gen. Grant, was no
| longer Secretary of War dd interim. TIE
| President expressed great surprise at the
course which Gen. Grant thought proper to
| pursue, and, addressing himself to the Gener-
| al, proceeded to say in substance that he had
| anticipated such action in the Senate, and be-
ing very DESTROYS to have the constitutionality
| of the tenure-of-offce bill tested. and his right
| to suspend or remove a member Of the Cabinet
| decided by the judicial tribunal of the coun-
| try he had some time ago, and shortly after
| Gen. Grants appointment as Secretary OF
War dd 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 bad then
agreed either to remain at the head
Of the War Department till a decision
could be obtained from the Court, or resign
the office into the hands of the President be-
fore the case was acted upon by the Senate,
so as to pla e the President in the same situa-
ton he occupied at the time OF ms Grants
| appointment The President further said that
| the conversation was renewed on the preced-
ing Saturday at which time he as ked 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 conversation upon the same subject
ana SAD, You understand my position and
my conduct will be conformable to that under
standlng; that he (the GeneraD expressed
! repuShaues 10 nelng made party to a judi
| clal proceeding, saying that he would expose
| himself to line and imprisonment nv so do.
! ing, as his continuing to discharge the duties
| of Secretary of War I'D interim after tba San
ate should have refused to concur in the ans
pension OF Mr.. Stanton would be violation
Of the Tenure-of Office bill; that in renlv to
this he 1.-THE Presiden0 informed Grant that be
had not SUSPENDED Mr.. Stanton under the
Tenure-ol-O Office bill, but by virtue of the
power conferred on him by the Constitution,
and as to the fine and imprisonment he 1.-THE
President) whould pay whatever fine was in
neted and submit to whatever imprisonment
was adiudged against him (the Genera); that
they continued lne conversation tor some time