Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-01-23
From the New York Times
Gen. Grants Relations 10 the Pre.j.
dent 0nN NV. Stanton.

The President and his discomtitted
friends are doing their best TO provoke a
controversy, or an issue of yeracity, with
Gen. Grant. As usual, they fail to sue
coed in such efforts. Gen. Grant leaves
his public action TO be condemned or COM
mended, as public opinion shall see fit,
and asks no person TO enter the lists in his
defense. Nevertheless, some of tie state
ments inspired by the President regard
ing the recent action OF Gen. Grant are
so malicious and false, and SO evidently
designed to injure Gen. Grant in the pub
lie estimation, that the facts in the case,
which are well known at Washington,
should be plainly stated
Some weeks, perhaps some months ago,
Gen. Grant and the President discussed
the effect of the reinstatement OF Mr.
Stanton by the Senate, and they mutually
agreed that if Gen. Grant should remain
in the office, and not surrender on the de
mand of Mr.. Stanton, the latter would be
obliged H. have recourse to the courts to
establish his claims. But Gen Grant
made the President no promise that he
would so remain in Office, and thus be-
come party to the controversy. Suisse
quently Gen Grant closely examined the
provisions Of the Tenure of Office act,
and became convinced that when he was
officially notified that Mr.. Stanton was
reinstated by the Senate, he had but one
course to pursue, and that was to vacate
the Office without waiting for Mr.. STAN
tons action, or knowing what that action
would be. Upon this conviction Gen.
Grant acted, both in his interviews with
the President and his surrender of the
war office.
On Saturday. the llth inst, General
Grant waited upon the President for the
express purpose of informing him of his
construction of the tenure Of office act,
and of what he deemed his action should
be under it, in order that Mr.. johnson
might be fully apprised thereof in adj
vance, This was two days in advance of
the Scnate's action The President and
Gen. Grant discussed the matter for an
hour or more, the former intimatiug that
he thought the latter should pay no atten-
ton to the law Gen. Grant reminded
the President that he had himself rccog.
nized the law in his suspension of Mr..
Stanton, to which the President replied
by saying that he had suspended Mr..
Stanton by virtue of the power granted
him in tho Constitution to appoint, re-
move, and suspend officers, &c, and re-
ferred to the section of the Constitution
in question Gen. Grant then reminded
him that he had certainly recognized the
law in giving his reasons for the suspen-
sion. The President again referred to the
Constitution, and said he had given those
reasons, by virtue of the constitutional
provision requiring him to communicate
to Congress from time to time information
on public affairs, and that at all events
there was no law against his giving his
reasons to the Senate in the case of any
removal if he thought necessary, and that
it was mere act of courtesy General
Grant explicitly pointed out to Mr. John
son the provision of Section 9 of the Tenure
of Office Act, and stated what seemed to
/ him his only course of action in case Mr..
Stanton was reinstated. Mr.. johnson. of
course, did not concur; but while refrain
ing from giving any order on the subject,
seemed anxious to obtain from Gen Grant
some assurance that he would aid HIM in
keeping Mr.. Stanton out. The General
gave no such assurance, having plainly
stated his probable course of action in the
case, and the interview closed, the Presi.
dent casually remarking as the General
left that he would see him again ON the
subject.
Great stress has been given to the
charge that Gen. Grant at this interview
not only gave the assurance above men
toned, but that he positively agreed tc
meet the President agaiuon Monday. The