The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-02-13
Gen Grant and President Johnson.

President 10 ixsoS relative to the War De- |
partment, * published. The letters are too
long for orr columns. But npcorresp ondSnce /
ever more thoroughly Illustrated the character
OF the resp ctye writers. One appears as he
has in ali the Positions he has hitherto occupied
as the plain, straig htor ard, frank gentleman,
4 seeking to do right, aud scorning subterfuge,
That is General GaANr. The other writes
himseifa hypoefite. and in every line of his
| several letters to Gen. GRANT, betrays his eff
fort to Obtain an ad IN atage--a" foul holt The
plain, straight, hard shoulder hitting of Gen.
GRANT, however, is too severe for his crafty
| adversary, who strikes and falls as towards do
in the prize ring The question discussed is
this.
The President recognized the validity Of the
Tenure-of Office act by susl,ending Secretary
STANTON He assigned Gen. Grant To the pc
stion of Secretary Of War AID INTERIM When
the Senate OF the United States decided that
the suspension of Secretary Stanton illegal,
Gen. Grant. as law abiding citizen, promptly
| retired from office whose functions he had
no lawful right 70 administer, and Secretary
Stanton resumed his lawful position. The
| President desired to use Gen. Grant as tool
to enable him to eyade the law without respon-
sibility to himself, while at the same time rem
Grant should be seriously compromised with
the country. Grant moved in straight line,
and the Presidents crooked plans were foiled.
He then accused Grant OF duplicty, and SUI
horned several willing members of his Cabne
to testify that Grant had made certain admis-
sions, which Johnson distorted TO apply t.
other set of circumstances. To complicate the
case more thoroughly, j Johnson, after Gen.
| Grant had retired from the War Office, gave him
VERBAL instructions to disregard Secretary
Stanton's orders. This afforded Gen. Gran,
an opportunity to vindcate himself Accord
ngly, January Oath he requested the Presi-
dent to commit his orders touching Gen. Grant
and Secretary Stanton to writing, SO that he
(Grant) should not be iahle to any msunder
standing. In making this request General
Grant says. @.t AZ
81 in wise admitted the correctness OF the Pres
dents statement of our conversation though to soft
en- the evident contradiction of my statement; said,
aludng first sation the subject, that
the President might have understood me the way be
said, namely, that had promised to resign Il did
not resist the reinstatement. iaade no such STAT
rnef,f. t -Gt ~.
As Johnson has been repeatedly convicted
of classifying, and Grants word is as trusty as
his sword, his simple denial in the premises IS
sufficient for the American people. Johnson
has betraye body VINO has trusted him,
and Grant has baen true to all who have relied
, upon him. But after this letter is another
from Grant again asking for written lnstruc
tons from the President, which the latter gave
in the following endorsement on Gen. Grants
note: @5t @@
Gas requested in this communication, General
Grant is instructed in writing not to obey any order
from the War Department, assumed to be issued by
!
known by the General commanding the armies of
the United States to have been authorized by the
Executive. --.t+ ANDREW Johnson.
Upon receiving this. General Grant replied
to the President: z -s
al am informed by the Secretary Of War that lie
has received from the Executive any order or IN
structio limiting iupairiug his authority to is
sue orders the army, has heretofore been his
practice rnder the aw and customs Of the depart
ment While this authority to the War Depart
handed he j. Of
evidence to that any orders is sued from the W
: Department by direction OF the President,
thorized by the Executive | have the honor t. be-
, very respectfully, your obedient seEvhnt,
, U. $. GRANT, General"
, Whereupon the President, in a long letssr
, repeats the story of the New York World szad
| the Washington lHteligencer-organs Of :ne
, President that Gen. Grant had promised to
Fl hold on TO the War Office until Johnson had
circumvented the law, and asserts that naon
reading his notes Of the interview upon aiat
subject between Gen. Grant and the Persistent
: | to the four members OF his Cabinet, they hal
concurred in the substantial correctness of the
Presidents representations, that Grant rad
e promised as set forth.
To this Gen. Grant replies that lie iinds she
: Presidents note .but reiteratIon, somewhat
1 more in detail, of the many and gross misTep.
+ RESERVATIONS contained in these articles, ard
: which my statement Of facts, set forth in my
letter of the Oath ult., was intended 10 correct,
: and herein I reassert the correc ness Of my
statements in that letter, any thing in your
ply to the contrary no withstandingi
Some of our polite contemporaries referring to
e this passage say that it merely raises "a ques-
), ton of veracity' between General Grant and
: the President As We interpret, it IS merely
e clever way OF saying Andrew Johnson you
= are liar, and you are only eIdeavoring TO
sneak ont of scrape at my expense" Fhe
conclusion of this CORES, ,ondence. however, is
( so direct and manly that we publish it entire.
n. to CAV to he Pros
.eThe President however, instead of accepting my
view of the requirements of the Tenure iice bill,
e contended be had suspended Mr. Stanton under
therty given by the onstitaton, and that the
authority did not preclude him from reporting,
OF courtesy his reasons for the suspension to the
Senate; that having been appointed under authority
given by the Constitution, and not under the act OF
. Congress, could net be governed by the act.
81 stated that that law was binding me, Consti-
, tutiora not, until set aside by the proper trbu
:, An hour was consumed each reiterating his
views this subject, until getting late. the Presi
call again Monday a. any other definite tne
was sent for by the President until the follow
ing Tuesday -
Upon this point "the President said he would
see m 3 again. is based the whole claim Of the
President that General Grant had promised to
i comply with his wishes by holding to the
. office until he Gthe Presidency could eheckmate
the law by evading 1T. Grants strai shtforward
|. way of obeying the law confused and check
/. mated the crafty President. Gen. Grant also
), saws that he had communication direct or
- indirect, with Mr.. Stanton, up to this time,
s but as the name Of Gen Cox, OF Ohio had
a been recommended for Secretary Of War, both
he and Gen Sherman hoped the President
would nominate him, in order to all en-
t barrassment In reference to the conversation
before the Cabinet after Mr.. Stanton rein
stated, Gen. Grant bluntly says it embraced
/ other matter not pertinent here and SO is
t omitted This little point illustrates how ] ohm
. son had packed panel of cunning lawyers to
entrap the plain soldier in a form O. words to
t. promote the aw-vola;ing scheme he was en-
gagged in. Concluding this letter, Cen Grant
says to the President .1 H5