Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-02-24
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH.
i7 To Ohio Statesman.
= -. u
THE WAR OFFICE.
An Interview with the President.
GEN. THOMAS UNDER ARREST.
EXCITEMENT In WASHINGTON!
TO BE VOTED ON TO-DAY
FROM WASHINGTON.

FROM WASHINGTON.
Interview Between the HeraId,s Cor
respondent and the President..A A
HistOrY OF the stanton Case..The
/ President indifferent as to the
Course of Cong ress. t.-4
New YORK, Feb. 22.-The Herald's WASH
ingtOn correspondent had an interview
| with President johnson, late last night.
relative to the removal of Secretary STAN
ton. The correspondent remarked that the
country was surprised at his action. The
President smiled, and inquired:
q" Well. what do the people say? sup
pose they are surprised. but have only
done what l had determined upon long
| ago." 2
CorrespondeHt-"T The removal, then, is
not in pursuance of a recent determination
on your part, Mr.. President
The President-"NOtata OF at all, sir. The peo-
| pie seem to have mistaken nv course alto
gether in this matter. never had but one
determination on the subject, and have
acted carefully, prudently and moderately,
Perhaps 1 have been too slow about re-
moving Mr.. Stanton, but not because fear
ed the bugbear of impeachment, or that I
dreaded anything that Congress could do.
Nothing that anybody could attempt or
carry out would intimidate or surprise me,
know they are capable of doing anything.
delayed the first action solely to let the
country see and understand the position of
Mr.. Stanton. We first intimated to him
that we would like him to withdraw from
our privy council. He did not take the
hint. We then requested him to resign.
He refused. We then suspended him un-
der the Constitutional power which we
have to suspend or remove member
of our Cabinet. The act of suspension
was also not in conflict with the tenure of
office bill, though we did not therefore
recognize its constitutionality, and, as a
matter OF courtesy, we sent the reasons for
our action to the Senate. That body pre-
cient and assumed to reinstate Mr.. Stanton
in Office. Well, we still waited, hoping
Mr.. Stanton would see the propriety of re-
signing himself. Generals Sherman and
Grant offered to go to Stanton and advise
him to resign. Here is a letter which indi-
Gates what they proposed
332 X STREET, WASHINGTON,
January Is, Saturday.
I regretted, this morning, to say that
spend Monday with Admiral Porter Gen.
Grant has to leave for Richmond on Mon
day morning at 6 O'Clock. Alta conversa-
tiOn with the General, after our interview,
wherein offered TO go with him on Mon
day morning to Mr.. Stanton, and say that
it was our joint opinion he should resign,
it was found impossible, by reason of his
going to Richmond and my going to An
napolis. The General proposed this course.
He will call on you o-morrow and offer to
90 to Mr.. Stanton to say that for the good
of the service of the country he ought to
resign-this on Sunday. On Monday 1
will call OF you, and If you think it neces-
sary, will do the same-call OH Mr.. STAN
ton, and tell him he should resign. II he
will will ha fO
ulteriOr measures. In the meantime it also
happens that no necessity exists for precip-
itating matters. Yours truly,
w. T. SHERMAN.
The President then continued-"Atter
waiting a reasonable time we thought
proper to-day to order the removal of MIR.
Stanton, and to appoint General Thomas
Secretary of War ad interim. This is the
whole story"
orrespondent-"Was this discussed in
the Cabinet counsel. Mr.. President?"
The President-"No, sir, not precisely.
A general policy was agreed upon some
time ago. and the removal to-day is in ac-
cordance Herewith. 1 have just received
copy of the resolution adopted by the
Senate tonight, in Executive session."
The President here read the resolution
printed elsewhere.
Correspondent-"W What will the Senate
do, Mr.. President, under that resolution
| if you still insist upon having Gen. Thomas
act as Secretary dd interim ? ;"
The President-"I don't see that they
can do anything. The resolution itself is
the end of the matter. so far as the Senate
is concerned, unless the House presents ar
ticles of impeachment, and the Senate un-
dertakes to execute and resolves itself
into high court of impeachment"
Correspondence Do you think Congress
really will attempt impeachment, Mr..
PRESIDENT" s9
The President-"I don't know, indeed,
nor do care. 1t would make very little
difference to me-"
The correspondent remarked that certain
Radicals might argue that persistence in
keeping Mr.. Stanton out of office, after the
Senate declaring his removal contrary TO
law, and after the passage of Mr.. Edmund's
suspension bill, would be bringing the
question out of the operation OF an ex post
facto law.
The President replied that that could not
alter the case, as the offense charged would
still be the removal of Mr.. Stanton, an act
performed before the passage of the pro-
posed law.
The correspondent here asked what the
President would do in the event of the
passage of Mr.. Edmund's bill of suspension,
to which the President answered substan.
TALLY:
"Sir, would not obey the law if they
attempted to suspend me. The law is
clearly unconstitutional. There is point
against it which you gentlemen of the
press seem to have altogether overlooked.
The bill of Senator Edmunds to suspend,
pending trial, would undoubtedly be an
ex post facto law. So far as my case would
be concerned, such law is declared un-
constitutional by the very language of the
Constitution itself. My offence, we will
suppose, is the removal of Mr.. Stanton.
That is an accomplished fact. Any how,
possibly penalty for that act would be ex
post facto, and therefore unconstitutional.
How can Congress legally pass bill of
| such a character?" e - -
In reply to an inquiry as to whether the
President had seen General Thomas since
| the interview of the latter with Mr.. STAN
| ton, the President said, "Yes," and pro-
ceeded to state what, recurring to his in
| formation, had occurred at that interview.
| Gen. Thomas, he said, waited upon Mr.
Stanton, and showed to him the Presidents
order removing Mr.. Stanton, and appoint
ing him (Gen. Thomas) as Secretary of
War dd interim, Mr.. Stanton read the order,
and asked Thomas whether he would be
obliged to vacate the office forthwith.
Thomas said his instructions were to as
sumo control Immediately. Stanton then
said he would like to have time to arrange
and take away his papers and documents,
to which Thomas replied that cOnsidera-
BILE time would be allowed for such pur-
pose. No time. however was fixed for Mr..
Stanton to finish his arrangements.
The President repeatedly expressed his
utter Indifference to what course Congress
might adopt on the impeachment question,
and in answer TO a parting remark of your
correspondent that the President might
sleep soundly in spite of the threatened
impeachment, he said, laughing: II don't
think my slumbers will be much disturbed
by that fear. 1 shalt sleep soundly and
awake refreshed"
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 22.-Much excitement
was occasioned throughout the city this
morning, owing to the arrest of General
Thomas, on affidavit made by Secretary
| Stanton. At O'Clock, Gen. Pile delivered
| tod. S. Gooding, Marshal of the District OF