The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-02-06


tiers are all that passed between him and the
President on the subject:
GENERAL GRANT To THE PRESIDENT.
+ --" WASHINGTON. D. c., Jan. "a, 1868.
~ SiR-I have the honor very respectfully 10
request to have in writing the order when the
President gave me verbally on sunday. the
lsph instant. TO disregard the orders of The
Hon e. NJ Stanton, as Secretary Of Tar, un-
I'll / knew from the President himself, thai
they were bis orders.
Your obedient servant,
q -sE..+s 1858 80 Y. >. GRANT General.
WAsnISGroN, D. c., Jan. o. 1868.
'SiR,--On the 24th instant requested you to
give me in writing the instructions which you
mad previously given me verbally, not 10 obey
any order from Hon. E. NJ. Stanton, Secretary
OF War, unless knew that it came from your
q self. To this written request l received
message that has left doubt in my mind OF
your intentions. To prevent any possible mis-
understanding, therefore, renew the request
that you will give me written Instructions and
until they are received, / will suspend action
s On your verbal ones
1 am compelled 10 ask these instructions in
II writing, IN consequence of the many gross
misnterpre tations affecting my personal hon
e.. OF, circulated through the press for the last
fortnight, purporting to come from the Presi-
dent, Of conversations which occurred either
with the President privately in his office, or in
cabinet meetings.
In view of the Representations referred
10, 1t Will be well to state the facts in the case
Some time after | assumed the duties of Secre-
tary OF War I'D interim, the President asked
my views as to the course Mr. Stanton would
have to pursue, in case the Senate should not
l concur in his suspension, to obtain possession
OF his office. My reply was in substance that
MI, Stanton would have to appeal to the courts
to TelnsJate him, Illustrating my position by
citing the grounds had taken in the case Of
the Baltimore police commissioners. In that
case did not doubt the technical right Of Gov
Swami to remove the old commissioners and
7TCro appoint their successors, as the old commits
b. sioners refused to give up. However, con-
tended that no resource was left but to appeal
TO the courts
Finding that the President was DESTROYS of
keeping Mr.. stanton out of office, whether
sustained in the suspension or not stated
that had not looked particularly into the
tenure of office bill, but that what had stated
was general principle. and if | should change
my mind IN this particular case, would in
form him Of the fact. Subsequently, in reading
2 the tenure Of office bill closely | found that
= could not, without violation of the law, refuse
to vacate fhe Office OF Secretary Of War the
moment Mr.. Stanton was reiDstated by the
Senate, even though the President ordered me
to retain it, which be never did
taxing llis view Of the subject, and learning
On saturday, the 11th instant, that the Senate
had taken up the subject of Mr.. Stanton's sus-
pension, after some conversation with Lieuten-
GpttGeneral Sherman and some members of
70.
my stan, IN v hich stated that the law left me
no discretion as 10 my action should Mr.. Stan
ton be relnstated, and that intended to so iu-
form the President went to the President
Tor the sole purpose of making this decision
known, and did so make ii known. In doing
This Untitled the promise made in our last
preceding conversation on the subject
s5 Lie President, however, instead of accept
ing ny view Of the requirements OF the ten
ure or once Dill, commended that he had sus-
pended Mr., Stanton under the authority given
eg me Constitution, and that the same au-
tnority did not preclude him from reporting,
az an act of courtesy, his reasons for the sus-
pension TO the Senate; that having been APP
V pointed under the authority given by the
q Constitution, and not under any act of Con-
gFess, could not be governed by the act.
stated that the law was binding on me- con-
stitutlonal or not, until set aside by the proper
3 tribunal. An hour more was consumed,
each reiteratiHg his views on this subject un-
III gettlng late, tbs President said he woul d
see ne again.
did not agree to call again on Monday, nor
az any other definite time, nor was I sent fer
y the President until the following Tuesday.
FROM me llth inst: to the cabinet meeting on
the 14th inst. q doubt never entered my mind
about the Presidents fully understanding my
position, viz. That if the Senate refused TO
concur IN the s1spensiop Of M st9;sstea, ~
cease, and Mr.. Stanton's right to assume at
once the functions of his office would
under the law be indisputable-and acted ac-
a With Mr.. Stanton had no communication
direct or indirect, on the subject of his rein
statement during his suspension. I knew it
mad been recommended to the President to
send in the name of Governor Cox of Ohio
Tor secretary OF War and thus save all en-
oarrasSmeEt, proposition that I really hoped
ne would entertain favorably General SLer-
8 man seeing the President at my particular re-
quest to urge this on the 18Th inst
On Tuesday, the day Mr. Stanton re-enter-
ed the office of the Secretary,of War, General
Ceinstock, who had carried my official letter
announcing that with Mr.. Stantons reinstate-
Inent BY the Senate had ceased to be Score
tary of War al interim, and who saw the
President open and read the communication.
brought back to me from the President a
message that he wanted to see me that day at
the cabinet meeting after mad made known
the fact that was no longer Secretary of war
od interim. At this meeting after opening IL
as though L were a member of his cabinet
when reminded Of the notification already Civ
en- BIN that was no longer Secretary of War
ga interim, the President gave a version of the
conversation alluded to already, In this
statement it was asserted that in both conyer.
q satIons had agreed to hold Oh to the Office OF
secretary OF War until displaced by the courts
or resign so as to place the President where he
would have been had | never accented the
office: After hearing the President through
stated our conversations substantially as given
IN this letter: L will add that my converse
ton before the cabinet embraced other mat
ter lot pertinent here, and is left out | in
no wise admitted the correctness OF the Presi-
dents statement of our conversation though
10 soften the evident contradiction my state
nent gave, said, alludng to our first CONVEX
sation on the subject, that the President might
have understood me to say as he said, viz /:
That had promised to resign if did nos re-
F.. zsist the reinstatement
.ca made no snch promise
| have the honor to be, very respectfully.
Your obedient servant,
+ 'a U. S. GRANT, General
In response TO This second request General
Grant received his note Of the oath with the
following endorsement:
As requested in this communication Cen
eral Grant is instructed in writing not to obey
any order from the War Department. assumed
70 oe issued by the direction of the President.
Unless such order is known by the general
commanding the armies of the United States
TO have been authorized by the Executive
-..- ANDREW JOHNSON.
Jan. %, 1863
4n+ 5'-"-'a