Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-12-30
The Radicals Alarmed at
Grants Determination to
be President In Fact as
well as in Name.
The Civil Tenure Law Re-
turns to Vex its In
ventors.
The Amnesty Proclamation.
Grant on the Spells of Office.

Washington dec. 2I) Correspondence of the
New York World.
BREACH BETWEEN GENERAL GRANT AMI
CONGRESS-.
The sudden and widening breach be<
tween Gen. Grant and the Fortieth Con-
gress is the topic Of the capitol o-night.
No new annunciations have been mad Q
by the President elect. He has not re-
ferred to the subject, and only casual cal.
lers have dropped into his headquarters.
His position, stated in these dispatches
last night, to the effect that he demands
the repeal Of the Civil Tenure law, and
the continuance of the law providing for
Congress TO meet in March, has been
confirmed to-day by the flutter it has
caused in Radical circles. A few Sena>
tors, Nye, Morgan, Sumner and Stewart
are here, and had an informal meeting
to-day in reference to the new situation.
These Senators were, without exception,
in favor of the continuance of the Civil
Tenure bill, no matter what may be the
result They declared that Congress
was prepared to yield nothing to dicta-
ton, and that Gen. Grants extraordinary
and peremptory demand ought at least to
have been postponed until the occasion
Of his message, and then been respect
fully couched in the form of proclamaN
ton. They deny that Congress intends
to construe the Civil Tenure bill against
any desire Gen. Grant may have to exc"
cute summary removal upon notorious
officials; but they decline to abrogate the
law altogether because, as Mr.. Sumner de-
llares, the security of the future requires it.
The Senators charge that any rupture
between Grant and Congress will be re-
ferable to the former, whose gauntlet has
been thrown down in advance but that
the crucial test to which the Civil Tenure
bill was put in the impeachment proceed
ings proved that it must stand. Tele>
grams have been received to>day from
Butler and Wilson on the sudden situa
ton. Butler is said simply to have said
stand firm. Wilson enjoined no haste,
and patience; and Senator Sherman, who
is now here gravely Keeps his own coun-
sci. Senator Morton, who is here, pro-
feSses to be busted with his financial
studies, and declines to discuss the civil
tenure issue, believing, however, that
when Trumbull and Fessenden return
all will be made right. On the contrary,
Senator Henderson was to-day free in
his opinion that the law had worked
badly, and that Gen. Grants demand for
its repeal in advance was @timely and
right. 1t is conceded that the bill will
not be repealed, and that Gen. Grant
has only succeeded in precipitating
hostility which was not expected to show
itself so soon. The other demand of
Grant for a session of the Forty>first
Congress will be acceded to. Indeed,
Wade, Fessenden and Sherman, and also
Trumbull and Wilson, were pronounced
in favor of it before this date, and Mr..
Conkling's bill to repeal the act of Con-
tinuous Session has dropped out of sight.
THE CIVIL TENURE LAW.
General Grant has on three occasions
since Tuesday expressed his intention, in
terms worthy in emphasis of Andrew
Jackson, to have the Civil Tenure bill
repealed. His first utterance Of the kind
was to Washburn, at his (Grant's) resi-
dence on / street, on Tuesday night, afs
ter the receipt Of that days World con-
tanning the disclosures of Buffers dodge
to have the bill repeating the Civil Ten
ure act lie over till after day long
enough to let Mr.. johnson pocket it with
fatal effect General Grant excitedly
asked his friend as there anything in
this ? If l thought that such a game
was meant, would"
The rest of the sentence ended literally
in smoke.
ANOTHER INTERVIEWER OF GRANT.
Yesterday morning Senator of the
State of Missouri, just about to depart
home for the recess, called to pay his re-
spects, and to say goodbye to General
Grant at his headquarters. The CONVEX
sation got on to politics, and the Senator
made the initiative remark:
General, | think the Civil Tenure law
has worked badly, and will work worse
To this question General Grant res
piled excitedIy in the following words
II think so, too. am glad you think
so. That law must be really repealed
before l begin"
Evidently Gen. Grant was resolving
| purposes in his mind, and was harbOring
suspicion there, too. These suspicious
found vent and these purposes unwOnt-
eddy emphatic expressions that very
! afternoon.
GRANT SPEAKS HIS MIND.
Two Congressman came to see him,
One was Mr.. Washburne. The other is
said TO have beer Senator Stewart
though some say it was Senator Will
liams.
To these gentlemen Gen. Grant de-
clared that he believed a purpose existed
not TO repeal the civil tenure bill in good
faith, and that Congress had better I'M
derstand that if there was any double
dealing designed there was another Con-
gress to fix things straight. lie had
thought that the forty-tirst Congress
need not meet, further than an extra ses
sion of the Senate to confirm few ap.
pointments. If affairs went right this
winter, the expense oil another session o
Congress would be avoided, and he was
opposed to unnecessary expense. On re-
Election, however, he thought the forty.
first Congress had-hetter meet in March
That was his opinion. Therefore he sup
posed that the bill repeating continuous
session had better be dropped. If i
was passed, he wanted it understood tha
he would call the new Congress tOgCth
by pIOclamatiOns, at very early day.
This in truthful substance, almost il
literal words, is what General Grant sait
to these two Congressman yesterday
afternoon. General Grant said "h'
wanted il understood that he thought tht
Congress oflSG9 and 1870 must meet il
March" Gen. Grant said the same day
that che wanted it understood that tn,