Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-02-14
The Grant, ohnsoa Correspond
enes,


The Grant, ohnson Correspond
enes,
We lay before our readers to-day
the first instaIlment Of letters between
General Grant and Mr.. johnson Fela-
tive to the reinstatement Of Mr.. Stan
ton as Secretary of War. The letters
we have published speak for them
selves and will Of course be read by
everybody. Tuesday Mr.. johnson
submitted to the House additional let
ters on the same subject written By
himself, General Grant, aud also let
ters from five members of his Cabinet
giving their reeollectioBs Of the con-
versation between Gen. Grant and
himself at the Cabinet meeting, just
after MI. Stantons reinstatement
They are quite lengthy and would oe-
eupy more space than we have at com
mand in this Issue. We therefore in
sers the following article concerning
them from Wednesdays Cincinnati
Gazette
We print this morning the Presidents
reply to General Grant, together with
letters from We Of the Cabinet Ministers,
introduced by the President in support
of his version of Grants position, and
6nal letter from General Grant to the
President. The whole thing, as against
Grant, is wealS-decide3ly so. The
Presidents witnesses fsebly sustain
him. This is particularly true of
Messrs, Browning and Seward.
1t must be taken into consideration
that from the beginning the President
practiced low cunning in putting Gen
eral Grant in the War Office, and that
his object was to make use of this pop
ular officer for the purpose of a fight
with the Senate. General Grant, on the
other hand, not suspeCtiDg the real OBJ
ject of the President, took the Office in
good faith, and for the sole purpose,
as he stated, of advancing the
interests OF the country. The President
had q purely selfish object IN view,
while Grant was governed by high,
patriotic motives. We can readily im-
agine, therefore, how Gen. Grant may
way that might be construed against
him by a cunning questiouer, who had
his plans laid and a dishonOrable object
in view, while the General suspected
nothing Of the kind.
But the letters of the Cabinet Minis
. L.
The General, on taking the Office, be-
lieved that in the event of the Senate
reinstatiug Stanton, he could hold the
Office, and would be mpal1ed to. hold
it under the order Of the President, uu4
I'll the c0nstitutiOuality Of the Tenure
Of Office act should be decided by the
Court. This is not disputed. Subse-
quentlyy however, General Grant upon
reading carefully the law, discovered
that if he should attempt to bold the Of
fee against the action of the Senate he
would be liable to fine and imDriSOns
ment This conclusion he stated to the
President, and furthermore informed
him that he. would not rcOnse Mt to be
placed in that position. This is not dis
puted either. But it is claimed that
General Grant, on the Saturday preced-
ing the action of the Senate, agreed
to- see the President ON Monday
He did not see him; but he sent
him a note informing him Of the
action Of the Senate and on
Monday night the President knew
perfectly well that the Senate had nom
lcOncurre0 In his reasons for removing
Stanton, and that under this action
Stanton would, on Tuesday morning,
present himself at the War Office for
duty. He did so present himself, but
not until 10 o o'clock. From Grants con-
versation on Saturday and Grants note
OF Monday night, the President had no
reason to suppose the former would re-
sist the action Of the Senate. Why, then,
did he not relieve Gen. Grant on Tues
day morning? Simply because he did
not dare to-. He was willing that Grant
should disobey the law, bat be had no
idea of assuming that response bility
himself. His final action is strictly in
keeping with the cunning which he
pracbicedy or attempted to practice, upon
Grant from the first. e--'
The charge preferred by the Presi-
dent, in the last letter, that Grant
meant to keep the Office for Stanton and
not Tor the President, is strictly in keep.
ing with the character of the latter, as
developed in his proceedings in the
business. Grant distinctly stated in
his first letter that he knew it was the
good of the country Stanton sought, and
not the Office, and Mr.. Seward bears
testimony to the fact that Generals
! Grant and Sherman hoped TO procure
an amicable settlement Of the affair. To
this end, the appointment of Gov. Cox
was proposed to johnson, but he refus-
ed. The latter desired a fight with the
Senate, but he wanted Gen. Grant to
stand between him and danger.
Grant has come out of this contT0ver-
sy with great credit himself He per-
mltted himself to be placed in an equiv
Ocal position in the hope Of advancing
the interest of the country. And he was
content to remain silent under the sus-
pieiOns of his friends and the claims of
his enemies, until Johnson, through the
press, under the cover of editors and
correspondents 1assafled his s"character
as a soldier and his integrity as a man."
Then he spoke to the point and with
emphasis, and be has triumphRntly
vindieated himself.