Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-15
Il aiOn aud gispateh.
MORE PRESIDENTIAL TALK.

the Pressdenl-What the Presidens
Says About ImpeRehmens and Grant
How Grant Deceived HEm-The
President on the Financial Question.
Correspondence Of the Cincinnati Commercial.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 1861 called
on the President last evening, and bad an
interview with him Of about an hours du-
ration. What from the revival Of the i'm
parchment project and the recent cores
pondence between him and General Grant,
which bad been informed, on the author
| its Of several eminentfy loyal newspapers,
was literally crushing to Al, 1expected
| TO find His Excellency ia PROSTATE and
enfeebled condition, or, perhaps, "writhing
in the agonies Of despair" as Forney's two
dailies would express it. But he wasn't
PROSTATE, and he didn't "writhe" any.
/ Quite the contrary, j never saw him more
cheerful OF in better health and spirits.
IMPEACHMENT.
They're after you again, Mr.. President,
with an Impeachment" said i.
$50 / hear" he said, "but can't get at
the point they're trying TO make against
me this time; though, for that matter, |
haven't taken much trouble 10 find out"
]
| stood 10 be the charges under consideration
in the Reconstruction Committee; first, his
order 10 Gen. Grant not to regard Stanton's
orders unless he knew they came from the
Executive; and second, what was termed q
conspiracy on his part to resist the execu-
ton of the tenure Of Office act, by arranging
with Gen. Grant that he Grant should re-
sign the Secfetaryship ad interim of the
! War Department in time for him John
som TO pat in some man who would refuse
TO relin9nish his portfolio at the bidding
/ of the Senate, in order TO test the validity
| OF the tenure Of Office act before the Su-
preme Court.
"Ia that all? p" said the President.
yes, sir, and l understand that Bing-
ham aud other Republicans on the com
inittee think it quite enough to turn yon
| cat of Office"
well, now" said the President, "as to
| the order about Stanton, | didn't suppose
there was a man in Congress WHO'S not aware
that | have a perfect right TO do what that
order directs without making any order at
| all. Mr.. Stanton's orders are of no more
force than yours, except upon the presnmp-
ton that they come direct from me; and |
have a perfect right TO communicate with
General Grant direct, without availing my
self of Mr.. Stanton, who in such matters
is q mere clerk for the transmission of
orders. A 10 the charge OF conspiracy, ii
only shows how badly they are off for some
thing to quarrel about. la the first place,
| if | wanted TO do what they make Out to be
q conspiracy, ] could have done il without
n conspiracy with Grant or any body else.
4 4 a
ad interim in time TO have put in some man
| who Would test the law. And il | had taken
such course there would be no crime
| about il, unless il be a crime to APP
peal 20 a remedy provided by the constitu-
ton for the settlement of disputes between
the Legislative and Executive departments
Of the government. What else is the Su-
preme Court for, but to settle such contro-
versies And has the Executive no rights,
and no opini ions, nothing but blind obedi-
ence 90 the legislative department? IL such
was the intention Of the trainers of the
government, they wouldn't have created
Supreme Court, for it could be of no use.
Rut il was intended as the final arbiter in
all such controversies, and when il deter
mines a question, its decision ia binding as
much as the constitution itself"
"Do they seem TO be very rabid about
| impeachment this time-worse than they
were before p inquired the President.
81 think the thing il a little stronger
| than it was" / replied. "They are getting
desperate and they want to put You out SO
as to put Ben. Wade in and get control Of
! the Federal patronage for the next Presi-
| Dental election. Besides maybe they
want 20 disqualify you az a candidate
against them, for Boutwell, and others
| among them say Won will be their most
formidable opponent in the next canvass"
az don't know about that, said the Pre-
sident laughing "But hope they'll find
somebody formidable enough to beat them.
! | dcb't think they expect to do anything
with the impeachment, unless few OF
them may be operating in the gold mar
| ket."
| replied that previous experience in
gold speculation on impeachment proba-
bilities was not encouraging. Several
gentlemen had gone into it in the hope of
a rise which never came, aud the result
had been rather disastrous than otherwise.
| Nothing short Of actual conviction by the
Senate would create rise enough to make it
pay TO buy on q margin. "Well, said the
President, 'let them 60 ahead. When
they bring in the charges III try to answer
them, that's all" and he laughed as if he
didn't believe the charges would ever come.
GENERAL GRANT As A GAY DECEIvER.
Mr.. johnson referred to that portion of
Gen. Grants correspondence in which the
! General asks him to reduce TO writing the
order given to him verbally, to disregard
any order received from Stanton, unless he
knew il to emanate from the Executive.
Here" said he, Gen. Grant asserts that
had given him such verbal order. 1
never did anything Of the kind Ii was be
himself who first suggested that | could
take such course as 10 reduce Stanton TO
q mere clerk, and il was this suggestion
from him, and not any verbal order from
me, that irst brought this subject mp in that
light
AT this point the President produced a
letter from Gen. Sherman, dated Saturday
evening, January Is. Sherman SAYS that
il was the intention Of himself and Grant
to call ON Stanton on the following morn
inF, TO request him. for the good Of the
country, TO resign the Office Of Secretary OF
| War; bat that he learns Grant must go 10
Richmond, aud he to Annapolis so that
they can't call on Stanton ON Monday, bni
will do So at some other time, and insist
that he shal resign. Then Sherman goes
on 10 say that if Stanton won't resign il
will be time enough 10 look 10 fullerton
considerations"
"Now," said the President" "these n
terior considerations were nothing else
than the suggestions of Grant himself that
Stanton should be treated a. a mere clerk
and confined strictly TO the execution of the
daties imposed upon him Nv the letter Of
the law. And yet after having suggested
this aud urged it upon me, he writes me q
letter asking me 10 reduce my "verbal or
der" 90 writing. IL was his own "yerbaI
order" not mine. Yet he makes il appear
from his letter that the FIRST intimaiior
came from me, aud that he neys5 said d
word about il until ] had spoken Of IL
That's fair specimen Of the way he hai
been acting all along. This whole matter
Il not the tirst or the only lime he has
played that part. IT. only one Of "A grea
many instances ia which he has grossly de-
ceiged me. got q dispatch one day from
Georgia, telling nae that Meade aud Jen
| IA. bsA ha.., Ia, consultation and thai 4