The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1868-02-13

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Took the Office to SaUe the Country.
WASHINGTON, February 4.-The
Speaker laid before the House to-day
a communication from the War De
partment, inclosing the following doc
uments: ...s a-a
WAR DEPARTMENT,
February 4, 1868.
SIR-In answer to the resolution
of the House of Representatives, Of
the Sd, I transmit herewith copies
furnished me by General Grant, of the
correspondence between him and the
President, relating to the Secretary of
War, which he reports to be all the
correspondence he has had with the
President on the subject. 1 have had
no correspondence with the President
since the 18th of August last. ..s
CATER the action of the Sen
ate on his alleged reasons for
my suspension from the cffce of
Secretary of War, I have re-
sumed the duties of that Office, as re-
quired by the acts of Congress, and
continued to discharge them without
any personal or written cOmmunica-
tiOn with the President. No orders
have been issued from this depart
ment in the name of the President,
with my knowledge, and 1 have re-
ceived no orders from him.
"The correspondence sent herewith
embraces all the correspondence
known to me on the subject referred
to in the resolution Of the House of
Representatives.
al have the honor to be, sir, with
great respect, your Obedient servant,
"EDWIN NJ. STANTON,
Secretary of War.
"HOn. SCHUYLER COLFAX, Speaker
of the House Of Representatives.
GEN. GRANT TO THE PRESIDENT.
UHEADoRs. ARMY OF U. s.
tl WASHINGTON, D. c.,
January 26, 1868.
,IIis Excellency, Andrew Johnson,
President of tie United States:
"SIR-On the 14th instant, I request
ed you to give me in writing instruc-
tions which you had previously
given me verbally, not to obey any
order from Hon. E. NJ. Stanton, Sec
retary of War, unless I knew it came
from yourself. To this written request
l have received a message that has
left doubt in my mind of your inten-
ton. To prevent any possible misun-
derstanding, therefore, 1 renew the
request, that you will give me writ
ten Instructions, and, until they are
received, will suspend action on your
verbal ones.
81 am compelled to ask these in
structions in writing, in consequence
of the many gross misrepresentation,
affecting my personal honor, circula-
ted through the press for the last fort
night, purpOrting to come from the
President, of conversations which oc-
Cured either with the President pri-
vately, in his office, or in Cabinet
meeting. What is written admits Of
no misunderstanding
ain view of these misrepresenta-
tions referred to, it will be we'll to
state the facts in the case. Some time
after 1 assumed the duties of Secre-
tary of War ad interim, the President
asked my views as to the course Mr..
Stanton would have to pursue in case
the Senate should not concur in his
suspension, to obtain possession of his
Office.
''NIy reply was in substance, that
Mr.. Stanton would have to appeal to
She Courts to reinstate him, Illus
1rating my position by citing he
grounds I had taken in the case Of the
Baltimore Police Commits ners. In
that case / did not doubt the techni-
cal right of Governor Swami to re-
move the old commissioners and al
point their successors. AS the old
commissioners refused to give up,
however, I cOntended that no resource
was left but to appeal to the Courts
Finding that the President was de-
sirous of keeping Mr.. Stanton out Of
Office, whether sustained in the sus-
! pension or not, I stated that l had not
/ looked particularly into the Tenure
of-ofice Bill, but that what 1 had
stated was the general principle, and
! if should change my mind in this
particular case, I would inform him
of the fact.
subsequently, on reading the Ten
ure-Of-ofice Bill, closely, l found
could not, without violation of law, re-
fuse to vacate the Office Of Secretary
of War, the moment Mr.. Stanton was
reinstated by the Senate, even though
the President ordered me to retain it
which he never did.
"Taking this view Cf the subject
and learning on Saturday, the It'll
inst, that the Senate had taken l
the subject of Mr.. Stanton's suspen
sion, after some conversation will
Lieutenant General Sherman, anC
some members of my staff, in which
stated that the law left me no dis
cretion as to my action should Mr.
Stanton be reinstated, and that in
tended to inform the President,
went to the President, for the sol
purpose of making this decision
known, and did make it so known
In this I fulfilled the promise mad
in our last preceding conversation Of
the subject. The President, however
instead of accepting my view Of tn
raouireD1Eofs of the Tpnure-Of-Offic
Bill, contended he had suspended MI
, Stanton under authority given by tn
Constitution, and that the same au
thority did not preclude him from IT
porting, as an act of courtesy, HI
2 reasons for the suspension to the Ser
u ate; that having been appointed unde
a authority given by the Constitution
n and not under the act of Congress,
i could not be governed by the act.
%. stated that the law was bindin
/; on me, Constitutional or not, until ST