Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-02-13
GRANT AND JOHNSON.
Correspondence Relative to the Sur.
render of the War Office.

Correspondence Relative to the Sur
render of the War Office.
The Question of veracity he.
tween tue President and
General.
General Grant Expresses His Cpin-
ION OF the President and His
Toady Cabinet.
WAsuISeroS, Feb. 4.-Tbe Speaker laid
before the House to-day a communicates
from the War Department enclosing the
following document:
WAR DEPARTMENT, Feb. 4, 1868.
SIR: In answer to the resolution OF the
House of Representatives of the 28th,
transmit herewith copies furnished me by
General Grant, of the correspondence be-
tween him and the President relating Ia
the Secretary Of War, which he reports to
be all the correspondence he had with the
President on the subject. had no cor
respondence with the President since the
18th of August last. After the action OF
the Senate on his alleged reason for my
suspension from the Office OF Secretary OF
War, have resumed the duties of that of
fee rs required by the act Of Congress, and
have continued to discharge them without
any personal or written communication
with the President.
No orders have been issued from this
department in the name of the President
with my knowledge, and have received 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 Representa-
tives.
/ bave the honor to be sir, with great
respect, your obedieni Servant,
f. VI. STANTON, Secretary of War.
Hon. Schuyler Colfax, Speaker Of the
House of Representatives.
GRANT TO JOHNSON.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF UNITED STATES,
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 1868.
His Excellcncey, Andrew Johnson, Presi-
dent of the United States:
SIR: On the 2ith inst requested you to
give me in writing the Instructions which
you had previously given me verbally, not
TO obey any order from Hon. E. NJ. Stanton,
as Secretary of War, ,unlees knew it to come
from yourself. To this written request
l received message that has left doubt in
my mind of your intentions. To prevent
any possible misunderstanding. therefore.
| renew the request thai you will give me
written instructions, and until they are re-
ceived will suspend action on your verbal
ones. l am compelled to ask these in
structions In writing in consequence Of the
many gross misrepresentation affecting my
personal honor circulated through the press
for the last fortnight, purporting to como
from the President, of conversations which
occurred either with the President pri-
vately, in his office, or in Cabinet meeting.
What is written admits of no misunder-
standing. In view of the misrepresenta-
tions referred to, it will he well to state the
facts in the case. Some time after | assumed
the duties of Secretary 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 Of
Gee My reply was, in substance, that Mr..
Stanton would have to appeal to the courts
TO reinstate him, illustrating my position
by citing the grounds had taken in the
case of the Baltimore Police Commission
ers- In that case did not doubt the tech
nical right OF Governor Swan to remove the
old Commissioners and appoint their sue
cessors- AS the old Commissioners refused
to give up. however, / contcnded that no
resource was lefl but appeal to the courts.
Finding that the President was dcsireus OF
keeping Mr.. Stanton out OF Office, whether
sustained in his suspension or not, stated
that had not looked particularly into the
Tenure of Office bill but what / had to
state was a general principle, and, if l
should change my mind In this particular
case, l would inform him of the fact Sub
sequently, on reading the Tenure of Office
bill closely. found l could not, without a
violation of law, refuse to vacate the Office
of Secretary Of War, the moment Mr.. STAN
ton was reinstated by the Senate, even
though the President ordered me to retain
it, which he never did. Taking this view
of the subject, and learning on Saturday,
the Ilth instant. that the Senate had taken
up the subject of Mr.. Stanton's suspension,
after some conversation with Lieutenant
General Sherman and members of my staff,
in which stated that the law left me no
discretion as to my action should Mr.. STAN
ton be reinstated, and intended TO inform
the President. went to the President
for the sole purpose of making The decision
known, and did make il known. In this
fulfilled the promise made in our last pre-
ceeding conversation on the subject. The
President, however, instead of accepting
my view of the Tenure of Office bill, con-
tended that he had suspended Mr.. Stanton
under authority given by the constitution,
and the same authority did not preclude
him from reporting, as an act OF courtesy,
his reasons for the suspension to the Sem
ate; that having been appointed under
authority given by the constitution and not
under an ect Of Congress, could not be
governed by the act. The law was binding
on me, constitution or not, until set aside
by the proper tribunal. An hour was con
sumed. each reiterating his views en- the
subject. until, getting late, the President
said be would see me again. / did not
agree to call on Monday, nor at any other
definite time, nor was / sent for by the
President until the following Tuesday.
From the llth instant 10 the cabinet meet
ing on the I4th instant a doubt never en-
tered my mind about the President fully
understanding my position, namely: That
If the Senate refused to cencur in the sus-
pension of Mr.. Stanton, my powers as Sec
retary of War dd interim would cease,
and Stanton's right to resume at once the
functions ofhis Office would under the law
be indisputable.
acted accordingly with Mr.. Stanton. /
had no direct communication with him on
the subject of his reinstatement. During
his suspension knew it had been recon-
mended to the President to send the name
Of Governor Cox, of Ohio, for Secretary of
War, and save all embarrassment, propo-
sition that l sincerely hoped he would
favor General Sherman seeing the Presi
dent, at my request. to urge this, ,on the 18th.
On Tuesday Mr.. Stanton re-entered the
Office of Secretary of War. General Com
stock having carried by official letter the
announcement of Mr.. Stanton's reinstafe-
ment by the Senate, l had ceased TO be
Secretary OF War dd interim. General
Comstock saw the President open and read
the communication, and brought back to