Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-05

Saturday, the 1iJh inst, that the senate
had taken UP the subiect of Mr.. Stanton's
suspension, after some conversation with
Lieut.. Gen. Sherman and some members of
my staff in which I stated that The Law
| left me no discretion as to my action should
| Mr.. Stanton be reinstated, / went to the
| President for the sole purpose of making
this decision known, and | did make il
30 known. In this / fulfilled the promise
made in our last preceding conversation on
the subject. The President, however, IN
stead of accepting my view of the require
ments of the tenure Of office bill, centended
| that he had suspended Mr.. Stanton under
| the authority given by the constitution,
but the same authority did not preclude
| for the reporting as an act OF courtesy his
| reasons for the suspension. He stated that
having been appointed by authority given
| by the constitution, and not under the act
Of Congress, could be governed by the
act. | stated that the law was binding on
1 me, whether constitutional or not, until set
| aside by proper tribunal. An hour was
consumed by each of us in reiterating his
| view ON this subject, until getting late, the
| President said he would see me again. I
did not agree to call again on Monday, nor
| at any other definite time, nor was | sent
/ for by the President until the following
| Tuesday, from the llth inst, to the Cabi-
net meeting on the 18th inst A doubt
never entered my mind about the Presi-
dent fully understanding my position.
| namely: That if the Senate refused to con-
| cur in the suspension of Mr.. Stanton, my
power as Secretary of War ad interim,
would cease, and Mr. Stauton's right to re-
sumo at once the functions of his office
would, under law, be indisputable, and ]
acted accordingly With Mr.. Stanton /
had no communication, direct or indirect,
| on the subject of his reinstatement During
his suspension, knew it had been recon-
mended to the President to send the name
of Gov. Cox, of Ohio, for Secretary of War,
and thus save all embarrassment, PROPOSE
ton | sincerely hoped he would entertain
favorably Gen. Sherman seeing the Presi-
dent, at my particular request, urged this
on the 18th. On Tuesday Mr.. Stanton re-
entered his Office. Gen. Comstoek, who had
carried my official letter announcing Mr..
| Stanton's reinstatement by the Senate, and
that / had ceased to be Secretary Of War
! ad interim, and who saw the President open
and read the communication, and brought
| back TO me from the President message
| that he wanted TO see me that day at the
| Cabinet meeting, after [ had made known
the fact that was no longer Secretary of
| War ad interim. At this meeting, after
| opening as though | were still member of
his Cabinet, l reminded him OF the notii-
cation already given him that | was no
longer Secretary Of War ad interim. The
President gave his version ofthe converse
| ton already alluded 10. 1t was asserted
that had agreed to hold on to the office of
Secretary Of War until displaced by the
| courts, or resign 80 as to place the
| President where he would have been
had l never accepted the Office After
hearing the President through, / stated
| our conversation substantially az given in
| this letter. / will add, my conversation
before the Cabinet embodied other matters
not pertinent here, and therefore are left
| out. | nowise admitted the correctness of
| the Presidents statement of our CONVERSE
/ ton, though, to soften the evident contra
/ diclion of my statement, | said, alluding
| to our first conversation on the subject,
| that the President might have understood
it the way he said, namely, that / had
promised to give him sufficient notice if /
| did resign, if did not resist reinstatement.
| have the honor to be, very respectfully,
| u. S. GRANT, General.
| 2 WAsHIAGToN, Jan. 24th-His Excel
| leney Andrew johnson, President of the
United States-SIR: have the honor,
very respectfully, TO request to have in
| writing an order which the President gave
me verbally on Sunday the 18th inst, to
| disregard the orders of Hon. Il. NJ. STAN
ton as Secretary of War, until know from
the President himself they were his orders.
have the honor to be, very respectfully,
| your obedient servant,
.. s. GRANT, General.
| The following Endorsement on the above
note was requested in this communication.
Gen Grant was instructed in writing not
to obey any order from the War Depart
ment, assumed to be issued by the direc-
ton of the President, unless such order
| is known by the General Commanding the
armies of the United States to have been
authorized by the Executive.
/ Boss ANpREw JOHNSON.
Januafy 29th.
| In communication on the 3lst, the
| President, in reply to a communication
| from Gen. Grant requesting a written order
not to obey Stanton's orders, alludes to an
| interview wherein the course should be
| pursued in case of StantOn's reinstatement,
| which was fully discussed in the interview,
and terminated with full understanding,
that If upon reflection Gen. Grant should
| prefer TO become party to the controYer-
| ey, or conclude it would be his duty to sur
render the office to Stanton, he would re-
| turn the Office to the President, prior to
1 l.. IL Il Of ha Il
that he might designate SUCCESSOR. Had
| not this understanding been reached, it
was the purpose of the President to relieve
him and appoint some other one in that
| capacity.
| The Presidents letter is very long, and
| throughout shows that Grant acted contrary
to his repeated pledges;
! SIR: l have the honor to acknowledge
the return of my note of the oath inst. with
| yonr Endorsement thereon, that ! cannot
| obey any order from the War Department
| assumed TO be issued by order of the Presi-
| dent, unless such order is known by me as
| authorized by the Executive. In reply
| thereto, / am informed by the Secretary Of
/ War that he has not received from the Ex-
| ecutive any order or instructions limiting
or impairing his authority to issue orders
to the army, as has heretofore been his
| practice under the law and customs Of the
Department. While his authority in the
| War Department is not countermanded, il
will be satisfactory evidence to me that
any orders issned from the War Depart
ment are authorized by the Executive.
| ] have the honor, etc,
/ U. S. GRANT General.
| EXECUTIVE MANSION, Jan. 3l.--GEN-
ERAL: received your communication of
the 18th inst, renewing your request Of the
oath, that | should repeat in written form
| my verbal Instructions on the 10Th, viz:
| You obey no onder from Hon. f. M. Stan
ton, as Secretary of War, unless you have
| information that it was issued by the Presi-
dents direction per Stanton and at the
same time you informed me that, accord
ing to the actregulating the tenure Of GER
tain civil Offices, your functions of Seere-
tary of War ad interim ceased from the
moment upon receipt of notice. You thus,
| in disregard of the understanding between
| ne, vacated the Office without having given
notice of your intent to do 30. Ii is but Just
to say, however, that ia your eommHnIea-
| ton you claim you did inform me of your
purpose and thus fulfilled the promise
Il