The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-24
FROM WASHINGTON.


The Herald's Correspondent Has nm
Interview with the President on ihe
Subject OF the Removal OF stanton
Mr.. Johnson's Views rs TO the Con.
sequences.
New YORK, February 22.-The Her
AIDS correspondent had an interview
with President johnson late last night,
relative to the removal of Secretary
Stanton. The correspondent remarked
that the country was surprised at his
action. The President smiled and en-
auired, "well, what do the people say !
suppose they are surprised, but have
only done what had determined upon
long ago.
CorrespOndent-The removal, then, is
not in pursuance of recent determine
ton on your part, Mr.. President.
The PresiGent-NOt at all, sir. The
people seem to have mistaken my
course altogether in this matter.
never had but one determination on the
subject, but have acted carefully, pru-
IDENTIFY and moderately. Perhaps l
haze been too slow about removing Mr..
Stanton, but not because feared the
bugbear of impeachment, or that l
dreaded anything that Congress might
do. Nothing that body could attempt
or carry out would intimidate or sur
prise me. know they are capable of
doing anything. delayed final action
solely to let the people see and under
stand the position of Mr.. Stanton. We
first intimated to him that we wOnld
like him TO withdraw from our privy
council. He did not take the hint. We
then requested him to resign; he re-
fused. We then suspended him under
the constitutional power which we have
to suspend OF remove member of the
Cabinet. The act of suspension was
not in conflict with the Tenure-OfO Office
bill, though we did not, therefore, TO
cognize its constitutiouality; as n mat
ter of courtesy, We sent reasons for our
action to the Senate. That body pre-
tended t. consider those reasons not
sufficient, and assumed 10 reirState Mr..
Stanton in office. Well, we still hoped
that Mr.. Stanton would see the pro-
priety of resigning himself. Generals
Sherman and Grant offered to go to Mr..
Stanton and advise him to resign.
Here is letter which indicates what
they proposed:
1872 X STREET, WAsHINGToN,
January Is, 1860.
neglected this morning to say that
! had agreed to go down to Annapolis
to spend Sunday with Admiral Porter.
General Grant has to leave for Rich
mond on Monday morning at 6 o'clock.
At conversation with the General
after our interview, wherein offered to
go with him, on Monday morning, to
Mr.. Stanton and say that in our private
opinion he should resign, it was found
impossible, by reason of his going TO
Richmond and my going to Annapolis.
The General proposed this course: He
will call on yOu tomorrow and offer 10
go To Mr.. Stanton to say for the good
of the service of the country he ought
to resign /; this on Sunday. On Monday
/ will do the same, call on Mr.. Stanton
and tell him he shoald resign. Ii he
will not, then it will be time to take
ultra measures. In the meantime, 1t
also happens that no necessity exists fer
precipitating matters.
Yours Truly,
[Signed,] w. I. SHERMAN.
The President then continued After
waiting a reasonable time | thought
proper to-day to order the removal of
Mr.. Stanton and appoint General
Thomas Secretary of War, Gd Interim.
This is the whole stsry.
CorrespOndent-Was this step discuss
ed in the Cabinet council, Mr.. President.
The PTesident-No, sir; not precisely,
general policy was agreed upon some
time ago, and the removal to-day is in
accordance Herewith. l have just re-
ceived . copy of the resolution adopted
by the Senate tonight in Executive
session. The President here read the
resolution (printed Saturday.
Correspondent-What will the Senate
do, Mr.. President, under that resolu-
ton, if you still insist upon having
General Thomas act as Secretary dd in
term
The President-I don't see that they
can do anything, Tho resolution itself
is the end of this matter, so far as the
Senate is concerned, until the House
presents articles of impeachment, and
the Senate undertakes to try Thea Exe-
cutive and resolves itself into o high
court of impeachment.
COrrespOndent-DO you think Con-
gress really will attempt impeachment,
Mr.. PRESIDENT
The President-I don't know, indeed,
nor do care. 1t would make very lit
tie difference to me.
The correspondent here asked what
the President would do in the event of
the passage of Mr.. Edmunds' bill of sus-
pension, to which the President answer
ed, substantially:
Sir, i wonld not obey the law if they
attempted to suspend. The law is clear
IL unconstitutional. There is q point
which you gentlemen of the press seem
TO have altogether overlooked. The
bill of Senator Edmunds to suspend,
pending trial, would undoubtedly be an
er post fdcto law so far as my case would
be- concerned. Such a law is declared
unconstitutional by the very words OF
the Constitution itself. My offence. we
will suppose, is the removal of Mr..
Stanton, that is an accomplished fact.
Any law prescribing u penalty for that
act wonld be &c post fact0, and therefore
unconstitutional. How, therefore, can
Congress legally pass bill of such q
character
The correspondent remarked that
certain Radicals might argue that o
persistence in keeping Mr.. Stanton out
of Office after the Senate declaring his
removal contrary to law, and after the
proposed passage of Mr. Edmunds' sns-
pension bill, would be bringing the
question out Of the operation of an er
post facto law.