The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-02-13

IeLleES UeCduSe my aLIe0LlOn AaQ Deen
called to the subject when the conver-
satiOn between the President and Gen,
Grant was under consideration. Very
respectfully, your obedient servant,
ALEX. w. RANDALL,
Postmaster General.
To the President.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
WASHINaToN, d. c., Feb 6, 1858,
am in receipt of yours of yesterday,
calling my attention to correspon-
dence between yourself and General
Grant, published in the Chronicle, and
especially to that part OF said corres-
pondence which refers to the CONVEX
sRtion between the President and Gen.
Grant at the Cabinet meeting on Tues
day, the 18th of January, and request
Ing me to state what was said in that
conversation. In reply, submit the
following statement:
AT the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday,
the l4th of January, 1868, Gen'l Grant
appeared and took his accustomed seat
at the board. When he had been reach
ed in the order OF business, the Presi-
dent asked as usual If he had anything
to present. In reply, the General,
after referring to a note which he had
that morning addressed to the Presi-
dent, enclosing copy of the resolution
OF the Senate refusing to concur in the
reasons for the suspension of Stanton,
proceeded to say he regarded his duties
as Secretary of War Gd interim termi-
mated by that resolution, and that he
could not lawfully exercise such duties
for moment after the adoption of the
resolution; that the resolution reached
him last night, and that this morning
he had gone to the War Department.,
entered the Secretary's room, bolted
| one door on the inside, locked the other
. hoo Il. rl.NS- Al
Ad1utant-General, and proceeded to the
headquarters of the army, and ad-
dressed the note above mentioned to
the President, informing him that he
was no longer Secretary of War dd
| interim.
Ihe President expressed great sur
prise at the course which General Grant
had thought proper to pursue, and, ad-
dressing himself to the General, pro-
ceeded to say in substance that he had
anticipated such action of the Senate,
and being very d0sirouB to have the
constituuonality of the tenure of office
bill tested, and his right to suspend or
remove lnamber of the Cabinet de-
cided by the Judicial tribunal of the
country, he had some time ago, and
shortly after General Grants appoint
ment as Secretary OF War ud interim,
asked the General what his action
would be in the event that the Senate
should refuse to concur in the suspen-
sion OF Mr.. Stanton, and that the Gen
eral had then agreed either to remain
at the head of the War Department till
decision could be obtained from the
court, or resign the office into the
hands of the President before the case
was acted upon by the Senate, SO as to
place the President in the same situa-
tiOn he occupied at the time of Grants
appointment.
Tho PrnaiHnof IA A..
conversation was resumed on the pre-
ced1ng Saturday, at which time he
asked the General what he intended to
do If the Senate should undertake to re-
instate MIR. Stanton. In reply to which
the General referred to their former
conversation upon the same subject,
and said "you understand my position;
and my conduct will be confOrmable to
that understanding" That he, the
General, then expressed a repugnance
to being made party to the Judicial
proceeding, saying he would expose
himself to fine and Imprisonment by
doing so, as his continuing TO discharge
the duties of Secretary of War Gd inter.
i'm after the Senate should have refused
to concur in the suspension of Mr.
Stanton would be violation of the
tenure of Office bill; that in reply to
this, the President informed General
Grant that he had not suspended
Mr.. Stanton under the tenure of
office bill, but by virtue OF the
Constitution, and as to the fine and
imprisonment, the President would
pay whatever was imposed, and sub
init to whatever imprisonment might
be adjudged against him [the General;l
that they continued the conversation
for some time, discussing the law at
length, and finally separated without
having reached any definite conclus-
ion, and with the understanding that
the General would see the President
again on Monday.
In reply, General Grant admitted
the conversations Shad occurred, and
said that at the first conversation he
had given 1t as his opinion to the Presi-
dent that In the event of non-concur-
renee by the Senate in the action of the
President in respect to the Secretary of
War, the question would have to be de.
cided by the court; that Mr.. Stanton
would have to appeal to the court to
reinstate him in office; that the inS
would remain in until they could be
displaced, and the outs put in by legal
proceedings, and that he thought so,
and had agreed that II he should
change his mind, he would notify the
President in time to enable him to
make another appointment, but
at the time of the first conver-
closely into the law; that it had recently
been discussed by the newspapers, and
that this had induced him to examine
1t more carefully, and that he had
come to the conclusion that If the Sem
ate should refuse TO concur in the sus-
pension Mr.. Stanton would thereby be
Feinstated, and that he CGrant1 could
not continue thereafter to act as Secre-
tary of War GdInterim without subject
ing himself to fine and imprisonment;
that he came over ou Saturday to in
form the President of this change in
his views, aud did SO inform him; that
the President replied that he had not
suspended Mr.. Stanton under the ten
ure of Office bill, but under the Con-
stitution, and had appointed him CGranI1
by virtue of the authority derived from
the Constitution, &C.; that they CON
tinued to discuss the matter some time.
Finally he left without any conclusion
having been reached. expecting to see
the President again on Monday. He
then proceeded to explain why he had
not called on the President on Monday,
saying that he had a long interview
with General Sherman; that various
little matters had occupied his time un-
til late, and he did not think the Senate
would act so soon, and asked, Ibid not
General Sherman call on you on Mon
day2"
do not know what passed between
the President and General Grant on
Saturday, except as learned it from
the conversation between them at the
Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, and the
foregoing is substantially what then
occurred. The precise words used on
the occasion are mot Of COnrSa Ufvan