The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-02-19
The President and General Grant.
WASHINGTON. Feb. Ill

The President opens his last communi-
cation to General Grant by saying: THE
extraordinary character of your letter of
the Sd would seem to preclude Il reply,
hut the manner in which publicity has
been given 10 the correspondence, whereof
that letter forms Il part, and the grave
questions involved, induce this mode of
giving proper form to the communlca-
tions that have passed between us. The
statements Of FIVE members of the Cabinet
who were present during the convrrsa-
ton of the 14tl, and copies of their let
ters to me are enc-o>ed.' Quoting from
Grants letter. the President says when
a controversy upon matters oftact reaches
the point to which this has been brought,
further assertion or denial between the
immediate parties should cease, especially
where on either side it loses the charac-
ter of respectful discussion, which is re
ouircd BY the relations in which the par
ties stand to each other" After quoting
again the President says: The point is
that there you change your views. You
had secretly determined to do the very
thing which you ut last did surrender
the Office to Mr. Stanton. You may have
changed your views az to the law, but You
certainly did not change your views as to
the course you had marked ont for Your
self from the beginning" The President
argues ut some length the legality of his
order TO Grant to- disregard Stant0n's nr-
ders, making the point that Grant will
not obey his direct orders. hut will obey
them Indirectly. The President concludes:
without further comment upon the in
suhor mate attitude which you have as.
snmed. am ut IL loss to know how yOu
can relieve Yourself from obedience TO the
orders of the President. who is made, By
the constitution, COMMANDMENTS Chief OF
the army and navy. and is. therefore the
official superior us well of the general Of
the army as of the Secretary of War"
The following is the Presidents letter 10
the Secretaries who were present nj the
conversation on the 18th January:
This mornings Chronicle contains the
correspondence between the President and
Grant, reported from the War depart
ment in answer to call from the House.
He calls attention TO the correspondence.
especially that part relating to the con-
vcrsatlOn between Oraht anu inc IreSl-
dent and requests Il statement of what
was said ON that OCCASION.
Secretary Welles says, my recollection
of the conversation corresponds with your
statement of it in your letter of January
81. The three points specified in that let
ter, giving your recollection OF the co"'
vcrsation, are correctly stated.
Secretary McCmIloch says: = .r e"""u.
undertake TO state the precise language
used, but have no Hesitation in SAYING
tbat vour account of the conversation. as
'r,rcn vnr in your letter to General Grant OF
I .he slst ult., substantially and in all i'm
norlant particulars accords with my re
collection Of it,
Secretary Randall says: al have read
carefully the correspondence in question,
and particularly the letter OF the Pres-
dent to General Grant, dated the 3lst.
! Tho following extract from that letter is,
according to my recollection, a correct
statement of the conversation that took
place between the President and General
Grant at the Cabinet meeting of the l4tl,
January Randall then quotes the Prcsi-
dents version.
Secretary Stewards lcttcr is quite long,