Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-02-16

day.
By Mr.. o. II. Browning, Department
of IuieriOr:
At the Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Jan
uaTy 4. 1868, Gen. Grant appeared and
took his accustomed seat at the Board.
| When he had been REACHED in the order
! Of busines 5, the President asked him, as
usual, if he had anything TO present, In
reply, the General, referring to 3 note
which he had that morning addressed TO
! the President enclosing copy Of the
resolution Of the Senate, refusing to con.
cur in the reasons for the suspension of
/ ) anton, proceeded to say: He re-
/ Carded his duties as Secretary of War
: ar interim Terminated by that resolu-
lion, and that he could not lawfully ex-
( ercise such duties for q moment after the
adoI ton OF that re5Olution; that the res
olniinn reached him last night, aud this
morning lie hsd gone to the War De
psrtment, entered the Seeretary's room,
/ bolted one door on the inside, locked the
! ether or the outside, delivered the key
( to the Adjutant General and proceeded
/ to the headquarters Of the army and ac-
Z dressed the note above mentioned to the
! President, informing him that he wss no
longer Secretary of War ad interim.
The President expressed great surprise
81 the course which Gen. Grant had
| thought proper to pursue, and addressed
( himself to the General, and proceeded TO
say, in substance, that he had antici-
pated such action OF the Senate, and be-
I ing very desirous T. have the constitC-
| tionality Of the teuuCr Y.s3fiice bill tested,
and his right to suspend or remove q
member OF the Cabinet decided by the
judicial tribunal of the country, lie had
some time ago, aud shortly after Gen
Grants appointment as Secretary of
War al interim, asked the General what
his action would be ia tbp event that the
Senate should refuse TO concur in the
susrar sion Of Mr.. Stanton, and that the
General lad then sgrced either to re-
msin at lhe head Of the War Depart
ment until a decision could be obtained
from the Curt, or resign the office into
the hands Of the President before the
case was acted upon by the Senate, 80 as
to place the President in the same situa-
ton he occupied at the time of Grants
appointment.
The President further sRid that the
conversation was resumed on the pro
cediug Saturday, at which time he asked
the General what he intended to do if
the Senate shoUld Undertake to TeiEstste
Mr.. Stanton, ia reply 10 which the
General referred 10 their former CONVEX
sation upon the same subject, and said,
ycu understand my position, and my
cOudcct will e conlOrmable 10 that. He
understood that he lthe GenEF4i) then
EXPRESSED q repugnance TO being made a
party TO a judicial proceeding, saying be
would expose himself to fine and impris-
onment by doing so, as his continuing to
discharge the duties of Secretary of War
ad interim after the Senate should have
refused to concur in the suFpension of
Mr. Stanton would be violation OF the
tenurt of Office bill; ihst ia reply TO this
the President iuforneI Gen. Grant that
he had not suspended Mr.. Stanton under
the eBure-of-oftice bill, but by virtue Of
the power conferred on him by the Con-
stitut;Hn and as to the fine or imprisOEs
nent the President would pay whatever
fine vas imposed and submit TO whatever
Imprisonment might De sdjudged against
him
TIE General continued the conversas
ton for some time, discussing the law at
length, and finally separated without
having reached any Gehuite conclusion
end with the understanding that the
General would see the President again
on Monday.
III reply, Gen. Grant admitted the con-
yersatiCns had occurred, and said thata
the first conversation he had given IL as
his opinion to the President that in the
event OF nou-concurrence by The Senate
ia The ac,iOn of the President in respect
to the Secretary Of War, the question
would have to be decided by the court
that Mr., Startln would have tn appeal
to the court to rCinsiate him in office;
that the ms lroud hare 70 remain IN until
Hey could be displaced and the outs put
ia by legal proceedings, and that he then
thought so, and had agreed that If he
should change his mind he tOOuId notify
the President ia time to enable him to
make another dpp0intnelt, but at the
time Of the first conversation he had not
looked UsIy CiOsCiV into the LolU that il
had recently been discussed by the
newspapers and this had induced him
to examine it more carefully, and that
he had come to the conclusion
that if the Senate should Iefnse,to concur
in the suspension, Mr.. Stanton would
thereby be reinstated, aud that he
Grant could continue thereafter 10 act
a. Secretary of War ad interim, without
sutieeting himself to fine and imprison-
ment; that he came over on Saturday
to inform the President of this change in
his Views, and did so inform him; that
Tie President replied that he had not sus-
pended Mr. Stanton under the tenure Of
Office BILL but under the Constitution,
and had appointed him Grant by vir-
tue Of the authority derived from the
Constitution, etc.; that they continued to
discuss the matter some time. Finally
ne left without any conclusion having
been reached, expecting TO see the Presi-
dent on Monday. He then proceeded to
explain why he hRd not called on the
President on Monday, saying that he
had long interview with Gen. Sherr
man; that various little matters had &C.
cupied his time until late, and he did not
think the Senate would act, and asked,
did not Gen. Sherman call Gu you on
Mondsy2
/ so not know what passed between
the President and Gen. Grant on Satur-
day, except as l learned it from the con-
vefsat.on between them at the Cabinet
meeting on Tuesday, and the foregoing
is substantially what then occurred.
The precise words used 0n the occasion
are not, Of course, given exactly in the
order which they we're spoken, but the
ideas expressed and facts stated are faith
fully preserved and presented.
FROM W. H. SEWARD.
The meeting to which you refer in
your letter was q regular Cabinet meet
ing. snd while the members were as sem-
bling, and before the President had en-
tered the council chamber, Gen. Grant,
on coming in, said TO me that he was in
attendance not as a member Of the Cab
met but upon invitation, and replied
by the inquiry whether there was
change 10 the War Department.
After the President had taken his seat
business went on in the usual way of
hearing matters. When the time came
for the Secretary of War, Gen. Grant
said he was not there as Secretary of
War, but upon the president Invitation;
that he had retired from the War De-
partmeut. A slight difference, then, APP
peared about the supposed Invitation.
Gen. Grant said the officer who had
borne his letter to the President, an
pouDcing his retirement from the War
Department, had told him the President
desired TO see him at the Cabinet, to
which the President answered that when
Gen. Grants communication was deliv-
cred to him, the President simply replied
he supposed Gen. Grant w0uld be very
soon at the Cabinet meeting. l regarded
the conversation thus began as inoi-
dental. II went on very informally and
consisted Of ststement on your part Of