Middletown transcript., 1868-02-29

Of War, and he intended to do it.
Mr.. Stanton again replied that he would
lot, and again ordered him to his own
loom, and denied the power of the Pres
dent to make any such order.
General Thomas said he would not 60;
that he should obey the orders of the Pres
ident, and not obey the orders of Mr..
Stanton. vi fa -G s,ig g
Mr.. Stanton remarked, as Secretary of
War, / order you to repair to your own
place as Adjutant General. Y
Gen. Thomas.-I shall not do SO.
Mr.. Stanton. you may stay here |
as long as you please, if the President or
ders you, but you cannot act as Secretary
of War.
General Thomas. VI shall act as Secre-
tary Of War. o,u
General Thomas then withdrew into a
room opposite. being General Shriver's
room. .s..e.,. ...,
Mr.. Stanton Immediately, followed by
others, went after General Thomas, and
after, some conversation, Mr.. Stanton
said: Then you claim to be here as
Secretary of War, and refuse to obey my
orders ?'' ~ y itit~ y Hf-ri D.
General Thomas. II doso, sir, I shall
require the mails for the War Department
to be delivered to me, and shall transact
all the business of the War Department.
General Thomas subsequently called at
theWhite House and had another inter-
view with the President, but what passed
between them was not known. During
Saturday afternoon General Thomas went
again to the War Department building,
but the doors were closed by previous or
der, and he was refused admission. A
person who subsequently called at the de-
partment with communication addressed
to General Thomas as Secretary of War
was informed by the officer of the guard
that no person by that name was there
recognized as acting in that capacity. The
officers of the department have all recog-
nized Mr.. Stanton as the proper source of
authority, and paid no attention to the
claims Of Thomas. No new developments
had been made at the War Department up
to late hour last night. The Secretary
was still in his office, making himself quite
at home, and receiving large numbers of
his friends, who called to pay their res
poets, express their appreciation of his
tirmness and courage, or assure him of
their support and approval.
A correspondent of the New York Her.
aid had conversation with the President
after the state dinner on Friday night,
and gives in Saturdays Herald what pur-
ports to be report of what transpired.
According to him, the President said his
action in superseding Mr.. Stanton had
long been determined upon, and that
his delay to put his plan in execution had
not been produced by any fear of the bug
bear of impeachment. We clip the fol
lowing portion of the report:
Correspondent.-What will the Senate
do, Mr.. President, under that resolution
if you still insist upon having Gen. Thorn.
as act as Secretary ad interim?
The President.--I don't see that they
can do anything. The resolution itself il
the end Of the matter, SO far as the Senate
is concerned, unless the House present.
articles of impeachment and the Senate un
dertakes to try the Executive and resolves
itself. into high court of impeachment.
Correspondent you really thinl
Congress will attempt impeachment, Mr.
President .r..1 -srh7r 0{1c
The President don't know, indeed
nor do l care. 1t would make very littl
difference to me.
Your correspondent here asked what tn
the President would do in the event Of tn
passage Of Mr.. Edmund's bill of suspen
sion, to which the President answered sub
stantially: 'Sir, L would not obey tn
law, if they attempted to suspend me
The law is clearly unconstitutional. Their
is point against it which you gentlemel
of the press seem to have entirely over
looked. The Bill of Senator Edmunds t
suspend pending trial would undoubtedl
be an er post fdcto law so far as my cas-
would be concerned. Such law is de
, clared unconstitutional by the very Ian
guage of the constitution itself. My Of
fense, we will suppose, is the removal c
Mr.. Stanton. That is an accomplishe
: fact. Any law prescribing a penalty 70
that act would be er post facto, and there
fore unconstitutional. How, therefore
, can Congress legally pass bill of such
character"
f Your correspondent remarked that Ger
, tain radicals might argue that persistenc
in keeping Mr.. Stanton out of Office, afte
the Senate declaring his removal contrar
, to law, and after the proposed passage {
Mr.. Edmunds' suspension bill, would
5 bringing the question out ofthe operatio
: Of an er post facto law.
f The President replied that that coul
e not alter the case, as the offence charge
would still be the removal of Mr.. Stanto
E AN act performed before the passage (
: the proposed law.
The President has directed Attorne
: General Stanberry to apply to the Suprem
a Court of the United States tomorrow mo-
: ming for writ quo acarranto against MI
s Stanton, thus bringing the constitutions
: ity of the tenure-of-ofice law directly b,
. fore the court, and obtaining speedy az
a jucation of the conflict. ---
. Hon. Thomas Ewino senior will ha 4,