New-York tribune., 1868-02-15
A TALK WITH THE PRESIDENT

n
MIR. JoHNsON's COLLISION WITH GEN. GRANT
HIS OPINIONS ON THE GENRALS HONESTY,
POLITICS. ETC.
MACK" the correspondent of The Cincinnati
Commercial. in tho latest Of his Presidential Talks,
represents tho President speaking rs follows
Mr. johnson referred TO that part Of Gen. Grants
rcspondence in which the General asks him to reduce TO
writing the order given to him verbally to disregard any
order received from Stanton unless he knew II To enan
ate from the Executive. Here" said he. Gen. Grant
asserts that gwen him such verbal order never
did anything of the kind IL was he hlmseH VINO nrst
suggested that could take such course as to reduce
Stanton to mere clerk and II was this suggestion from
him. and not any verbal order from me- that rst brought
the subject up IN that light"
At this point the President produced letter from Cen
Sherman dated Saturday evening, January ls Sherman
says that the intention of himself and Grant ~
call stanton, on the following Monday to request BIN,
for the good of the country 70 resign the once OF Secre
ary of War; but that he learns Grant must go to Rich
mond. and he 70 Annapolis 80 that they can't call on
Stanton on Monday but VIII do go az some oiher TIME
aud insist that he shall resign Then sherman goes on 10
say that II stanton won't resign i viii be time enough to
O. Now" said the President, these uertor consdera-
tons We're nothing else han tae saggesons o, SIah' %
himself that stanton should bo treated as more clerk
and confined strictly TO the execution Of the duties I'M
having suggested this and urged 1t upon me- he writes
n letter asking me 20 reduce my verbal order 70
be makes IL appear ms letter that the rst inma-
ton came from me, and that he never said word about
way he has been acting all along This whole matter y
not the the only time he has played that part
grossly deceived me. i got dispatch one day from
Georgia telling mo that Meade and jenkins had been in
consultation and that II was probable that Mede WOWd
remove jenkins. sent for Gen Grant, AMI le came
over / showed him the dispatch and told hun would
not Ike jenkins to be removed until could near eouc-
thing about the matter. He assured me that ne
would to II that jenkins was not removed Thought
this was enough but judge OF my surprise when the
next day learned that jenkins uds removed. dOn :
believe Grant nterfered NJ all though lac dlstineitly
promised he would. That's the kud OF game nc has
nt here little question OF veracity occurred 10 my
nd srrliirh rlI we'll
this Some time IN tine early part OF the Winter para
graph appenred tn ghe Conm1gfs & MesningtEh s9Lio
Grants staff had told member OF the Judiciary Com
inIttee that he present ne conversation be-
tween Gen Grant and the President in which the former
took strong ground IN favor OF white mans gONtIhneht
and against negro snIage s1y @ h. oih . soud have
voice in itand striking his nst ON on adjacent ple 70
appeared extensively copied aud about AZ exef-
sfyely denied especially by that large class Of news
aning whether IL was true or false felt all the
that Il false and denounced II as one OF MAcEs
called the Presidents attention 20 THE suectasked
him be remembered any such conyersaion with Grant
and n 40, whether he remembered Grants remark That
this Is white mans government. He promptly replied
that he did He couldn't repeat Grant, words edaety
they were strongly against negyo suniage which aDou,
that time Il proposed 10 Introduce ntothe District or
Columbia Among other thiugs Grant said that the
negroes didn't know enough 10 VOTE ana that they "on
traed by saying that he had number OF negro servants
In hs house. that 20 let them vote would be amply
would Just he told them lie was quite Nohcmcnt
the in his denunciations Of the Radical policy ei
negro suffrage.
Tue above. think settles the question OF vera
city 20 Grant being white mans govern
ment man. ~ n pretty we'll authenticated now.
The above naturally suggested inquiry as 20 whether
the President did not understand Grant 10 be on NE SIDE
all along until quite recently and whether there vas any
tangible for the Generals change of front Oi
course understood him 10 be with me a along, because
had his word for IT," said the President. He went
down SOUTH and came back more for me than was Tor
myself He wrote report that encouraged me more
than anything else had done 20 perseyere IN the enot 10
get the Southern States buck into the Union az had
started out He called frequently for long time
after the controversy between and Congress had com
meuced and II he meant anything by what he said ne
WAS my friend and supporter. He never talkea ponus
very much because Grant alNhys pretended ne uldn
know anythiug IL but he didn't seem % regard Re
construction political question lie suddenly turned
was the arst knew Of his opposition 70 me"