Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-05

Ious. WAS prepared 10 take the fcspOn-
sibility Of deciding the question in accord
arce with my ideas Of constitutional duties;
and, having determined upon q course
which | deemed right and proper, was
anxious 10 learn the steps you would take,
should possession of the War Department
be demanded by Mr.. Stanton. Had your
action in conformity, in submitting this re-
quest, with which ! complied on the 29th
inst, YOU take occasion to allude to the
recent publication, in reference to the cirs
eHmstances connected with the vacation by
yourself Of the Office Of Secretary Of
War I'D interim, and with a view
of correcting the statements which
You term misrepresentation, and give at
length your own recollection of the facts
under which without the sanction of the
President, from whom you had received
and accepted the appointment, you yield
ed the department of war to the present
incumbent, as stated in your communica-
ton. Some time after You had assumed
the duties of Secretary of War, ad interim,
We interchanged views respecting the
course that should be pursued in the event
of the Eonconcurrenee by the Senate in the
suspension of Mr.. Stanton. / sought that
interview, calling myself at the War De-
partment. My sole object in then bringing
the subject to your attention, was to ascer-
tain what would be your own action should
such an attempt be made for his restora-
ton to the War Department. That OBJ
iect was accomplished, for the inter
view terminated with the distinct un-
Outstanding that il under reflection you
should prefer to become party to the con-
troversy, or should conclude it would be
your duty to surrender the department TO
Mr.. Stanton upon action in his favor by
the Senate, youwe to return the Office to
me prior to acting by the advice of the
Senate, in order that if desired to do so,
might designate some one 10 succeed you.
1t must have been apparent to you that
had not this understanding been reached
it was my purpose to relieve you of the
further discharge of the duties as Secretary
of War ad interim, and to appoint some
other one in that capacity. Other CONVEX
sations upon the subject ensued, all having
on my part the same object, and leading to
the same conclusion as to the first. 1t Is
not necessary, however, to refer 70
any of them except TO the statement
mentioned in your communication as
was then known that the Senate had
proceeded in the case of Mr.. Stanton.
was anxious to learn your determination.
After pointed interview, during which
the provisions of the tenure of office bill
were freely discussed, yoa said that az it
had been agreed upon in our first confer
enee, you would either return the office to
my possession in time 20 enable me to APP
point successor before the first action BY
the Senate upon Mr.. Stanton's suspension,
or would remain at its head awaitinga de-
cision by judicial proceedings. 1t was then
understood there would be further con
ference on Monday, By which time | sup
posed you would be prepared to inform me
of yeur final decision. You failed, how
ever, TO fulfill the engagement, aud on
Tuesday, notified me in writing of
the receipt of your official notification of
the action Of the Senate in reference 70
Mr.. Stanton. With the understanding
between us did not believe that the en-
barrassments would have attained its pres
ent proportions or that the probabilities Of
its repetition would have been so great. /
know that with view TO an early termina-
THIS of the state of affairs, 80 detriment to
the public interest, YOU Voluntarily offered,
both on Monday, the 5th inst, and on the
succeeding Sunday, to call upon Mr.. Stan
ton and urge upon him that the good of
the service required his resignation. | con-
fess that 1 considered your proposal az
sort of PREPARATION for the failure on your
part to act in accordance with an under
standing more than once repeated, which
it considered received your full assent,
and You could returned to me the Office
which l had conferred upon you, thus
saving Yourself from embaFrassments, and
leaving the responsibility where it proper
ly belonged, with the President who is
accountable for the faithful execution of
the law. have not yet been informed by
you whether, as twice proposed by yonr-
self you had called upon Mr.. Stanton and
made an effort to induce him 70 volunta-
rily resign from the War Department.
YOu conclude your communication with a
reference to our conversation at the meet
ing of the Cabinet held on the 18th inst.
In your account of what there occurred,
you say that, after the President had given
his version of onr Previous conversation,
you stated then substantially as given in
your letter, and that you in noWise admit
ted the correctness of his statement,
though, 10 soften the evident con-
tradietion of nay statement, / said,
abiding TO our first conversation on
the subject, that the President might have
understood it in the way he said, viz;
That / had promised to resign il l did not
resist the reinstatement. ! made no such
promise. My recollection. of what then
transpired, is Numerically the reverse Of
your declaration. In the presence Of the
Cabinet, asked you, First. If in a con-
veFsation which took place shortly after
your appointment as Secretary Of War ad
interim, you did agree to remain at the
head of the War Department, and abide
any judicial proceeding that might follow
the nonconeurrence Of the Senate in Mr..
Stanton's suspension; or should you not
wish to become involved in such contrO-
versy, put me in the same position with re-
ference to the Office as previous to your
appointment, by returning it to me in time
to anticipate such action by the Senate
This you admitted. Second. then asked
you if at the time of the conference
preceding Saturday, / had not, TO
avoid misunderstanding, requested
you to state what you intended TO
do, and further, If in reply TO that inquiry
you had not referred TO my former CONVEX
sation, saying that from them ] understood
your position, and that your action wonld
be consistent with the understanding which
had been reached as to these questions,
you also replied in the Affirmative. Third.
| next asked if at the conclusion OF our in
teryiew on Saturday, it was understood we
we're to have another conference on Mon
day before the final action Of the Senate on
the case of Mr.. Stanton, and you replied
that such was the understanding, but that
you did not suppose that the Senate wouId
act so soon as Monday. You had been en-
gagged in a conference with General Sher-
man, and were occupied with many
little matters, and asked me If General
Sherman had not called on that day.
What relevancy Gen. Shermah's visit TO
me on Monday had with the purpose for
which you were 10 have called, am at /
loss to perceive, as he certainly did not IN
orm me whether you had determined 10
retain the Office or afford me an OppoTtu- /
nifty TO appoint a Successor ia advance of H
any attempted reinstatement of Mr. Stan I
ton. This account Of what passed between
US at the Cabinet meeting on the 18th inst Il
widely differs from that contained in your
communication, for it shows that instead Of
having stated our conversation "a given