Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-02-14
Ghe SIRE Rress.
G.. G.. & B. l.. BENEDICT.
EDITORS AND PROPRIETORs
The Grant-Johnson Correspondence

Of day by Secretary Stanton, in response to
W call for them from the House, are decided,
Is spicy. They show that whatever have beer
the relations between Gen. Grant and tn,
President heretofore' they are now anything
i but friendly. Secretary Stanton, in trans
hitting the letters to the House, on the 4th
: = inst, says he has had no personal corres1on-
e dencc with the President since the 18th 0
q August last, hut that the accompanying let
ters are copies furnished by Gen. Grant,
which the General reports to be all the cor
f respondence on the subject
Gen. Grants first letter, dated Jan 2jth,
asks the President for the instructions in
writing, which johnson had previously given
him verbally, not to obey any order from
See Stanton unless he knew that it came
from the President himself Gen. Grant
assigns reason the many mis-representa-
fions in circulation about the matter for
what is ,criiien admits Of no misunderstand-
ing. lie proceeds to rehcarse the circums-
ttlil' tH tldt lit ! ltNi'ttill was dilAiDuo u
keep Stanton out Of the Office, and consulted
him (Oirant) about it; that ON examination
Of the Tenure of Office Law, Grant found he
could not legally refuse to yacate the Office if
Stanton was re-instated by the Senate; that
he went, on the llth of january, and told
the President so that the President held
the contrary view, and after long discussion
/ promised to see Grant again, but did not till
the next Tuesday, until which time, Gen.
Grant says
''--a doubt never entered my mind about the
Presidents fully understanding my position, -
namely That if the Senate refused to concur in
the suspension of Mr.. Stanton, my powers as
Secretary Of War 0d interim would cease and |
Nh. Santon's right to resume At once the func- |
tons of his office would under the law he inds- 1
put.ble,--anl acted accordingly with Mr.. |
Stanton.
At the Cabinet meeting that day, the l4th,
Gen. Grant was summoned as a member, and /
reminded the President that he was no longer /
a member The President gave hi- version
If the discussion with Gen. Grant three DAYS
previous, and Giant made biz counter-state-
meut, of which he says:
Il in uowise admitted the correctness Of the
Presidents statement If our conversation,
though TO soften the evident contradiction Of the |
statement I give. said, alluiing to our first
conversation ON the subject the President might .
have understood me the way he sail, namely, |
that had promised TO resign If ! did not resist
the reinstatement made no such promise
Gen Grants letter of Jan 30th acknowl-
edges the receipt Of the instructions in writ
iug which be had asked for. and says that
while Stanton's orders to the army are not
countermanded he shall consider orders ' by |
direction of the President as authorized by |
the Executive"
prcsiden, Johnson's letter of the 5lst gives
his statement Of the circumstances. saying
that at previous interview the distinct an
Outstanding was reached that Grant should |
resign his Office, if it became apparent the
Senate would reinsate Stanton, before such
reinstatement that at TIE interview Of the
llth Grant again said he would do as before
stated that the President might appoint
somebody else, or else hold the Office against
Stanton till the courts should decide the
question that Gen Grant failed to have
meeting with the President on Monday as
agreed. and on Tuesday gave up the office to
Stanton The President says
..You thus in disregard Of the understanding |
l..
given Inc notice Of Your intention to do SO. 1t is
but Just, however, to say that in your communi- |
cation You claim that You did inform me Of your /
purpose and thus fulfilled the promise made in |
our last preceding conversation on the subject.
About the Cabinet meeting, the President
SAYS recollection Is Numerically opposite
To that Of Gen Grant, and that other mem !
bers Of the Cabinet agree with him; that he
asked Gen Grant if the arrangements and |
understandings above named were not made, |
and Gen Grant admitted that they were; ;
that on the 18th Gen. Grant complained of an
article on the subject in the htelfgnccr as do
ing him much injustice but thaton examination
ofthe article the President found it to be sub
stantinllv correct. and that four of the FIVE
Cabinet members present said it was correct.
10 tins Gen. Grant replied Feb. Sd as fol-
lows, which closes the correspondence, thus
far
GEN. GRANTS CONCLUDING LETTER.
/ Headquarters ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES, !
WASHINGTON, D. G., Feb. 3, 1868
1 TO His ErceHencu .4Rdre,r Johnson, President
Or the United States
SIR | have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt Of your communication Of the 3lst ult.
/ After n careful reading and comparison Of it
with the article in the .NdiiOnGi IteliigeHcer Of
the 10Th ut., the article the initials g J. b.
/ : in the New-York World Of the 9th ult
purporting to be based upon your statement and
that Of the members of the Cabinet therein
named, find it only to be but a reteration only
somewhat more in detail, ofIthe many and lgross
misrepresentation contained in those articles,
and which my statement of facts set forth in my
letter of the 2Sth ult. was intended to correct
and here | reasscrt the correctness Of my state
ments in that letter, anything in yours in reply
10 it to the contrary notwithstanding.
confess my surprise that the Cabinet off-
GERS referred to should so greatly msapprehend
| the facts III the matter Of admissions alleged to
have been made by me at the Cabinet meeting
ON the 18th ut, as 10 Sufier their names 70 be
made the basis Of the charges in the newspaper
article referred to, or agree TO the accuracy, as
You affirm they DO, Of your account Of what oc-
CURED at that meeting. You know that We
parted on saturday, the 1lth ult., without any
promise on my part, either expressed or implied,
to the fact that | would hold on to the Office Of
Secretary Of War ad interim against the action
Of the Senate, or declining to do 50 myself, would
surrender it to yon before such action was had,
or that would see you again at any fixed time
Oh the subject, The performance Of the prom
ises alleged to have been made by me, would
have involved resistance to the law and an in
consistency with the whole history Of my con-
necton with the suspension Of Mr. Stanton
From our conversation and my written pro-
test of Aug. l, 1867, against the removal of Mr.
Stanton, you must have known that my greatest
objection to his removal was the fear that some
one would be appointed in his stead who would,
by opposition to the laws relating to the restora-
ton of the Southern States to their proper rela-
ton to the Government, embarrass the army in
the performance of the duties especially imposed
upon it by the laws, and that it was to prevent
! such appointment that | accepted the appoint
ment Of Secretary of War ad interim, and not
for the purpose of enabling you to get rid of Mr..
3, Stanton by nv withholding il from him in onno-