Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-02-14

Commissioners and appoint their success.
sors. AS the old Commissioners refused
to give up, however, contended that no
resource was left but to appeal to the
Courts. Finding that the President was
DESTROYS of keeping Mr.. Stanton out of
the Office whether sustained in the suspen-
sion or not, I stated that had not looked
particularly in the Tenure-of- Office bill,
but what I had to state was a general
principle, and that if I should change my
mind in this particular case l would In
form him of the fact. Subsequently, on
reading the Tenure of Office bill more
closely, found that | could not, without a
violation of law, refuse to vacate the office
of Secretary of War the moment Mr. stan
ton was reinstated by the Senate, even
though the President ordered me to retain
it, which he never did. Taking this view
of the subject, and learning on Saturday,
the 18th instant, that the Senate had taken
up the subject of Mr.. Stantons suspension,
after some conversation with Lieut.. Gen.
Sherman and members OF my sta1f, IN
which l stated that the law left me no
discretion as to my action should MT
Stanton be reinstated, and thatI INTENDED
to inform the President, went TO the
President for the sole purpose OF making
my decision known, and did make 1t known.
In this 1 fulfilled the promise made IN
our last preceding conversation on the
subject The President, however, instead
OF accepting my view OF the requirements
of the Tenure of Office bill, commended
that he had suspended Mr.. Stanton under
authority given by the Constitution, and
that the same authority did not preclude
hi from n &c oct of a0nrtPaV
his reasons for the suspension to the Sen
ate; that, having been appointed under
authority given by the Constitution, and
not under the act of Congress, could not
be governed by the act. The law was
binding on me, Constitution or not, until
set aside by the proper tribunal.
An hour was consumed, each reiter-
ating his views on the subject, until,
getting late, the President said he
would see me again. did not
agree to call on Monday nor any other
definite time, nor was [ sent for by the
President until the following Tuesday.
From the 18th inst. to the Cabinet meeting
on the 18th inst, q doubt never entered my
mind about the President fully understands
ing my position, namely, that if the Senate
refused to concur in the suspension OF Mr..
Stanton, my powers as Secretary OF War
aud interim would cease and Mr.. Stantons
right to resume at once the functions OF his
| office, would, under the law, be indisputa-
BILE. acted accordingly with MIR. Stanton.
had no communication direct on the sub
| ject of his lnstallment during the suspen-
sion. / know it had been recommended
| to the President to send the name of
Governor Cox, of Ohio, for Secretary OF
War, and save all embarrassment, propo-
sition L sincerely hoped he would favor,
General Sherman seeing the President, at
| my request, to urge this, on the 18th. On
Tuesday, Mr.. Stanton rec entered the office
of Secretary of War. General Comstock,
who had carried my official letter announc.
| ing Mr.. Stanton's reinstatement by the
Senate, and that had ceased to be Secre-
| tary of War dd interim, saw the President
| open and read the communication, and
brought back to me, from the President, a
message that he wanted to see me that day
at the Cabinet meeting, after | made
| known the fact that | was no longer Sec
rotary of War adj interim. AT this meeting,
| after opening as though [ was member
of his Cabinet, reminded him of the no.
tification already given him that was no
| longer Secretary OF War adj interim. The
| President gave his version of the CONVEX
sations alluded to. In his statement it was
asserted that in both conversations | had
agreed to hold on to the Office of Secretary
of War until displaced by the courts, Or re-
| sign, so as to place the President where he
| would have been had never accepted the
| office. After hearing the President through,
| / stated our conversations substantially as
| given in this letter. | will say that my
conversation before the Cabinet embraces
other matters not important here, and
therefore left out. ! in nowise admitted
the truth of the Presidents's statement of
| our conversation, though to soften the ev-
ident contradiction ofmy statement, said,
abiding to our first conversation on the
subject that the President might have
understood me the way he said, namely,
that had promised to resign if | did not
resist the reinstatement. l made no such
| statement. f.sa
I have the honor to be, very respectful
| ly, your obedient servant, se ~
| U. S. GRANT, General.
| HEADQRs ARMY OF THE UNIFIED STATES, L
i WASHINGTON, Jan. "a, 1868.
| His Exceliency, Andrew johnson, Presidentof the
| United States: f i'.- t#
SIR: l have the honor very respectfully
to request to have In writing the order
which the President gave me verbally, on
Sunday, the 10Th inst. to disregard the
orders Of the Hon. E. III. Stanton, as Sec
| rotary of War, until 1 knew from the
President himself that they were his or
| ders 5r 7f4*a al4 na 5ea 20"
have the honor to be, very respectful
| ly, your obedient servant,
h'' ' U. s. GRANT, General.
The following is the Endorsement on the
| above note as requested in this communi-
| cation
General Grant is instructed in writing
not to obey any order from the War De,
partment assumed to be issued by the di.
| rection Of the President, unless such order
| is known by the General commanding the
armies of the United States to have been
authorized by the Executive. =.
ANDREW JOHNSON
January 20, 1868. la5 a' 49,.
HEADQRs ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES, I
E# i' it-t" Fl WAsHIN NOTION, Jan. 30, 1868. (
To His Excellency. Andrew johnson, President:
SIR have the homo to acknowledge
the return Of my note of the Gath inst +,
| with your endorsement thereon that I am
not to obey any order from the War De-
| partment assumed to be issued by order Of
| the President, unless such order is known
by me to be authorized by the Executive.
| In reply thereto I am informed by the
| Secretary Of War that he has not received
| from the Executive any order or instruC-