Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-03-09
There is another. reason, Mr.. Speak

CnlS nOnOrdDlo DOuy IrOm passing arLl'
cles of impeachment under the actual
circumstances. It was but the other
day that vague newspaper rumor,
charging that one of the judges of the
Supreme Court of the United States had,
when off the bench, expressed an opin-
ion as to the constitutionality of the re-
construction acts, was made the subject
of grave investigation. But if it be an
impeachable ofense for the judge of a
court to express an opinion when off the
bench as to an abstract question of con-
stitutional law, what should be said Of
the action of a high court which would
undertake to try citizen charged with
crimes and misdemeanors, after that
court by fve-sixths vote had entered
its judgment of conviction before the
case had been heard 1 have too much
respect, Mr.. Chairman, for the Senate of
the United States, too high regard for
the honor of my country, to doubt that
that august body will vindicate its high
character by refusing to try the Chief
Magistrate, after having previously pro-
nounced an opinion s.to his guilt.
is well known, sir, to the whole
country that the public interests have
seriously suffered in consequence of the
insubordinate conduct of the Secretary
of War. So fdliy impressed were Gen
erals Grant and Sherman of the great
prejudice done the country by the con-
tinuance Of Secretary Stanton in the
War Office, that they determined to re-
quest him to resign, and that if he did
not resign that "ulterior" measures
should be :"contrived" to meet the case.
But General Sherman shall speak for
himself. In his letter to the President
he says: :. - p.
332 K STREET, WASHINGTON, !
Saturday, Jan. Is. !
I regretted, this morning. to say that
1 had agreed to go down to Annapolis
to spend Monday with Admiral Portei,
General Grant has to leave for Rich
mond on Monday morning at six o'clock.
At conversation with the General, af-
ter our interview, wherein I offered to 60
with him on Monday morning to Mr..
Stanton and say that.it was our joint
opinion he should resign, if it was found
impossible, by reason of his going to
Richmond and my going to Annapolis.
The General proposed this course. He
will call on you tomorrow and offer to
go to Mr.. Stanton to say that for the
good of the service of the country he
ought to resign-this on Sunday. On
Monday will call on you, and if you
think it necessary I will do the same
call on Mr.. Stanton and tell him he
should resign. If he will not, then it
will be time to contrive ulterior meas
ures. In the meantime it also happens
that no necessity exists for precipitating
matters. Yours truly,
w. T. SHERMAN.
But Secretary Stanton clings to the
War Office with the tenacity of drown
ing man to plank ; and although Gen
eral Grant proposed to General Sherman
that they should jointly urge Mr.. STAN
ton to resign, for the good of the service,
of which fact Mr.. Stanton is fully aware;
but, dead to every patriotic impulse,
deaf to every appeal of honor, he insists
on remaining in Cabinet where he is
unrecognized by his colleagues, and u
repudiated by his chief. Sir, the case
is remarkable one. A Cabinet officer
the Secretary of War-defed and dis
obeyed the President of the United
States, the constitutional Commander
of the Army and Navy. What was to
be done? Was the President to yield to
the usurped authority of member of his
own Cabinet? Was the Commander-in-
Chief of the Army and Navy to yield to
his own subaltern Z? Or rather, was it
not his right, if not his imperative duty,
to require obedience to the laws and re-
move the offender from office? But it is
charged that the President has defed
Congress. What are the facts2 The
interests of the public service demanded
that the Secretary of War should be re-
moved, and the President, in the exer-
else of his constitutional right, directed
his removal. --.,.,.-.-5
Certainly, sir, there was neither went
of respect nor want of courtesy to Con-
gress in this action of the Executive.
On the contrary, he directed the Adiu-
tant General of the army. whose Office
is in>the Department of War, to tempo
rarily discharge the duties of1the War
Office until Secretaryof War could be
duly appointed by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate. And out Of
Difference to that august body, on the
very next morning, a venerable states
man of great experience and distinguish
ed ability was nominated by the Presi-
dent as Secretary of War; and, had the
Senate acted with the promptness of the
Executive, Mr.. Ewing would now be in
the War Office and the country be res
cued from the peril which threatens it,
Now, sir, / call the attention of the
House and the country to the facts con-
nected with the action cf the President
They show that the Adjutant General
was not aware that he was to be assigned
to the duties of the War Office until ht
received the order of the President
which, as a soldier, he was bound tt
lobey. Hence there was no combination
between the President and the Adiutan
General. The facts further show tina
the President did not consult with sin
gle member of Congress as to his in
tended action. Hence there was NJ
combination between the Presiden
and any member or members of the Fed
eral Legislature. Nor is this all. Hat
the President aimed at evil every gen
tleman in this House knows full wei
that General Thomas is not the perso,
who would have been selected to carr
out such purpose. And as the actor
of the President in the assignment o
General Thomas to the duties of tn
War Office is vindicated by the facts,so ii
that vindication made still more cemplet
by the nomination of Mr.. Ewing as Sec
retary of War. But why was not th'