The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-02-07
WASHINGTON, February 4.

a huge patch OF documents, furnish.
ed by General Grant, relative to the
secretary OF War, was laid before the
house to-day in communication from
Hon. e. NJ. Stanton, obedient to reso.
luton of that body, passed YESTERDAY
the Sd instant. Mr.. Stanton's letter 40.
company1ng the documents saws thai
1enera! Grant reports that they com.
prise all the correspondence between
the General Chief and the President
himself Mr.. Stanton saws:
have had no correspondence with
the PRESIDENT since the 18th of August
last. After the action OF the Senate on
bis alleged reason for my Suspension
nom the Office of Secretary of War,
resumed the duties of that office as re-.
qulred by the act of Congress, and have
any personal or written communion
ton with the President. No orders
have been Issued from this Department
in the name of the President with nv
knowledge, and / have received no r
ders from him. The correspondence
sent herewith embraces all the cores
pondence known to me on the subject
referred to In the resolution Of the
House of Representatives"
GEN. GRANT TO THE PRESIDENT.
The first letter enclosed is the follow
ing from General Grant, dated Jannarv
2Sth, 1858, and addressed to the Presi-
dent:
SIr-on the oath instant I requested
you, in writing, to give me the in
structions which you had previously
given me verbally, not to obey anv or
der from Hon. E. NJ. Stanton, Secretary
of War, unless I knew it came from
yourself To this written request / re-
ceived message that left doubt in my
mind OF your intentions. To prevent
any possible MISUNDERSTANDING, there
fore, renew the request that you will
give me written instructions, and, until
they are received, will suspend action
on your verbal ones. am compelled
to ask these instructions in writing, in
consequence of the many gross misrep-
reservations affecting my personal
honor circulated through the press for
the last fortnight, purporting to come
from the President, of conversations
which occurred either with the Presi-
dent privately, in his Office or in cab
met meeting. What Is written admits
OF no Misunderstanding. In view of
the misrepresentation referred to, IT
will be well to state the facts in the case.
Some time after assumed the duties
OF Secretary Of War, nd Interim, the
President asked my views on the course
MIR. Stanton would have to pursue in
case the Senate should not concur in
his suspension, to obtain possession OF
his office. Ny reply was, in substance,
that Mr.. Stanton would have to appeal
to the courts to reinstate him, illustra-
ting my position by citing the grounds
1 had taken In the case of the Balti-
more police commissioners. In that
case did not doubt the right of Gov
ernor Swami to remove the old COM
missioners and to appoint their sue
cesSors. AS the old commissioners
refused to give up, however, I contended
that no recourse was left but to appeal
to the courts. Finding that the Presi-
dent was desirous of keeping Mr..
Stanton out of Office, whether sustain
ed In the suspension or not, 1 stated
that had not looked particularly into
the tenure-of-ofice bill, but that what
had stated was q general principle,
and If should change my mind in
this particular case,I would inform
him of the fact.
Subsequently, on reading the tenure
OF office bill, I found that I could not,
without violation of the law, refuse to
vacate the Office of Secretary of War
the moment Mr.. Stanton was reinsta-
ted by the Senate, even though the
President should order me to retain it i,
which he never did. Taking this view
of the subject, and learning on Satur-
day, the 11th inst, that the Senate had
taken up the subject of Mr.. Stanton's
suspension, after some conversation
with Lieutenant General Sherman and
some of the members of my staff, in
which I stated that the law left me no
discretion as to my action should Mr..
Stanton be reinstated, and that I in
tended to inform the President, I went
making this decision known, and did
80 make 1t known. In doing this I full
filled the promise made In our last pre-
ceding conversation on the subject.
The President, however, instead of
accepting my view of the requirements
of the tenure.of-off1ce bill contended
that he had suspended Mr.. Stanton un-
der the authority given him by the
constitution, and that the same author
ity did not preclude him from report
ing, as an act of courtesy, his reasons
for the suspension to the Senate. That,
having appointed me under the author
ity given by the constitution, and not
under any act of Congress-, could not
be governed by the act. stated that
the law was binding on me, constitu-
tional or not, until set aside by the
proper tribunal. An hour or more was
consumed. each reiteratinG his views
on the subject, until, getting late, the
President said he would see me again.
1 did not call again on Monday, nor at
any other definite time, nor was sent
for by the President until the following
Tuesday.
From the 11th to the cabinet meeting
on the 14th doubt never entered my
head about the Presidents fully under
standing my positions: namely. that II
the Senate refused to concur in the sus-
pension of Mr. Stanton, my powers as
Secretary of War, Gd interim, would
cease, and Mr.. Stanton's right to re-
sumo at once the functions of his Office
would, under the law, be indisputable,
and acted accordingly. With Mr..
Stanton had no communica ton, di-
rect or indirect, on the subject of his
reinstatement during his suspension. I
knew ithad been recommended to the
President to send in the name of Gov
ernor Cox, of Ohio, as Secretary of
War, and thus save all embarrassment
"a proposition that sincerely hoped
he would entertain favorably; General
Sherman seeing the President at my
particular request to urge this on the
18th instant.
Wary General Comstock, who had
served my official letter announcing
that with Mr.. Stanton's reinstatement
by the Senate had ceased to be Secre-
tary of War, Id interim, and who saw
the President open and read the COM
munication, brought back to me from
the President a message that he wanted
to see me that day at the cabinet
meeting, after had made known the
fact that I was no longer Secretary of
War, Gd Interim. Alter this meeting,
after opening it as though was mem-
ber of his cabinet, when reminded of
the notification already given him that
1 was no longer Secretary of War, Gd
interim, the President gave q version of
the conversation alluded to already.
In this statement 1t was asserted that
a., ElofI, OOnvaraa tiona had agreed to