The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-08-09
WASHINGTON.
Commissioner PleaSOntOn Suspended
Douglass his Successor.


WASHINGTON, August 3.
Last night General Porter called uTm
PleasOntOn with verbal message r.
+ quGSting him to resign his office. Thi
Pleasonton declined doing The Prcsi
dent being informed Of his dcclinntion
resolved 10 suspend PleasOnt0n, and ap
point Deputy Commissioner Douglass
In his place. From present Indication!
neither will be COnsulnmatcd during th(
day. The President at noon suspended
FleasontOn, under the tenure of office
act, and appointed Deputy Douglass in hi,
place.
THE SUSPENSION of PLEAsONTON.
To-day the President sent to Gen. Pleas
onton the following
EXECUTIVE MANSION, August y.
You arc hereby suspended from the
Office OF Commissioner OF Internal RGye-
nue, in accordance with the terms of the
act approved April ., A. d. 1869, to
amend an act regulating the tenure of
certain civil offices, passed March Cd, 1907,
and subject to all provisions OI law ap.
plicable thereto.
Signed "U. s GRANT"
10 PledSOHtOn
On receiving the notification, General
PleasontOn vacated the office, leaving for
his successor the following;
16J W. Douglass, lR Deputy Commission.
T Internal RpGGHUe Bureau.
SIR-llavlng this day been suspended
from this office by the President, turn
the same over to you. Respectfully,
lSigned A. PLEAsONTON.
Mr.. Douglass Immediately entered upon
the duties Of his office and received the
congratulations OF his friends. General
Pleasonton Is suspended until the end of
the next session of the Senate, and Mr..
douglass Is to perform the duties of the
office in the meantime.
CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS ACCEPTS.
The report recently circulated that
Charles Francis Adams had declined the
appointment Of arbitrator under the treaty
at Washington is incorrect. The Presi.
dent to-day received telegram from him
Informing him Of his acceptance.
ENFORCEMENT OF THE KU.KLUx ACT.
Official information has been received
that the ku.Klux act of Congress Is being
enforced in the South with more success
than anticipated under the instructions
from the executive authority.
NO CABINET MEETING.
There was no formal meeting of the
Cabinet. The President left this evening
for Long Branch.
4 LETTER FROM PIEAsONTON.
The President this morning received
The following letter from Gen. Pleasonton.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT
OFFICE CoM'R INT. REV., August =. { |
10 the PreSident I'm answer to your
request transmitted through Gen. Porter
last evening that | should tender my resig.
nation Of the Office Of Commissioner of
Internal Revenue, can only reply that
under ordinary circumstances nothing
'ould give me greater pleasure than TO &C.
'ele any request you might make Of this
Kind; but the cause for making this re.
quest was stated 10 be difference existing
between the Secretary OF the Treasury,
and myself, as regards the
government and management Of the In.
ernal Revenue. Mr.. Boutwell, claims
'owers which, under the laws Of Congress
!re vested solely in the Commissioner.
The question Is, therefore, purely n
egal one. The preCCdents Of our Gov.
rnment have been to have such uucs.
ions, when appealed to the President,
eterred toa law officer of the Govern.
nent for his opinion, and upon which the
resident would basehis decision. This
curse was pursued by Presidents Jack. !
on, Tyler, Pierce, Van Buren,, Fillmore,
md others, and has been the uniform
'ractiCe Of the Government
knowing these facts, and believing this
be the proper way to settle any differ.
nee In views, as regards law, which
night exist between the Secretary
nd Commissioner, l addressed you 4
some time since, making 7
n appeal for your decision Of the powers |
{ Commissioners under tho act Of July q
9th, 1868. This appeal, as understand 1
!, Is not to be entertained, but the sub. I
'Ct will be treated rather rs personal :
iiiercnce between the Secretary and my. /
elf
In this connection IL Is proper to add
nat the personal conduct OF the Secretary |
as been such as TO preclude the tender 4
fmy resignation until some opportunity '
'as granted for vin1icating my admins. [
alton Of the Internal Revenue Bureau r
Justice TO the public interests placed |
nder my charge, and the Importance to c
X payers Of proper solution of these S
most respectfully decline to '
'nder you my resignation; and trusting v
will not be deemed inappropriate, | will I
gain suggest that your present determi. h
alton may he reConsidered, and the in. 4
estigatiOn Of the matter Ol difference be. n
Seen The Secretary and myself be re. h
,treu 70 the Attorney General, for his lie. fl
NJ opinion. With respect, Il
lolsneu'I A. PLEAsoNTON, o
Commissioner. h
This letter was accompanied by A pri. Il
ate note from Gen. Pleasonton eXprrs. v
We, II Is said, of his devotion, friendshin n
nd support of the President in future e.
Iithin two hours Of the receipt of Gen
leasontons letter, the President sent TO
i'm a notification Of his suspension. The i.
causes assigned in official y
larters for his suspension are that the .
tetnal revenue was not collected with ~
ilciency; that Gen. Pleasonton reversed y
e rulings Of his predecessors in several I,
lportant particulars, and made decisions IT. :,
hicll were unnecessary to lessen the "
lblic receipts, acting independently of \
ID not consulting with his superior ~ y
tcers as TO these and other matters of !"
e administration, and that change was
'ctessary in order that there be harmony
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