Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-20

ply to the assertion Of Gen. Grant that on |
Saturday the 18th. be (Grant) called upon |
the President and informed him that he |
should yacaie the War Department the
moment be should be notified of The action |
of the Senate in sustaining Stanton, the
President said bis recollection was precisely
the reverse of that, and be said that in
the presence of the Cabinet, on the 14th Of
January, the day after Grant gave up the
Office TO Stanton, be asked Grant, IN The
presence of the Cabinet officers, if ne did not,
shortly after taking the war Office, agree to
remain in that Office and abide the decision
Of the judicial proceedings, or to resign In !
time to give the President an opportunity
to appoint another before the Senate should
act? This, said the President, you (Grant)
admitted. And on the preceding Saturday
the President had asked Grant what he in
tended to do; and Grant replied that be
would abide by the understanding between
them; ahd Grant also admitted this in the
presence of the Cabinet. Further, he asked
Grant II at the conclusion of the interview on
Saturday, January IL, it was not understood
that they should have another conference
on Monday, January 10, before the Senate
should act? and Gen. Grant, in the pres.
ence ofthe Cabinet, gave an Affirmative re-
ply.
But Gen. Grant did not call, as agreed,
on Monday. He vacated the Office that
day, without notifying the President as he
had agreed to do; and in his letter of JAN
nary 2s, Gen. Grant declared that he never
made any promises to hold the Office till the
court should act, or notify the President
that he should resign.
Gen. Grant replied to the Presidents let
ter of the a1st .of January on the Sd Of
February. In this letter be declared that
he (Grant) accepted the appointment of
Secretary of War Gd interim to prevent the
appointment of some other person in place
of Mr.. Stanton, sand not for the purpose of
enabling you to get rid of Mr.. Stanton, by
my withholding it from him in opposition
to law" This was fat contradiction OF
his (Grant's) own letter to the President,
of January 2S, only five days previous, in
which Gen. Grant declared in writing that he
would hold the Office, subject to the decision
ofthe court, or notify the President Of his in
tention to resign. This letter proved the
deceptive part that Grant had acted with
the President. It confirmed the falsehoods
the President had charged upon him, and
was, in fact, a self-condemnation of one
who had proved false and treacherous to
the President; assuming to be the Presi-
dents friend, to get a judicial decision in
the case of Stanton, while be was all the
time secretly plotting to sustain Stanton and
to get him reinstated before any judicial de-
cision could be reached. A more false
hearted course of conduct could not be
imagined. Rs - -~
Gen. Grant denies the statements and
admissions that be made in the presence OF
the Cabinet, Jan. IA; and President John
son asked each Cabinet officer present a
that time to state in writing what Gen
Grant did say, or whether the version o
the President or the denial Of Gen. Gran
was correct.
Five Cabinet officers, all who were pre-
sent, viz: Secretaries Seward, McCulloch
Welles, Browning and Postmaster Gen
eral Randall wrote Feb. 5, confirming wha
the President had said, and proving the fal
sity of the denials of Gen. Grant.
The President sent the replies OF the Cab
met officers to Gen. Grant, who replied OF
the 18th of February, saying that without
admitting any of these statements wherein
they differed from his own he would onIl
reply in regard to another matter, viz: thu
subject of insubordination! And so Gran
gave up the task of further defending hi
violation of important pledges and his un
Z truthful denials of them.
From the facts, which are recorded il
writing, it appears that Grants "fiat deni
al, of Senator Schurzs declaration as to tn
attempt to bribe the Senator, was not his
first fat denial; nor was it the only one II
which the falsity of the denial was fatty
proved upon Grant.