Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1884-03-13

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your Office as Acknowledgement
i am repeated General Thomas,
Secretary Of War ad interim, and l
shall not obey your orders; but | shall
obey the order Of the President to take
charge of this Office
AS Secretary of War, said Mr..
Stanton "A second time, Il order YOU to
repair to your office az Adjutant-Gen-
eral
i shall not do so, returned General
Thomas.
Then, persued Mr.. Stanton, you
may stand there if you please, but you
attempt to act as Secretary of War at
your peril.
To which General Thomas replied, Il
shall act as Secretary of War and
there the official interview ended.
Presently, however, General Thom-
as crossed the hall to General Schriv-
cts room, and Mr.. Stanton, followed
only by the stenographer, came in af-
ter him. Resuming the colloquy, Mr.
Stanton said in a laughing tone to
General Thomas:
80 you claim to be here as Secre-
tary of War, and refuse to obey my
orders, do you?s.
General Thomas replied seriously:
4 do so claim. shall require the
mails of the War Department TO be
delivered TO me, and shall transact all
the business of the department.
Seeing that the General looked as if
had no rest the night before, Mr.. Stan
ton, playfully running his fingers up
through the Generals hair as he wear
ily leaned back in his chair, said:
Well, old fellow, have yol had any
breakfast this morning.
No., said Thomas, good naturedly
Then you are as badly off as | am
for / have had none
Mr.. Stanton then sent out for some
refreshments, and while the two were
sharing the rejection they engaged in
very pleasant conversation, in the
course ofwhich, however, Mr.. Stanton
suddenly and with seeming carlessness
inquired when General Thomas was
going to give him the report of an in
spection of the national cemeteries
which he had lately made. Mr.. STAN
ton said if it was not soon rendered it
would be too late for the printers, and
he was anxious to have it GO forth as
a creditable work of the department.
The question had apparently no espec-
ial point, and General Thomas evident
ly saw none, for he answered, pleas
antly, that he would work at the re.
port that night and give it to the Sec
rotary. This struck me- said Gencr-
al Townsend, 'as lawyers ruse to
make Thomas acknowledge Stanton's
authority as Secretary of War, and
that Thomas wascaught by it. some
time after asked Mr.. Stanton if that
was his design. He made no reply but
looked at me with marked express
ion of surprise at my conceiving such
a thing We are further told that,
before General Thomas left the depart
ment that morning, Mr.. Stanton hand
ed him letter forbidding him to give
any orders as Secretary of War The
General read and endorsed it as re-
ceived on that date, signing the en-
dorsement as Secretary ad interim.
which Mr.. Stanton seeing, he remark
ed, laughing; Here you have CON-
mitted another offense' To this the
General assented, and soon after went
away for the day. The incidents here
related unquestionably indicate, as
General townsend surmised, that all
the steps taken by Mr.. stanton were
intended to place the whole matter in
a form suitable for testing before the
highest tribunal, the constitutionality
of the tcnbre of office act.