Year: 1868

Washington, Dec 1.-THE President,
late this afternoon, sent to the Senate in
executive session a confidential document
of Secretary Stanton. 1t is lengthy
document of thirty-six foolscap pages. and
took three quarters of an hour to read it.
The President dwells strongly on the point
that there was lack of harmony between
Mr.. Stanton and himself, and this led to
frequent quarrels in the Cabinet. He said
be had given Mr.. Stanton to understand on
several occasions that his resignation would
be acceptable, but that no notice was taken
of his wishes in this regard. He charges
that at the time of the New Orleans riot,
Mr.. Stanton was fully aware of the danger
of general outbreak, but that he withheld
the dispatches concerning the situation from
the President for eleven days, thus putting
it out Of the power of the Executive to pre-
vent the riot, and that while the country
rung from one end to the other with abuse
of the President. He says that when the
tenure of Office was under discussion in the
Cabinet, Stanton made the strongest argu-
mcnt against its cOnstitutionality, and that
he subsequently expressed his hearty ap-
proval of the veto of that Act. The Presi


dent remarks concerning this, that he had
no reason to suppose that one so strongly
opposed to this bill would take advantage OF
it. The letters which passed between Mr..
johnson and Mr.. Stanton at the time OF the
suspension are given, and a long recapitula-
tion of the positions taken by Mr.. Stanton
in the Cabinet upon questions of reconstruc-
ton. This covers quite number of pages.
and does not differ very materially from the
evidence given on some points by Mr.. Stan
ton before the Impeachment COMMITTEE
The President. in giving his summary OF
Stanton's views, strives to show that his
opinions at first and for some time were the
same as those of the Executive and other
members of the Cabinet. He then makes q
point that Stanton changed. and without
signifying such change, did what he could
as the head of the War Office, to thwart and
Interfere with the policy Of the Administra-
ton. The document does not show or hint
Mt any malfeasance in office, on the part of
Mr.. Stanton, but makes it very plain that
there was n bitter hostility between him and
the President. Mr.. johnson dwells much
on the point that there should be the utmost
harmony between the President and the
members of his Cabinet, and the point for
which he relies for support in the Senate is
of purely personal character. lie regards
the Tenure of Office Act as clearly and
lagrantly unconstitutional. in which opinion
he is sustained by the Cabinet, and he holds
that he would have a perfect right to remove
Mr Stanton at once, but is willing to leave
the case to the Senate. The message was
read and referred to the Military Committee
There was some talk about removing the
seal of secresy, many Senators thinking as il
was matter of public interest, it ought tc
be made public; others said it was entirely
er parte, and in justice to Mr.. Stanton,
ought not to be printed till he had been
heard What action the Senate will take IN
the matter cannot be told, but several gen


tlemen say there was nothing in the reasons
alleged for the suspensions constituting O
legal ground under the law.