Year: 1868

that what is sauce for the geese


Cth0so who lent the South money


ON these bonds,l may another day


heromo sauce lo the granders, wh'


let the North money under the idea


that they were to ha repaid thell


principal aud interest in gold, i0l


aiding To crush the South,


WASHINGTON, March 23,-Tho iol


lowing Is the conclusion OF lh,


Presidents answer 10 the first arll'


ele Of impeachment;


Aud this respondent, proceeding


to answer specially each substantive


allegation in the said first article


SAYS he donics that the said Stanton
on tho 2lst day OF February 1868
was lawfully in possession of the
said office oi Secretary flr the De-
parlmcnt of War. lio denies That
the said Stanton, on the day last
mentioned, was lawfully entitled TO
hold the said Office, against the will
OF the President of the United
States,


lie denies that the said order for
the removal of said Stanton was
unlawnlly issued, lie denies that
the said order was issued with the
intent TO violate the net entitled an
act to regulate the tenure of cci tain
civil offices. lie denies that the
said order WIS u violation of the
constitution of the United States, or
of any law thereof, or Of his oath of
office. lie denies that the said or
der was issued with any intent 10
violate the constitution of the Uni
ted States, or any law thereof, or
this respondents oath of office.


lie respectfully but earnestly in.
sis;s that not only WAS it issued by
him in the performance Of what he
believed to be an official duty, but
in the performance of what this
honorable court will consider was in
point of fact IN imperative official
duty. and he denies that any and
all substantive matters in the said
first article contained, in manner
and form as the same are therein
stated and set forth, do by law con-
stitutc n high misdcmeanor in office
within the true intent and meaning
Of tho constitution OF the unIled
States.


Answering the second article, he
says, first, that at the date and de-
livery of said communication, there
was Il vacancy existing in the Office
of the Secretary for the Department
OF War. Second, that notwlthstand-
ing the Senate Of the United States
was then in session, it was lawful
and according to long and well cs-
tablished usage to empower and au-
thorize the said Thomas to act as
Secretary of War dd interim.


Third, that if the said act rcgu-
lating the tenure of civil Office be
valid law, no provision OF the same
was violated by the issuing Of said
order, or by designating the said
Thomas to act rs Secretary of War
ad interim.


In answer to the third article, al
luding to the order given General
Thomas, he denies that the same
to an appointment, and in.
sists tht it is only designation Of
an officer Of that Department to act
temporarily, as Secretary for the
Department of War, ad interim, un-
til an appointment should be made.


Included in the answer to the 4th
article is the following;


This respondent states that his
sole purpose in authorizing the, said
Thomas to act as Secretary for the
Of War, od interim, was
as is fully stated in his answer to
the first article, to bring the quos-
ton Of the right of the said Stan
ton to hold said Office, notwithstan-
ding tho said order OF removal and
notwithstanding the said authority
of the said Thomas to act as Secre-
tary ad interim, to the test of u final
decision by the Supreme Court Of
the United States, in the earliest
practicable mode by which the
question could be brought before
that tribunal.


The President repeats the follow
ing in respect to all specifications
his speeches


But this respondent does not ad-
nit that the passage therein set
forth as an extract from a speech or
an address of this respondent, upon
said occasion, correctly or justly
presents his speech or address upon
said occasion but on the contrary
this respondent demands and insists
that if this honorable court shall
leem the said article and the said
first specification thereof to contain
allegation of matter cognizable by
his honorable court rs a high mis-
lemeanor. in office. within the in