history of the impeachment of andrew johnson-第28节

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of　which　the　following　is　a　true　copy：

Sir：Public　considerations　of　a　high　character　constrain　me　to　say　that　your　resignation　as　Secretary　of　War　will　be　accepted。

To　which　note　the　said　Stanton　made　the　following　reply：

War　Department；　Washington；　August　5；　1867。

Sir：…Your　note　of　this　day　has　been　received；　stating　that　public　considerations　of　a　high　character　constrain　you　〃to　say　that　my　resignation　its　Secretary　of　War　will　be　accepted。〃

In　reply　I　have　the　honor　to　say　that　public　considerations　of　a　high　character；　which　alone　have　induced　me　to　continue　at　the　head　of　this　department；　constrain　me　not　to　resign　the　office　of　Secretary　of　War　before　the　next　meeting　of　Congress。

Very　respectfully　yours。　Edwin　M。　Stanton。


This　respondent；　as　President　of　the　United　States；　was　thereon　of　opinion　that；　having　regard　to　the　necessary　official　relations　and　duties　of　the　Secretary　for　the　Department　of　War　to　the　President　of　the　United　States　according　to　the　Constitution　and　laws　of　the　United　States；　and　having　regard　to　the　responsibility　of　the　President　for　the　conduct　of　the　said　Secretary；　and　having　regard　to　the　permanent　executive　authority　of　the　office　which　the　respondent　holds　under　the　Constitution　and　laws　of　the　United　States；　it　was　impossible；　consistently　with　the　public　interests；　to　allow　the　said　Stanton　to　continue　to　hold　the　said　office　of　Secretary　for　the　Department　of　War；　and　it　then　became　the　official　duty　of　the　respondent；　as　President　of　the　United　States；　to　consider　and　decide　what　act　or　acts　should　and　might　lawfully　be　done　by　him；　as　President　of　the　United　States；　to　cause　the　said　Stanton　to　surrender　the　said　office。

This　respondent　was　informed　and　verily　believed　that　it　was　practically　settled　by　the　first　Congress　of　the　United　States；　and　had　been　so　considered　and　uniformly　and　in　great　numbers　of　instances　acted　on　by　each　Congress　and　President　of　the　United　States；　in　succession；　from　President　Washington　to；　and　including　President　Lincoln；　and　from　the　first　Congress　to　the　thirty…ninth　Congress；　that　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States　conferred　on　the　President；　as　part　of　the　executive　power　and　as　one　of　the　necessary　means　and　instruments　of　performing　the　executive　duty　expressly　imposed　on　him　by　the　Constitution　of　taking　care　that　the　laws　be　faithfully　executed；　the　power　at　any　and　all　times　of　removing　from　office　all　executive　officers　for　cause　to　be　judged　of　by　the　President　alone。　This　respondent　had；　in　pursuance　of　the　Constitution；　required　the　opinion　of　each　principal　officer　of　the　executive　departments；　upon　this　question　of　constitutional　executive　power　and　duty；　and　had　been　advised　by　each　of　them；　including　the　said　Stanton；　Secretary　for　the　Department　of　War；　that　under　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States　this　power　was　lodged　by　the　Constitution　in　the　President　of　the　United　States；　and　that　consequently；　it　could　be　lawfully　exercised　by　him；　and　the　Congress　could　not　deprive　him　thereof；　and　this　respondent；　in　his　capacity　of　President　of　the　United　States；　and　because　in　that　capacity　he　was　both　enabled　and　bound　to　use　his　best　judgment　upon　this　question；　did。　in　good　faith　and　with　an　earnest　desire　to　arrive　at　the　truth；　come　to　the　conclusion　and　opinion；　and　did　make　the　same　known　to　the　honorable　the　Senate　of　the　United　States　by　a　message　dated　on　the　2nd　day　of　March；　1867；　that　the　power　last　mentioned　was　conferred　and　the　duty　of　exercising　it；　in　fit　cases；　was　imposed　on　the　President　by　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　and　that　the　President　could　not　be　deprived　of　this；　power　or　relieved　of　this　duty；　nor　could　the　same　be　vested　by　law　in　the　President　and　the　Senate　jointly；　either　in　part　or　whole。

This　respondent　was　also　then　aware　that　by　the　first　section　of　〃An　act　regulating　the　tenure　of　certain　civil　offices；〃　passed　March　2；　1867；　by　a　constitutional　majority　of　both　houses　of　Congress；　it　was　enacted　as　follows：

〃That　every　person　holding　any　civil　office　to　which　he　has　been　appointed　by　and　with　the　advice　and　consent　of　the　Senate；　and　every　person　who　shall　hereafter　be　appointed　to　any　such　office；　and　shall　become　duly　qualified　to　act　therein；　is　and　shall　be　entitled　to　hold　such　office　until　a　successor　shall　have　been　in　like　manner　appointed　and　duly　qualified；　except　as　herein　otherwise　provided：　Provided；　That　the　Secretaries　of　State；　of　the　Treasury；　of　War；　of　the　Navy；　and　of　the　Interior；　the　Postmaster　General；　and　the　Attorney　General　shall　hold　their　offices　respectively　for　and　during　the　term　of　the　President　by　whom　they　may　have　been　appointed；　and　one　month　thereafter；　subject　to　removal　by　and　with　the　advice　and　consent　of　the　Senate。〃

This　respondent　was　also　aware　that　this　act　was　understood　and　intended　to　be　an　expression　of　the　opinion　of　the　Congress　by　which　that　act　was　passed；　that　the　power　to　remove　executive　officers　for　cause　might；　by　law；　be　taken　from　the　President　and　vested　in　him　and　the　Senate　jointly；　and　although　this　respondent　had　arrived　at　and　still　retained　the　opinion　above　expressed；　and　verily　believed；　as　he　still　believes；　that　the　said　first　section　of　the　last　mentioned　act　was　and　is　wholly　inoperative　and　void　by　reason　of　its　conflict　with　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　yet；　inasmuch　as　the　same　had　been　enacted　by　the　constitutional　majority　in　each　of　the　two　houses　of　that　Congress；　this　respondent　considered　it　to　be　proper　to　examine　and　decide　whether　the　particular　case　of　the　said　Stanton；　on　which　it　was　this　respondent's　duty　to　act；　was　within　or　without　the　terms　of　that　first　section　of　the　act；　or；　if　within　it；　whether　the　President　had　not　the　power；　according　to　the　terms　of　the　act；　to　remove　the　said　Stanton　from　the　office　of　Secretary　for　the　Department　of　War；　and　having；　in　his　capacity　of　President　of　the　United　States；　so　examined　and　considered；　did　form　the　opinion　that　the　case　of　the　said　Stanton　and　his　tenure　of　office　were　not　affected　by　the　first　section　of　the　last…named　act。

And　this　respondent；　further　answering；　says；　that　although　a　case　thus　existed　which；　in　his　judgment　as　President　of　the　United　States；　called　for　the　exercise　of　the　executive　power　to　remove　the　said　Stanton　from　the　office　of　Secretary　for　the　Department　of　War；　and　although　this　respondent　was　of　the　opinion；　as　is　above　shown；　that　under　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States　the　power　to　remove　the　said　Stanton　from　the　said　office　was　vested　in　the　President　of　the　United　States；　and　also　this　respondent　was　also　of　the　opinion；　as　is　above　shown；　that　the　case　of　the　said　Stanton　was　not　affected　by　the　first　section　of　the　last　named　act；　and　although　each　of　the　said　opinions　had　been　formed　by　this　respondent　upon　an　actual　case；　requiring　him；　in　his　capacity　of　President　of　the　United　States。　to　come　to　some　judgment　and　determination　thereon；　yet　this　respondent；　as　President　of　the　United　States；　desired　and　determined　to　avoid；　if　possible；　any　question　of　the　construction　and　effect　of　the　said　first　section　of　the　last　named　act；　and　also　the　broader　question　of　the　executive　power　conferred　on　the　President　of　the　United　States；　by　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　to　remove　one　of　the　principal　officers　of　one　of　the　executive　departments　for　cause　seeming　to　him　sufficient；　and　this　respondent　also　desired　and　determined　that　if；　from　causes　over　which　he　could　exert　no　control；　it　should　become　absolutely　necessary　to　raise　and　have；　in　some　way；　determined　either　or　both　of　the　said　last　named　questions；　it　was　in　accordance　with　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　and　was　required　of　the　President　thereby；　that　questions　of　so　much　gravity　and　importance；　upon　which　the　legislative　and　executive　departments　of　the　government　had　disagreed；　which　involved　powers　considered　by　all　branches　of　the　government；　during　its　entire　history　down　to　the　year　1867；　to　have　been　confided　by　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States　to　the　President；　and　to　be　necessary　for　the　complete　and　proper　execution　of　his　constitutional　duties；　should　be　in　some　proper　way　submitted　to　that　judicial　department　of　the　government　instrusted　by　the　Constitution　with　the　power；　and　subjected　by　it　to　the　duty；　not　only　of　determining　finally　the　construction　of　and　effect　of　all　acts　of　Congress。　but　of　comparing　them　with　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States　and　pronouncing　them　inoperative　when　found　in　conflict　with　that　fundamental　law　which　the　people　have　enacted　for　the　government　of　all　their　servants。　And　to　these　ends；　first；　that；　through　the　action　of　the　Senate　of　the　United　States；　the　absolute　duty　of　the　President　to　substitute　some　fit　person　in　place　of　Mr。　Stanton　as　one　of　his　advisers；　and　as　a　principal　subordinate　officer　whose　official　conduct　he　was　responsible　for　and　had　lawful　right　to　control；　might；　if；　possible。　be　accomplished　without　the　necessity　of　raising　any　one　of　the　questions　aforesaid；　and；　second；　if　this　duty　could　not　be　so　performed　then　that　these　questions；　or　such　of　them　as　might　necessarily　arise；　should　be　judicially　determined