UNITED STATES. 



695 



States for four years, commencing on the 4th 

 of March next, and in a few remarks assured 

 the General that the great majority of his 

 countrymen hailed his election with delight, 

 while even those who did not support him at 

 the polls entertained for him the highest con- 

 fidence and respect. " The friends of liberty 

 throughout the world," continued Morton, "re- 

 joice at your election, and all believe that you 

 will bring to the performance of your duty 

 unalloyed patriotism, inflexible integrity, great 

 powers of intellect, and all the high qualities 

 that enabled you to achieve such distinguished 

 success in another sphere of duty. They cherish 

 full faith in your ability and virtues, entertain 

 the highest hopes of your success, and that 

 during your Administration the work of re- 

 construction will be completed, the wounds 

 of civil war healed, and that our country will 

 take a new departure in progress and pros- 

 perity." 



General Grant replied to Senator Morton as 

 follows : " I can promise the committee that it 

 will be my endeavor to call around me as as- 

 sistants such men only as I think will carry 

 out the principles which you have said the 

 country desires to be successful economy, re- 

 trenchment, faithful collection of the revenue, 

 and payment of the public debt. If I should 

 fail in my first choice, I shall not at any time 

 hesitate to make a second, or even a third trial, 

 with the concurrence of the Senate, who have 

 the confirming power. I should just as soon 

 remove one of my own appointees as the ap- 

 pointee of my predecessor. It would make no 

 difference. 



" There is one matter that I might properly 

 speak of here, and that is the Selection of a 

 Cabinet. I have always felt that it would be 

 rather indelicate to announce or even consult 

 with the gentlemen whom I thought of invit- 

 ing to positions in my Cabinet before the 

 official declaration of the result of the election 

 was made, although I presumed there was no 

 doubt about what that declaration would be. 

 But, after consideration, I have come to the 

 conclusion that there is not a man in the 

 country who could be invited to a place in the 

 Cabinet without the friends of some other 

 gentleman making the effort to secure the 

 position ; not that there would be any objec- 

 tion to the party named, but that there would 

 be others whom they had set their hearts upon 

 having in the place. I can say that much from 

 the great number of requests which come to 

 me, in writing and otherwise, for this particu- 

 lar person, or that one, from different sets and 

 delegations. If announced in advance, efforts 

 would be made to change my determination ; 

 and, therefore, I have come to the conclusion 

 not to announce whom I am going to invite to 

 seats in the Cabinet until I send in their names 

 to the Senate for confirmation. If I say any 

 thing to them about it, it will certainly not be 

 more than two or three days previous to send- 

 ing in their names. I think it well to make a 



public declaration of this to the committee, so 

 that my intentions may be known." 



Mr. Pruyn, of the House Committee, then 

 addressed General Grant as follows : 



In the great principles which you have marked out 

 for the conduct of your Administration you will have 

 the political support of those with whom I am as- 

 sociated, ready to act with you. 



The members of the staff of General Grant 

 were present, about twenty gentlemen alto- 

 gether, including the committee and staff 

 officers. 



The committee subsequently waited upon 

 Mr. Colfax, who, in response to the notification 

 by the committee of his election as Yice-Presi- 

 dent of the United States, said : 



Gentlemen : Please convey to the two Houses of 

 Congress my acceptance of the office to which I have 

 been elected by the people of the United States, and 

 assure them that I shall endeavor to prove worthy of 

 this mark of confidence by fidelity to principle and 

 duty. 



The inauguration, as usual, took place on 

 March 4th. (For the Inaugural Address, see 

 PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.) On the next day the 

 President sent to the Senate the following 

 names of persons whom he had selected as 

 heads of the departments : E. B. Washburne, 

 of Illinois, Secretary of State; A. T. Stewart, 

 of New York, Secretary of the Treasury ; J. D. 

 Cox, of Ohio, Secretary of the Interior; Adolph 

 E. Borie, of Pennsylvania, Secretary of the 

 Navy ; John M. Schofield, of Illinois, Secretary 

 of War ; J. A. J. Creswell, of Maryland, Post- 

 master-General ; E. Eockwood Hoar, of Mas- 

 sachusetts, Attorney-General. These nomina- 

 tions were immediately confirmed by the Sen- 

 ate. Subsequently objections were advanced in 

 the public press against the legality of the 

 appointment of A. T. Stewart as Secretary of 

 the Treasury. An act of Congress of 1789 pro- 

 vided that no person should hold the office of 

 Secretary of the Treasury who was engaged in 

 carrying on the business of trade or com- 

 merce. Mr. Stewart was largely engaged in 

 trade in the city of New York, and it thus be- 

 came necessary for him to retire from business, 

 or to decline the appointment. While the sub- 

 ject was under consideration, the President 

 sent to the Senate the following message : 



* WASHINGTON, D. C., March 6, 1869. 



To the Senate of the United States : 



Since the nomination and confirmation of Alexan- 

 der T. Stewart to the office of Secretary of the 

 Treasury, I find that by the eighth section of the act 

 of Congress, approved September 2, 1789, it is pro- 

 vided as follows, to wit : 



SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That no person 

 appointed to any office instituted by this act shall, 

 directly or indirectly, be concerned or ^nterested in car- 

 rying on the business of trade or commerce, or be owner, 

 in whole or in part, of any sea-vessel, or purchase by 

 himself, or another in trust for him, any public lands 

 or other public property, or be concerned in the pur- 

 chase or disposal ol any public securities of any State 

 or of the United States, or take or apply to his own 

 use any emolument or gain for negotiating or trans- 

 acting any business in the said department, other 

 than Avhat shall be allowed "by law ; and, if any per- 

 son shall offend against any of the prohibitions of 



