There was a general desire to remove the men whom President Johnson had forced into office before the restraining Act was passed.

But General Grant was resolved that neither he nor the members of his Cabinet would go through the disagreeable and undignified process of filing reasons for suspending an officer, when in fact no reason existed aside from obnoxious political opinion.

The Republican members of both branches quickly perceived that tying the hands of a hostile President like Andrew Johnson afforded more satisfaction than the same process applied to a friendly President like General Grant.
It was therefore determined by the Republicans to escape from their embarrassment, even at the expense of an inconsistency which could but prove humiliating to them.

On the 9th of March, just five days after Andrew Johnson had left the Presidency, General Butler introduced in the morning hour of the House, a bill of two lines, absolutely repealing the Tenure-of-office Act, for a constructive violation of which he had ten months before urged the impeachment of President Johnson and his expulsion from office.

The standing committees had not yet been announced; and therefore without reference or a moment's debate or consideration of the measure, General Butler demanded the _previous question_, which was sustained, and under a call of the _ayes_ and _noes_, the bill was passed by 138 to 16.