The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-11-02

'S ''iCeoioic puDliSleu lDe
dispatch of his Excellency Coy. Stone,
Mr. Taft, the Attorney. General, re-
questing to be furnished the names.
and places of alleged outrages,
reported to the Department Of Justice.
The s%ubioined reply Of the Acting At
torney- General will show our readers
how anxious Republican officials and
orators are to do justice to the SANDER
I'd people of an entire State:
m@E DEPARTMENT. OF JrsTIcE.j
Washington, Oct. 6, 1876.
His Excellency, J. NJ. Stone, Governor
of the State Of Mississippi, jackson,
Miss:
SIR.-Your telegram of the 4th inst.
addressed to the Attorney-G General, has
been received. 1t deals with a matter
in which the gentleman holding that
office was acting unofficially, and in his
capacity rs n private citizen. | would.
therefore, have retained the telegram
without action until his return. except
that in connection with remarks upon
an address made by him as you say at
Cincinnati, on the 2Sth ult., you ask
that, as II simple matter Of justice
10 Mississippi, he shut gre yGu tie
names, dates and pidces Of uroHg
alleged TO hare occurred, reported to
the Department Of Justice.
In the absence of the Attorney Gen
ernal, thus much of the telegram re-
quires an answer from we. make no
question as to the sincerity of your as
sertion, of n disposition to "'"-
.lence in Mississippi. But is 1t not an
inadvertency to suppose that the At
torney-General of the United States
holds any such relation to the Governor
of a State as renders it proper for him
TO make an official communication OF
the nature indicated above?.
Upon consideration it appears that
there is 20 such relation between the
two Offices. Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
S. T. PHILLIPS,
Acting Attorney General. d
This evasion called from his Excel
lency the following reply. Although
written three weeks ago, Leitherithe De-
partment of Justice nor Mr. Taft has
yet granted Gov. Stones very reason
able and respectful request. The DE
pqrtment of Justice" seems to us IA mis-
nomer:
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
JACKSON, Miss, Oct. 10, 1876.
ION. $. +. Phiiiips, acting AFTER
ney-Gcneral, WnshiDgton, p. g.:
SIR:-Your communication Of the 9Th
instant was received by to~day's mail.
Ny telegram of the 4th was not ad-
dressed to ''The Acknowledgements"
but to "Attorney-Genera Taft" the
mention of his official position being in
tended mainly as deScriptio persoH9,
Still, as he had condemned Mississippi
upon reports made to him as Attorney
General. ! must confess [ did not re-
gard "the gentleman holding that office
AS acting" altogether ''unofficilly, and
in his capacity as as private citizen"
And as he gave to those reports, which
only became known to him i'll his Off
cial capacity, an Importance which
they would not, probably. have possess
ed otherwise, l did not suppose he
would refuse my request for informa-
ton upon the ground that he was "act-
ing unofficially, and in his capacity as a
private citizen" Nor do | yet think so,
but trust he will recognize the fairpess
of my respectful request of the 4th.
1t may be ''an inadvertency to sup
pose that the Attorney General of the
United States holds any such relation
to the Governor of a State as renders it
proper for him to make an official com
mmication of the nature requested in
my telegram. In my desire to obtain
Tire asheu, 4 nc,CI gave -
thought as to whether there does or
does not exist any such relation. There
can certainly be nothing improper or
.undignified even in an "GMci5l com
munication;" but Mr.. Taft may exer-
else his pleasure. and give the informa-
ton in any way he may think proper.
I shall be satisfied if, "acting unofficial
ly, and in his capacity as n private citi>
zen" he would give The information
even in his public speeches. All ]
wish is the names. dates and places of
alleged outrages, because as Governor
OF Mississippi. l am able TO execute the
law, and am determined to do so. /
have no preference rs to the mode Mr..
Taft may select, should he be kind
enough. in any capacity, to comply
with my request. / am not willing TO
think Mr.. Taft would do injustice to
Mississippi. and refuse to correct the
wrong, either because he did the in
Justice "unoficially. and in his capacity
as q private citizen" or because it is
''an inadvertency to suppose the At
torney General of the United States
holds any relation TO the Governor of
a State as renders it proper for him to
make an official communication, which
might place it in the power of the Gov
ernor to prove that Injustice had been
done his State, that charges had been
made for political effect, and that a high
official ''acting nnoftcially," had con-
demncd neither Justly no a~dvisedly.
You say You "make no question as
to the sincerity of my assertion of a dis
position to suppress violence in Missis
In that sentence Won do me
injustice. evidently uniutentionnllv. I
used no expression in my telegram
which could lead you TO infer that VIC
lenee exists in Mississippi. I asserted
that Mississippi is quiet ard orderly.
and that I am both willing and able to
execute the laws, and conserve the pub
lie peace. The object of my telegram
was to ascertain the information upon
which Mr.. Taft bases his charge that
does exist in this State.
This is not designed as official
communication" to the Department of
Justice. I shall be grateful, though,
for the Information asked on the 4th, no
by whom or in what mode fur
I am, sir, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
S"4 J. M. STONE,
Governor of Mississippi.
MN rE,uW u>EyNsS 4 RyruwE,ASHB