Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1886-12-03
Benton and Stone-A Valuable Lesson.

District Attorney Stone has finally gone,
but he has left behind him lesson most
valuable TO students of contemporary poll
tics.
Why did he GO? Not because he had
been active in the late campaign. District
Attorney Benton, who was suspended by
President Cleveland at the same time, had
been active too, but he has been reinstated
The difference between Stones activity and
Benton's is that while Benton had made
Democratic speeches, Stone had spoken for
the Republicans and against the Democrats
and it is for that reason that he has finally
been removed. Mr.. Cleveland states in his
letter refusing to reinstate this Republican
that he had attended meetings where speech
es were made abusing and misrepresenting
the Administration and that he actually
addressed the meetings himself, and in some
what the same strain" Again, Mr.. Cleve-
land says that "the administration of the
Government is not to be trusted, In places
high or low, TO those who aggressively and
constantly endeavor unfairly 10 destroy the
confidence of the people in the party re-
sponsible for the Administration"
This is well said, and with its utterance
the idea of non partisan civil service fades
away. 1t is plain that when the Republi-
can District Attorney was retained in office,
on the principle of divorcing the offices from
politics, he was not retained as Republic
can. 1t was not exacted from him that he
should openly espouse the cause Of the
Democracy, although if he had spoken for
the Democratic candidates in his district in
the late campaign, he would have put him
self on precisely the same plane as District
Attorney Benton, and would therefore have
kept his place But it is evident that with
the inauguration of Democratic Admins
tration his tongue was tied, not ~ be let
loose again until tho Republicans had driven
the Democrats out. The politics that was
driven out from the public service was oil
Republican politics.
The only way in which the civil service
can be made non partisan is 10 removable
special restrictions that Mr.. GlexelsSk. 1fkb1
puts upon Republican officeholders, or TO
forbid all officeholders from opening their
| lips upon public questions. Aud when it
comes To that, what statesman will attempt
to say that they should be thus slenty Mr..
Cleveland once had a vague idea of trying
it, but IL has probably vanished from his
mind by this time.
The fact is, and nothing can show ii more
plainly than Mr.. Cleveland's letter on the
Stone case, that in this country the office
holders should be of the party Of the Ad-
/
ministraton the offices should be in the
hands Of Democrats; and under u Republic
can Administration they should be held by
Republicans.
And, curiously enough, if few adjectives
be dropped from the last paragraph of Mr..
Cleveland's letter, the frame work OF this
principle will be found there as solid as
though it had been put there by Andrew
Jackson. The administration of the Govern.
ment, he says, is not to be trusted, in places
high or low, to those who "aggressively and
constantly endeavor unfairly to destroy the
confidence of the people in the party respon
sible for such administration"
The same idea. stated with less circumlo-
cution, and with sufficient breadth to lift it
above every uncertainty of Interpretation,
appears in these words: "The administra-
ton of the Government is not to be trusted,
in places high or low, TO those who are OPP
posed to the party responsible for such ad
minstration."
This is fair to all, clear beyond the pos
sibility OF argument, and it is the creed for
which the Democracy voted when they
elected Grover Cleveland Let us hope that
henceiorth he will live up to it-N y. Sun.