The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-03
COLONEL BENTON'S CASE.
Extracts from Speech Showing Insulting
References to the President and His Policy.
Pittsburg Special.

Pittsburg Special.
Col. William A. Stone, who has lately been
suspended from the Office of United States dis
trict attorney for Western Pennsylvania by
President Cleveland for ''pernicious activity" In
politics. and whose application for reinstate
ment was refused, has just received letter
from Mr.. W. j. Sullivan. editor of the North
Missourian. 1t is dated Gallatin, Daviess
county Missouri, Nov. 81 and reads as follows:
Dear Sir-Having read Col. M. e. Benton's
apology to President Cleveland for the part be took
in the recent campaign, and the Presidents reply
excusing him therefor and renstatng him to the Of
flee of United States district attorney for the West
ern district of Missouri, from which he sus-
pended on the day that you suspended
from like position at Pitssburg and having read
your explanation for the part you took in the same
campaign and the Presidents socalled rebuke there
for refusing to reinstate YOU in which he assigns
as the principal reason for his action that when
man, Republican Democrat becomes part
OF the business organization of any administration he
is bound by every obligation of honor to assist within
his sphere in its successful operation. This oblga
ton involves not only the proper performance of
official duty but good faith and fidelity which forbid
active participation in partisan demonstrations con
Quoted the theory that the administration of the
governmeI is not entitled to the confidence and re-
spect of the people In other words hesadminstra
ton of the government of any department of the
government, is not to be trusted to those who az
gressvey and constantly endeay0r TO destroy the
fdence of the people in the party responsible for such
mates be thoroughly loyal to- the administration
In power The President believes that the people of
this country will not require that the best results of
administrative endeavor shall be reached with agencies
disloval to the administration. ~
heard Col. NJ. Z. Benton's speech Oct. IL, 1886,
delivered at the City Hail. Gallatin Daviess county,
Missouri to an audience of some 600 or 700 people.
and at the time took copious notes of his speech.
do not know how thoroughly loyal" you to the
der that you may know how thoroughly loyal" Col.
Benton to the administration in power, send
few extracts taken from my notes Of his speech
that occasion, in order that you may know what it
means to be Thoroughly loyal to the admnstra-
ton in not to endeavor to destroy the con-
dence of the people in the party responsible for such
administration. Conducting a Republican paper
we'll satisfied with Colonel Bentons loyalty to
Cleveland that published at that time portions
of his speech. Among other things Colonel Benton
said
'sIt is the truth that the Democracy is the poor
and ignorant party of this Countrywide great
barefooted, unwashed, and dirty socked party.
don't agree with President Cleveland
in everything don't believe in his civil-seryice
humbuggery. / do believe in genuine civil
service reform, but / don't want men under me
to work every conceivable dodge to defeat me
and my party at the next election. But he be-
lieves it, and he is man with iron nerves.
l don't agree with Mr.. Cleveland on the
silver question. He was raised east of the Ale
ghany mountains and he gets his ideas from that
region. He never has been west of Buffalo, and
has not any more idea of the great West and its
vast Waterlal resources tnan the mere scuooIuoy
who learns it from studying geography. He
gets his ideas on finances from the gold bugs OF
Wall street, who once demonetized silver and
had 1.-THE dollar-stricken from the coinage
act clandestinely and without the consent OF the
people. He learns his financial theories from
Wall street, the leeches that suck the
blood of the honest yeomanry of the West like
vampires That's where Mr. Cleveland gets his
| ideas of finance When he wrote his gratuitous
letter on the subject of silver coinage. even be-
| fore he inaugurated AS President he illus
| trated where he got his ideas, and he struck O
| blow at the West in the interest of the bond
| holders and money sharks, aud felt like sink
| ing down in my boots; bat when Reagan. of
Texas, and others stood up in their dignifed
manhood and wrote to him that ne was the ex-
| ecutive and not the law making power, and
| saw these Democrats battling for their rights
and the rights of the people against his assump-
| tons, rejoiced again that l was Democrat.
/ Tremendous applause. | do, in a great meas
ure, indorse his administration. For the most
part indorse his vetoes of pension bills but not
every one. He vetoed ninety pension bills,
eighty nine of which had been rejected by Com
| missioner w. w. Dudley, whose name is odorfer-
Gus all over the country. am not here to defend
everyone of his vetoes, but in the main. do
Colonel Benton then explained in detail how he,
through political influence with Congressman Rvan
and Senator Cockrel. had worked through a special
pension bill after its rejection in the Pension Office.
and said that Cleveland vetoed it. He then detailed
how the claimant to him after reading notice of
the Veto and after nqurng about the status of the
claim said to Colonel Benton: Cleveland caught up
with u.s. didn't he9' And Colonel Benton gave this
an average specimen of pension legislation, saying
1.-The claim o notorious fraud, and the claimant
knew it."
Think you ought to know what constitutes thor
ough loyalty" to Mr.. Cleveands administration, and