The Washington critic., 1886-11-19
wANTED-A DIAGRAM.


q political speech by Federal official 10 his
nolghbors and friends nor at any time aud
place where Il was merely incidental II the
srcech itself was decent and fair.
This much In explanation of what he
does not wish to be understood as an
order" but simply as o warning" to
ofllce.holders.
But neither the explanation given
above, nor in other portions OF the
letter, is sufficiently explanatory to be
comprehensive TO the average office.
holders mind. There is mystfyiug
vagueness about II that even the Presi-
dent himself admits when he goes on to
say:
The number Of specchel that can be prop
crly made cannot be specified, nor the time
when, the place where, or the circumstances
in which they are proper; nor can their char
acter be prescribed.
Just at what particular point speech
making ceases to he proper and be-
comes improper Mr.. Cleveland appears
TO be wholly in the dark,
A little further on he says that the
engagement of Mr.. Benton to speak for
quite long period, and not infre-
quently twice day." seemed to him
IA case of llagrant, defiant neglect of
official duty" because he was lied to
believe" that Mr. Benton was making
speeches on many days when he ought
TO have been in court.
This, of course, would be malfeas-
ance in office. If the District Attorney
was neglecting his duty he certainly
rendered himself liable to suspension,
but no more for making political
speeches than If he had been attending
o camp.meeting or horse.rac
So that the explanation goes round
in circle and leaves us just where we
started.
If Mr., Benton was suspended be.
cause of inexcusable absence from
courts where his official presence was
required, we can understand 1t; but
even In this case the President should
not have acted on hearsay evidence or
mere supposition of his own. If he
was suspended because he made
speeches for quite long PERIOD" we
are confronted with difficulty again.
The President says there is no obiec-
tion to Federal officials making "a
speech" to his "neighbors and friends. I"
Out in Missouri the "neighbors and
friends" of man prominent enough to
be United States District Attorney
would include about everybody In the
State. Neither is their any objection
TO his making an incidental' speech,
such as he might be called on to make
at hotel or railway station unex-
pectedly. But how often he might
speak to his neighbors and friends or
how many incidental speeches would
be fair allowance, or exactly what he
ought or ought not 10 say, "caunot be
prescribed"
How, then, are we ever to know
where the line should DO drawn? Mr..
Cleveland says:
A correct Inc OF conduct can be determined
ON without difficulty in the light Of a desire to
follow the spirit of the admontion given by
diyorcing the conduct of citizen from the
use Of oficlal influence in political campaigns,
illustrating at all times the truth that official
duty Is paramount to partisan service, main
tanning the dignity OF ofiice-holding, avoiding
any pretense of control over the political
action of others by reason OF official place
and teaching the lesson to the people that
public positions are not bestowed or held un
der pledge of active partisan service
These are but pleasing, If not glitter.
ing generalities, thrown in to temper
the wind, as it were, to the shorn Mug
wump. So with the parting spank
which Schoolmaster Cleveland admin
listers to his refractory Missouri pupil
On the whole, the best thing thu
President can do now that he has given
himself away in the Benton case, is tc
call in his Executive warning" as
soon as possible. To rescind the order
of suspension is well enough, but the
resembling process will not be com
pleted until the order on which the sus
pension was based is likewise disposed
of. Let 1t be committed to the neares
CRATE.
THE Boston HcraM takes kindly and
sensibly TO the proposed Permanen
Exposition at Washington. The Bos
ton people, unlike those Of New York
have no axes Of their own to grind il
this matter, and can look upon tn
great enterprise with unpreiudice(
eyes. The HerGM makes au excellen
suggestion, also, in regard to the STATE
buildings that are to be erected, to tht
effect that they could be made adyan
tageously available for the use of tn
various State delegations IN Congress
the reception of visitors, meeting o
State associations, etc. We arc glad t
note these broad gauge views from oul
New England friends.
TROUBLES never come slngly. MOI
only is Senator Sewell in imminen
danger of losing his seat in the Unite,
States Senate, but he has been sued 70
libel by Thomas II. Dudley, ex. Consu
to Liverpool, who wants %25 600 t
properly heal over his damaged repu
tation. Mr. Dudley asserts that til
Senator, In a speech at Camden, in DC
tober, cast false, foul and injuriou
aspersions upon his official record
The citizens of South Washington
in the organization Of Committee O
One Hundred to look after their loco
Interests, have made a most eXcellen
move. The committee is fortunate il
having at its head SO enterprising anC