Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-12-02
MIR. STONES APPEAL.

tPlcC OF IennSylVanlai was nlaue pubic
this afternoon:
MIR. STONES APPEAL.
PrTTsBURG, Nov. Is, 1856.
Hon. A. II. Garland, Attorney General:
SIR: have read correspondence be-
tween the President and Hon. NJ. L.
Benton, United States attorney con-
nected with his restoration to office, in
which it appears that he was suspended
from office for his apparent neglect of
official duties in making campaign
speeches. Presumably, my suspension
was ordered for the same reason. [ de-
sire therefore, to state the facts in my
case. made but two speeches prior to
the receipt of the order of suspension;
one at Butler, in an adjoining county,
on the evening of Oct. /, and one at
Kittanning, a town near to Pittsburg,
on the evening of Oct. 3.
did not leave Pittsburg for Butler
until nearly o'clock Oct. l, and re-
turned on the morning of Oct. =, about
3 o'clock. l left Pittsburg for Kittan-
ming Saturday, Oct. . about 5 o'clock
p. M, and returned the same night
Upon both of the above dates the United
States courts here were not in session
except short time in the morning of
each day for ordinary motions. | was
in attendance upon the courts during
their sittings, and did not leave the city
upon either occasion until long after
the courts had adjourned. On Oct. IS
the United States District Court began
its session at Pittsburg for the trial of
Jury causes, a petit and grand jury be-
ing in attendance. From Oct. until
Oct. Is l was engaged in preparing
United States causes for trial, and from
Oct. Is until Oct. 27, the date of the
receipt of the order of suspension, was
engaged in the trial of these causes.
Neither during this period from Oct. 2
to Oct. q, nor at any other time did |
in any particular neglect the duties of
my office. These statements may be
verified by inquiry of any officer of our
courts. fell it my duty, after reading
the correspondence between the Presi-
dent and Mr.. Benton, to state these
facts in justice to myself, and respect
fully request that this communication
be referred to the President.
may also add that | did not think
that making an occasional campaign
speech to my neighbors, while not neg
lecting the duties of my office, would
be q violation of the Presidents order
of July 10, 1886. Very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
WILLIAM A. STONE.
THE PRESIDENTS ANSWER,
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Nov. %, 1882
Hon. A. H. Garland, Attorney General:
DEAR SIR have read the letter of
jnS ri tD h1y
A. Stone, lately suspended from office
as District Attorney for the western
district of Pennsylvania, and the sub
.iect matter to which it refers has re-
ccived my careful consideration. I shall
not impute to the writer any mischiev-
Gus motive in his plainly erroneous as
sumption that his case and that of NJ.
r, Benton, recently suspended and re-
instated. rest upon the same state of
facts, but prefer to regard his letter as
containing the best statement possible
upon the question of his reinstatement.
You remember, of course, that soon
after the present administration was in
stalled, and think nearly year and
half ago, | considered with you GER
tain charges which had been preferred
against Mr.. Stone as a federal official.
You remember, too, that the action we
then contemplated was withheld by
reason of the excuses and explanations
induced me to believe that Mr.. Stones
retention would insure q faithful per-
formance of official duty; and that
whatever offensive partisanship he had
deemed justitiable in other circumstan-
ces, he would during his continuance in
office ut his request under an admins
tration opposed to him i'm political
creed and policy, content himself with
aquiet and unobtrusive enjoyment of
his political privileges. certainly sup
posed that his sense ofpropriety would
cause him to refrain from pursuing
such a partisan course as would want,
only offend and irritate the friends of
the administration who insisted that
he should not be retained in office
either because of his personal merit or
in adherence to the method which for
Il long time had prevailed in the distri-
button of federal offices.
In the light of better system, and
without considering the political affiia-
tions, Mr.. Stone, when permitted to re-
main in office, became part of the
business organization of the present adj
ministration, bound by every obliga-
tion of honor to assist, within his
sphere, in its successful operation.
This obligation involved not only the
proper performance of official duty, but
certain good faith and fidelity which,
while not exacting the least sacrifice of
political principle, forbade active par
ticipation in purely partisan demon
strations of "a pronounced type, under
taken for the purpose of advancing
partisan interests, and conducted upon
the avowed theory that the admins
tration Of the government was not en-
titled To tho confidence and resnect of