Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-20

President Cleveland has done no
act in his whole official career which
more clearly Establishes his great
force of character and marked men,
tai equipoise, than in the reinstate-
ment to office of Mr.. Benton, a United
States District Attorney in Missouri.
Small minds are usually obstinate in
their exercise Of the executive func'
tions. The great man is he who can
look his own act in the face squarely,
zee where he is in error, and correct
the mistake if there has been one.
This is just what Cleveland did.
Early in the Fall, the President
issued an order forbidding Extensively
partisan action in the campaign on
the part of Federal oficeholders.
Benton held the Office of United
States District Attorney in one OF the
districts in Missouri. With this cir
cular before him, he made few cam
paign speeches. He was reported to
the President and decapitated. Ben
ton at once wrote an open, manly let
tor to the Attorney-General, stating
that he had done what he had done
with his eye on the circular, with the
full knowledge of his more immedl-
ate superiors, that his whole part in
the campaign consisted in the deliv-
ery of some half dozen campaign
speeches near his own home, and
that where his appointments at all
conflicted with official duty, he had
promptly cancelled the appointment
and attended to his duty. On this
showing the President re-instated
Benton.
Now, there is no doubt that office
holders under the Federal govern
ment should not be allowed to make
use of their position to corrupt cleo
lions. Nor should they be allowed
to neglect their duties to take part in
any political canvass. They are paid
by the people-by all the people,
those of one party as much as by
those Of anotIler-to attend to certain,
specific duties. The first thing to do
is to perform these duties, and cam
paign work must be done after these.
But, that is not all. A great army
Of 100000 Federal officials form
most formidable power in politics.
They can corrupt the whole political
stream from the fountain head to the
mouth. 1t is notorious that John
Sherman, while at the head Of the
treasury, had his clerks all over the
country drawing their official salar-
les, while log-rolling to get their chief
the nomination for the presidency.
It is as notorious that up to two years
age the Pension Bureau was used in
the most fagrant manner to corrupt
politics. These things should be
stopped.
But, there is another side to the
question, and only the two antitheti-
cal statements of any question
reac b the full truth. The other side
of the question is that the holder of
Federal office, or any other Office, is
an American citizen, and as such
should not be in one jot deprived of
his political rights-they are the
rights of his highest manhood. He
has a perfect right to take an earnest,
active part in any political campaign.
So long as be does this outside of his
official duties, and while these duties
are being carefully and completely
performed, and, furthermore, in a
manly, honest, straightforward, inof-
fensive manner, no power on earth
9 should deprive him OF this right.
Mr.. Cleveland sees these points
with that clear insight to practical
matters for which he has ever been
noted. With these points in full
view, he reinstated Mr.. Benton, and
thus showed his good sense and fair
ness of mind. The country, with
hardly a dissenting voice, cries,
Bravo!