The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-11-30

SIR have read the correspondence
between the president and II IN. NJ. +.
Benton, United States attorney, connected
with his restoration TO Office, in which 1t
appears thu he was suspended from Office
for his apparent neglect of official duty in
making campaign speeches. Presun.a ably
nv suspension was ordered for the same
reason. | desire, therefore, to state the
facts in my case / made but two speeches
prior TO the receipt of the
order of suspension one at But
Ter, in an adjoining cOanty, on the
eve of Oct. l, and one at Kittaping,
town near Pittsburg, on the eve OF Oct 2
] did not leave Pittsburg for Butler until
nearly o'clock Oct /, and returning on
the morning of the 2nd of Oct. about 8
o'clock | left Pittsburg for Kittaning
saturday, Oct. 2, about o'clock p. M. and
returned the same night. Upon both the
above days the United Sta courts here
not in session, except short time on the
morning of each day for ordinary business.
/ was In attendance upon the courts dur
ing their sitting and did not leave
the city upon either occasion until long
after the courts had adjourned. On Oct.
18th. the United States district court be-
gan its session at Pittsburg for the trial OF
jury cases, petit and grand jury be-
ing n attendance. From Oct. End until
Oct. is, 1 was engaged in the preparation
of the United States cases for trial and
from Oct. Is until Oct the 9th, the date
of the receipt of the order of suspension,
was engaged in the trial of these cases.
Neither during this period from Oct. End
to Oct. 9th, nor at any other time did /
10 any particular, neglect the duties of my
ThaCo CT no verified nv
enquiry Of any officer of our courts.
feel il my duty after reading the CORES
pondence between the president and Mr..
Benton to state the facts in justice TO my
self and respectfully reque-t that this COM
municatien be referred to the president.
may also add that | did not think that
making an occasional campaign speech to
my neighbors while not neglecting the
duties of my Office, would be violation of
the presidents order of July 10, 1886. Very
respectfully your obedient servant,
WM. A. STONE.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Nov. %, 1886.
Hon. 4. II. Garland, Attorney General.
DEAR SIR: have read the letter of the
18th inst, written to you by Mr.. A. Stone,
lately suspended from office as district at
torney for the western district Of Pennsyl-
vania, and the sub ect matter to which it
refers has received my careful considera-
ton. / shall not impute TO the writer any
mischeivOus motive in his plainly errO-
neOus assumption that his case and that of
e NJ. E. Benton, recently reinstated, rest up
on the same state of facts, hut
prefer to regard his letter as con-
tanning the best statement possible.
upon the question of his reinstatement;
you remember of course that soon after
the present administration was installed,
and L think nearly year and half ago
/ considered with you certain charges
which had been preferred against Mr..
Stone as federal official. You remem-
Der, too, that the action We then contem-
plated was withheld by reason of the ex-
cuse and explanations of his friends.
These excuses and explanations induced
me to believe that Mr.. Stones retention
would insure a faithful performance of
official duties and that what
ever offensive partisanship he
had deemed Unsuitable in other circum-
stances he would during his continuance
in Office, at his request, under an admins
tration opposed to him in political creed
and policy, content himself with
quiet and unobtrusive enjoyment of his
political privileges. / certainly supposed
that his sense of propriety would cause
him to refrain from pursuing such a par
tisan course as would wantonly offend and
irritate the friends of the administration,
who insisted that he should not be retain
ed in Office, either by his per-
senal merit or In adherence
to the methods which for a long time had
prevailed in the distribution of federal
Offices, In the light of a better s. stem and
without considering his political affilia-
tons. Mr.. Stone, when permitted to re-
main in Office, became part of. the bust
ness organization of the present admins
tration, bound by every obligation of honor
to assist within his sphere in Its successful
operation. This obligation involved not
only the proper performance OF official
duty, but a certain good faith and fidelity,
which, while not exscting the
least sacrifice of political prin-
ciple, forbid active participation in
purely partisan demonstrations of pro-
nounced type, undertaken for the purpose
OF advancing partisan interests and con-
duct upon the avowed theory that the
administration of the government was not
entitled to the confidence and respect of
the people. There is no dispute whatever
concerning the fact that Mr.. Stone did
join others who were campaigning the
state of Pennsylvania in opposition to the
administrator. 1t appears that he was
active and prominent with noisy enthusiasm
in attendance upon at least two large pub
lie meetings; that the speeches of such
meetings were largely devoted to abuse and
Misrepresentation of the Administrations
that he approved all this and actually adj
dressed the meeting himself in somewhat
the same strain; that he attended such
meetings away from his home for the pur-
pose of making such addresses; and that
he was advertised as one of the speakers at
each of said meetings. 1 shall accept as
true the statement of Mr.. Stone hat the
time spent by him in thus demonstrating
his willingness to hold profitable Office
at the hands of an administration which