The herald., 1895-05-04
Executive Mansion,

uCHV SlCNCldI0 uoJC VI nj %CVH
The following is the full text OF the
letter:
Executive Mansion,
Washington. D. c.. April 26, 1885,.
Hon. J.. NJ. Stone, My Dear ir:-Your
letter of the Dist inst. is at hand. l do
not feel inclined to find fault with your
criticism, put l think the matters you re-
fer to should be judged in the light of the
circumstances existing at the time the
things were done. 1 never had an idea of
building up or fostering personal fol-
lowing. but SO far as politics should prop
erly influence me in making appoint.
ments, have tried to be Democratic and
not proscriptive. | am glad you are frank
enough to admit your participation in
bringing about condition in Office hold
ing which may not be all that could now
be desired. Whether those appointments
to place shall in speech ana action be-
have decently toward the administration
under which they hold office must re-
main, to a large extent, a matter of taste
and good breeding.
There are, however. some officials who
devote themselves so industriously to
vilification and abuse of those under
whom they hold office as to indicate that
their fidelity cannot be trusted tor the
performance of their duties in a manner
apparently assume they may spend the
time they owe to public service in doing
political mischief.
In the interest of good government
such office holders must not be surprised
| if they are summarily oealt with. When
reading letter of yours, in which you
explain to the citizens of Mississippi your
| views on the currency question. 1t seems
to me you have in that letter contributed
| in the best possible style and in most
valuable way to the fund OF argument in
| favor of sound money.
| have never ceased to wonder why the
people of the south furnishing so larl elv
| as they do products which are expor ed
| for gold, should be willing to submit W
| the disadvantages and loss of silver mono
metallism and to content themselves Wi b
| deprecated and fuctuating currency
while permitting others to reap profit
| from the transmution of the prices O.
| their productions from silver to gold.
hope this letter of yours will be given the
widest possible circulation, especially
among our southern fellow citizens and
| that they will be permitted to see the pit
| fall which is directly before those who
| madly rush towards the phantom light
| OF free, unlimited and independent silver
| coinge.t
If we, who profess iealty to the Demo-
| cratic party. are sincere in our devotion
believing that the ascendancy OF those
principles is guarantee of present lib.
erty, universal care for the rights OF all,
| non SECTIONAL. American brotherhood
and manly trust in American citizenship
| in any part of our land, we should study
the effects upon our party and conse.
quently upon our country OF commlttal
OF the national Democracy to this silver
alteration. If there are Democrats who
suppose that our party can set up
platform embodying such doctrine. either
through Its affirmative strength or
through the perplexity of our opponents
on the same proposition, or if there are
Democrats who are willing to turn their
| backs upon their party associations in the
| hope that free and unlimited and inde-
pendent coinage of silver can win vic
tory without the aid of either party or
ganization. they should deceive them
selves No longer nor longer refuse to look
| in the face the results that will follow the
defeat if not the disintegration of the
| Democratic party upon the issue whi ch
| tempts them from their allegiance. If
we should be forced away from our tradi-
| tional doctrine of sound and safe money.
our old antagonists will take the field on
| the platform which we abandon; and
neither the votes of reckless Democrats
or reckless Republicans will avail to stay
their easy march to power. This is as
plain as anything can possibly be.
1t therefore becomes the duty of every
Democrat wherever he may be. to con-
slider what such victory would mean:
and in the light of a proper conception
| of its results he should deliberately
! shapc his course. Yours very truly.
| GROVER CLEVELAND.