The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-05-16

people of Missouri "a any man within
its broad domain. When MIR. Cleve-
land was candidate the second time
for the presidency of the United States,
| tins gentleman, n democrat belonging
to the same school with myself during
the session of The United States federal
court at Kansas City, went at night TO
the adjacent villages within easy access
and pleaded with the people TO vote the
democratic ticket, which he believed
represented the welfare of the country.
81 was astounded in picking up a
st. Louis paper upon a certain fatal
morning to find that my friend had
been removed from Office without a
hearing, simply because while United
States attorney he had gone out and
spoken to the party to which he and
the president and myself belonged.
took the train within ten minutes for
Washington; arrived here went to his
excellency and asked him respectfully
upon what ground he had perpetrated
what l considered an outrage upon my
friend, an eminent democrat. He
brought out paragraph from a paper
which had bolted the democratic ticket
the preceding summer, and also bolted
the democratic nominee for congress-
The editor of this paper had charged
that Col. Benton, my friend, while
holding the Office of United States
attorney, had been guilty of pernicious
partisanship by advocating the cause of
his party,
81 brought with me telegram which
l had received from the Judge of the
court-for | knew the facts and kad
telegraphed for statement in regard
to the way in which Colonel Benton
had discharged the duties of his Office,
and whether he had neglected them in
order to give his attention to politics.
I carried it to the president and SAID to
him that personally knew the incum-
bent had not been guilty of any derelic-
tion or neglect of his duty in order to
make a speech for the party to which
he and 1 belonged. When the presi-
dent discovered that there was no basis
for his action, that this newspaper para
graph was simply groundless and
dictated by personal or political malice,
l will do him the justice to say he i'm
mediately revoked the order; but not
satisfied with revoking it, he addressed
a lelter-published first in the press of
the country-to Colonel Benton, in
which he read HIM a lecture and said
he revoked the order because he found
Colonel Benton had not neglected his
duties, but he wished it distinctly un-
derstood that while any man held Office
under his administration he, did not
approve of his dabbling in political
canvasses or endeavoring to put his
opinions upon the people of the
United States.
"The president of the United States,
while he revoked this unjust order, ac-
companied it with the declaration that
under his administration the govern
ment public officials while holding
Office should not dabble, as he ex-
pressed it, with political matters.
PRESENT ADMINISTRATION ATTITUDE.
"Now, what is the aspect in regard
to this money question before the peo-
pie of this country? Mr.. President,
say it with deep regret that this admin
istration has its whole influence, all its
patronage, all the power of eloguence
and logic of its cabinet officers, to in
fiuence the opinions of the people of
the United States and to influence the
"snap" conventions of which the sena-
tor from Illinois has spoken There
was not long ago-a year ago-a con-
yention in Nebraska, and the next day
it was flashed across the country that
the people of Nebraska had decided
for honest money, sound money-this
cant falsehood that is used to entrap
the innocent and ignorant voters.
| When the truth was known it was
found the convention was made up Of
officehOlders, postmasters, marshals,
collectors of internal revenue, and men
who are living upon the patronage of
the federal government and whose
lungs were filled with the air that came
from the treasury. This WAS triumph
of sound money.
"Where then was the civil service
reform that gives us today 1000 new
incumbents of offices who can only be
removed for causeP Why, Mr.. Presi-
dent, for weeks there has been barely q
majority of cabinet ministers present to
discharge the duties for which they are
paid by the people of this country
They had been trayersing their respec-
tive states, and even outside of theiI
states, haranguing the people in joint
and single debate and denouncing the
SILVER lunatics' and talking about
shonest and sound money. Have we
heard single whisper of censure from
his excellency in regard to these pro
ceedings? Have we heard any lecture
from him as was given my friend when
he dared to advocate the cause, the
just cause of the democratic party al
that time?
ADMINISTRATION RULE IN MICHIGAN.
"But more than that. | do not read,
as a rule, from Il newspaper, but
happened to have this statement vindi-
Gated by private letters. Here Is a
statement from the Adrian (Nlich. }
Press, whose editor is man of high
personal character and unqueStioned
veracity, and who was a delegate to
the late Michigan convention. The
senator from Illinois talked of SNAP
conventions. Let the secretary read
that from an eyewitness who partici-