Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-10-02

or the other. Your political Work Dtces-
sarily brings you in direct contact WIN
people OF all classes whose assistance
you seek 20 gain or whose opposition you
seek to overcome. 1t Is Impossible lot
YOU to do and TO have done the work
which devolves on members of a campaign
committee. especially III times Of high
feeling and great excitement, without
gathering crop OF friendly and un-
friendly feelings. which. as common eH-
perience teaches, very often have an un-
conscious influence on thought and acton.
1t is more than likely that some OF the
persons with whom your political ac'iVn
so brings you In contact viii be ihVoNeu
IN your future official action. You may
be able. as you think you are, TO escape
or repress In what you do as an oihcer
all effect of the recollections OF your
campaign work. but you will be utterly
unable. especially in cases where your
action may appear 10 coincide win your
supposed inclination 10 make the COM
munity at large believe that your actoh
has not been in any degree so affected
And. as has often been said by those VINO
have established and maintained the hlsh
standing of the tribunals OF justice, IL y
not only necessary that their oniceIs
should be i'm fact fair and Impartial, pu'
also that they should avoid all circum-
stances likely to give rise to suspicion
that they are or may be otherwise
RULE APPLIES TO ALL.
The rule which have mentioned IS not
new: IL has been often enforced po'h ny
my predecessors and by myself. now
repeat that your case comes piaihi>
within it. ,,s
AsI told YOU neither the rule nor its
20 a QfprfCu
man or the circumstances involved in its
application. Whatever political party OF
creed your action should be eXerted 10
support. the rule would be the same.
Your previous political action has no
hearing. because whatever 1t may nave
been no complaint was ever made OF IL,
nor did IL ever come to the knowledge Oh
the department.
The fact that you were known as Il iii'"
of active political habits when you were
appointed Is equally irrelevant because
the question now concerns your conduct
while i'm office. The knowledge OF that
fact by the people of your district mercy
serves to emphasize the danger ana IN
propriety Of your carrying into polltiedi
contests the weight and authority OF your
office. and perhaps accounts IN d hieasuis
for the complaints which have reacHeu
me. o.,,,,>.c,1,
QUESTION OF CONSISTENCY.
The question to which your letter re-
fers of Inconsistency or Improperly I'D an
officer supporting In any way pol'lcai
,,,o,,emonfs which expressly condemn the !
- a'S,,inistratlon of which he is a part. Is
one with which I do not now care 10
deai IL appears 10 nae to be, II least so I
long as such sup ort is confined TO the
mere expression OF his views or 10 Vouhg' |
a matter TO be left TO the oihcer lndl-
yidual sense of propriety.
Won are no longer serving for compensa-
tion by fees dependent upon the serNio''
Won 1aay In fact render, but are now re-
ce,ying a liberal annual salary. In view
NJ what YOU say in your letter about dll-
ae,ca IN the discharge Of your offcial /
duties and of your statement to me that
vour political work does not ana VIII hO'
interfere with them | beg to remind you
that YOU have never yet reported upon
the very important case OF alleeeu lIduu
on the postaI service by certain persons
with the Seaboard airline
Railroad Company, the papers in which
,'ere ','r,. sent YOU June "a. 1896, although you
Informed me to-day that you have redch-
ed a conclusion. Yours, etc,
lcisnedo JUDSON HARMON.
TrNDERED HIS RESIGNATION.
When Mr.. Lassiter received this
astounding communication he at once
forwarded the following TO the Attorney
General which was in effect his resigna-
ton: 900.
Petersburg. Va, September T., 1896
The Attorney-G General, Washington, D. C.;
Sir-I beg TO acknowledge your letter
NJ the 18th instant. in which, replying |
To nv letter of that day, you restate the
views | understood you TO express IN
our conversation Of the same day.
l am unwilling TO infer that the con-
,luding paragraph of your letter In re-
ference to report upon certain charges
Of fraud on the postal service, alleseu
against persons connected with the sea
,oard Airline Railroad Company, was
intended as the basis of further COM
,laint as to my official action. III gives
me Measure 70 forward. under another
,over for your information, the results
II nv official examination of that aitair,
.hough Won will do me the justice 10
acknowledge, as you do in your letrr
,f the nth. that, "as United States At
.ornev. YOU D determine whom TO prose-
.ute and whom not 10 prosecute ana
hat no provision Of law requires me un-
asked TO report such determinations. III
IS further true. as appears from our cor
dependence, in view OF the CONCLUSIONS
reached by me upon the law and facts
hat no request for report was made by
-ou i'm transmitting the papers relating
O the seaboard AIRLINE matter; nor,
indeed. was ever made until the day of
,our letters date. and was then verbal
y requested by you for the information
II the Postmaster-G General, whose Official
employed on the case had
llready been promptly acquainted with
ny conclusions in the premises.
WOULD BE BETRAYAL
As you say that you do not now care 10
liscuss whatever question of proprfety
nay be involved in my continued support
II the Democratic party. ia view Of dit-
eronces which may exist between that
,rganization and the administration,
here remains only 10 be considered the
question of my continuing to act on the
larty committee TO which / was elected
" the people OF this district as a repre-
sentative OF the views supposed TO be
entertained by the minority Of the party
md by the administration. Before the
chicago convention had determined the
uture policy OF the party / did what
could with those who differed with me
n opinion to urge the preservation OF
,arty unity. l must accept the result.
md cannot withdraw even the slight
assistance, which, with due regard for
ny other engagements, l find II possible
o render. Retirement now would be
,etrayal As / had the honor to say 10
,ou. II is for you to determine my future
Citations with the department. sin
erely agree with the views so hand
omcly expressed by you as to the ne
essity OF maintaining the high standard
Il the tribunals OF Justice but must