Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-09-16
Mccormick and Elkin.


Hon. John P. Ellin, Harrisburg, Pa:
My Dear Mr.. Elkin-I respectfully
request your resignation as deputy at
torney general Very truly youls,
HENRY c. MCCORMICK.
MIR Elkin's reply follows:
Harrisburg, Pa, Sept. 10, 1897.
Hon. Henry G. Mccormick, Attorney
General.
MY Dear Sir-I am in receipt OF
your communication of the 9th instant,
requesting my resignation as deputy at
| torney general and hereby tender the
| same. / desire to return my thanks for
many kindnesses and courtesies re
ceived at your hands while officially
connected with your department. In
as much as we have never had any diff
| ferences, so far as / am aware, except
| those Of political nature, / feel that
am entitled to know the reasons which
actuated you in making your request
| | ask this not only for myself, but for
| the information of the public.
| Very respectfully yours,
l. John P. ELKIN.
| Late tonight the attorney general
mailed the following to his former dep
uty:
| Harrisburg, Pa, Sept. 10, 1897.
Hon John p Elkin, Harrisburg, Pa.
| MY Dear Mr. Elkin-I am in receipt
of yours of today, rendering your resig-
nation as deputy attorney general in
response to my letter of the 9th inst.
In accepting your resignation it is
due to you to say that you have per
formed your official duties in such a
manner as to meet my approval and to
deserve commendation.
Il reciprocate what you say with re-
gard to our personal relations, They
have been agreeable to me and ] am
glad to know that they have been
equally so to you.
I'm requesting your resignation l
| hoped that | would not-L obliged 70
assign my reasons, but your letter asks
I,that they be given. Quoting therefrom
you say: Inasmuch as we have never
had any differences, so far as | am
aware, except those of political ma
ture, feel that / am entitled to know
the reasons which actuated you in max
ing your request / ask this not only
for myself, but for the information OF
the public. 1t is scarcely necessary for
me to say to you that our differences of
a political nature have no bearing
whatever upon the question. l have
conceded to you, as | would to anyone,
the right to think and act politically as
he may deem best. This is proven by
the fact that you have continued as
deputy attorney general for more than
two years since the political differ
ences' arose to which you refer; and
which were fully discussed and under
stood by us so long ago as the summer
of 1895, and in my mind they did not
then, and never have since, furnished
any sufficient ground for the severance
of official relations. 1t was your priv
ilege, as it was mine to think and act
as you pleased in regard to differences
existing in our own political party, and
| desire, once for all, to disabuse your
mind of any thought that such a reason
could have prompted my action.
THE attorney general and his dep
uty are the official advisers of the heads
of the executive departments of the
state government. | conceive it to be
my duty and yours to see to it that the
Constitution is obeyed and the law OBJ
served. 1t appears, however, that, not
only by your own admission to me, but
by what seems to have been an author
lied and authentic interview widely
published throughout the state, you
saw no improperly in joining with
other public officials in an obligation to
the state treasurer during the last ses-
sion of the legislature, to protect him
against the payment of moneys from
the state treasury not authorized by
| law. This was in effect, and so intend
ed, an agreement upon your part and
the others who joined with you, to in
vite the state treasurer to unlawfully
disburse the public funds, and if the
appropriation therefor by the legisla-
| ture should fail by reason of executive
disapproval, that you and the others
| joining with you would hold the treas
urer harmless l cannot bring myself
| to believe that an act of this character
can be justified upon any ground. To
agree that certain officers and employees
of tho Legislature, not authorized by
any statute should be placed upon the
rolls, for the purpose of redeeming
political promises in greater number
than the places would Justify, cannot
receive my approval, and furnishes me,
as | believe, a sufficient reason for
severing our official relations
In giving you this reason l beg to
assure you that have nothing but the
most kindly feelings for you personally,
nor do believe that You fully appreci-
ated the effect of your action. | would
very much haye preferred to be silent
upon this subject, but your letter
leaves me no alternative. Very truly
yours. HENRY c. MCCORMICK.