The Tale of a Plain Man

As a boy, Stone ran away to enlist in the volunteer army during the Civil War, and from there went on to teach, practise law and, at the turn of the century, govern Pennsylvania. His memoir, first published in 1918 and reprinted here, follows that long climb: his dismissal as attorney general by President Grover Cleveland over his part in General Beaver's campaign for governor, and his years in office, when he used the item veto to cut the land-grant value of the Pennsylvania State College, clear a $3 million state debt and pay for a new capitol after fire destroyed the old one.

Stone writes plainly, as his title promises, and cares more for public peace, credit and prosperity than for his own standing. A rewarding first-hand account for anyone curious about American state politics in the decades after the Civil War.