The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-02-01

large proportion Of 10 stock ofmoneyed institu-
lions b owned abroad, or In other States, and
cannot be reached BY existing lava; and
against tho balance held BY our own citizens
within the State, tho right exists to set OF indi
vidual indebtedness, thus seriously reducing
the taxes collected by this means.
The principle insisted upon in the Senate in
the recent discussion Of the Bounty bill was
that the surplus capital in the country found Its
way to this city, and was invested in moneyed
corporations, which, while adding to our gene
raj prosperity, contributed to our revenues by
its liability TO taxation, and should to some
considerable extent, therefore, be held respon-
sble for the expenses incurred in other coun-
ties Of the State in raising recruits. The de-
cision to which we have referred certainly rem
ders this pretext no longer tenable.
Hereafter every citizen, whether he resides in
St Lawrence or Richmond county, will there
alone be held taxable for his shares in corpora
tons doing business in this city; and having to
surrender this advantage, we should not be
held responsible for its enjoyment.
General BEN. Butler and Sir John Fal-
stan-The Hero or GadshiL and the
Hero OF Fort Fisher.
General Butler was ordered to report at
Lowell, and has, he says, reported in full"
By this he does not mean that he has done
what the War Department intended that he
should do, but that he has done just what the
lie very consistently perverts the phraseology
of the order to cover his private purpose He
was welcomed at Lowell by his admirers, and
he made speech there which he throws down
as his defance-his "report"-to the army
authorities which sent him to that peaceful
place. He utters his speech and seems to ask
the department If it can stand that We are
disposed to believe that it can. The speech is
lame and empty one. They who are good
at making excuses, it is said, are good at
nothing else. Butler, therefore, who is not good
OF anything else, ought to be good at making
excuses. But he is not good even at that. His
speech rambles over large part Of his career,
and makes many explanations, many excuses
statements, and even jests; but not an excla-
nation, statement or jest that is not contempti-
bic, and not an excuse that is not as ridiculous
as Fals.af's excuse for his action on Gadshill.
Fat Jack was Coward on instinct" Was it
for him to kill che heir apparent? And Butler,
coward on conscience, inquiries in the same
triumphant style, "Was 1t for me to take Fort
Fisher at such sacrifceW
Butler was particularly careful to inform his
hearers that he was not removed on account of
the Fort Fisher failure. He did not tell what
the real reason was. He knows it, however. 1t
is great secret. He has not "r0ceived per-
mission to divulge il" Convenient circum.
stance! But when did Butler ever wait for
permission" before this. He was complaisant
enough, however, to explain how it was that
he did not take Fort Fisher. II seems that this
matter has been misunderstood by every one.
The capture of Fort Fisher was nothing-the
real achievement was to be able to go down
there and see Fort Fisher and not take it. But
ler's real struggle was not against the enemy,
but against the temptation to 60 at the enemy.
| There they stood in their fort and looked SO
"sassy" that he could hardly keep his hands off
them. II was so impudent in them, too, to
build their darned old fort right there on the
open beach, that 1t made him mad, and when
he thought of 1t he could hardly keep his dan
der down. But he did, though.
Hear it. oh, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Prince
Hal! II was only on instinct that the tun of
man was coward-the instinct that knew
royalty, though it came in the garb Of q minion
Of the moon, ready to cut purses. But the
doughty Ben goes a fight higher. He failed,
ran away, left his enemy alone, not on in
stinct, but by Divine assistance. He prayed
for It. All the time that he was in front Of Fort
Fisher there was great danger that he would
give way to his weakness, and make despe-
rate rush and take it. But he was all
the time praying to the Lord for strength to
let 1t alone. "The temptation"-the are his
! own words-"was strong to take IT." but
he prayed "lead us not into temptation" And
| 80, though the "temptation was strong" the
Lord was little stronger, and rhanaged'to hold
Butler back. Therefore the enemy kept Fort
Fisher. 1t is wonderful, whom we come to find
It out, what heroism it requires not to be
hero. What greatness is implied in the fact of
being little. What strength man must have
to resist the temptation to achieve greatness
and to remain forever an infinite pigmy. Buta
man may not always be 80 strong, and they
had better keep Butler away from the enemy's
forts after this or there will be bloodshed-but
"three Of hundred and fifty left alive" may
be!
But Butler has an ambition as to bis epitaph.
He desires that II shall be, "Here lies the Cone
raj who saved the lives Of his soldiers at Fort
Fisher and Big Bethel" Is not this the I'M
| adulterated Chinese of heroicsi But how many
soldiers did he save at Big Bethelf On the con-
trary, Big Bethel was useless and stupid
slaughter. 1t was the massacre Of many men
in the attempt to carry worthless position. 1t
will be truer, then, to say simply, "Here lies tho
General who saved the lives Of his soldiers at