Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-01-23
THE ACCUSERS OF THE PRESI-
DENT.
Ashley and Beast BuGIeF--A Noble Pair
Of BROTHERS.

Ashley and Beast BuGIeF-A Noble Pair
Of brothers.
From the Cincinnati Commercial. @adical.
II strikes us that gentlemen who move
the impeachment Of the President on
counts Of dishonesty and corruption in Of
fee, should, Of all men, have record for
purity and integrity Of public life that can
not be called in question. 1t singularly
happens that the two men who have mani
tested the greatest anxiety 70 be the prose
cutors Of His Exceilency, are not above
suspicion, and It takes something from the
moral force of their action that they are ac-
cused, with some show Of reason, Of acts
not compatible with the highest standards
Of official honesty.
The fact Is recalled that Mr.. Ashley used
his official position 10 secure the appoint
ment Ofan old friend as Surveyor General
Of Colorado, the best Office, in his opinion,
in the gift Of the President" so that he
Ashley might 20 in partnership with him
in all land speculations and town sites"
Three letters written by Ashley TO NV
Dear Case pen,ling the appointment, ex-
hibit a good deal more anxiety to have
hand in the speculation than in the APP
pointmtnt of a particular person. It was
only because Case appeared 10 him a better
tool for his purpose than any other, that
Ashley urged his apPoihimen. Ia the
first Of these letters Ashley writes March
y, 1861:
If You get it, | want 70 unite with you
a. full partner in all land speculations
and town sites"
Six days after he writes
This is considered the best appointment
in all the territories, and is the best of all
the territorial appointments. | want to
have an interest with you, if l get the
place, in the city and town lot speculations.
The Pacific Railroad will 60 through this
territory, and it will be fortune to us if /
can get IT,"
And the day after:
Now, if get this, want to be a full
co-partner with you in the purchase of all
the real estate that You may make in that
territory. l .have spent a good deal of
time and some money to get this place, and
if do get it, hope You will cheerfully go
in with me-"
But he was not satisfied with this chance
10 make a fortune Believing with the
Apostle that he who does not provide for his
own household is worse than an infidel, and
enlarging the application of the text to
take in my brother Eli" and :" my BROTH
er William" he insisted that Case should
give Eli the chief clerkship, put Bill into
any place he was competent to ill, and keep
one position open TO be filled BY some one
of Ashley's favorites, whom he might name
afterward. After that, comment would be
superfluous.
The other most ardent prosecutor of the
President for iniquity in Office is the bottle
imp of Bermuda Hundred-the valOrOus
Major General Benjamin F. Butler. He
may be one of the most immaculate patriots
in the land, but the recent suits brought
against him somewhat shake our confidence
The suits came up in one Of the New York
courts few days ago. Without commit
ting ourselves 20 one side or the other, we
give an outline of three of them. The first
is brought by Henry Siebrecht, who alleges
that Butler while commanding in New Or
leans employed him to do the upholstery
Of his headquarters in that city, which
consisted in removing" certain articles of
rert1i and furniture from residences in the
city, including among other things twenty
two oil paintings and pictures, three pieces
Of statUary, q number of candelabras a
billiard table, brocatelle window hangings,
a velvet carpet" ETC., from a house situated
in Rampant street, to the house occupied
by Butler. For this service Siebrecht pre-
! sented a BILL but Butler. intending TO he at
no more expense in having the articles put
| in place than he was in acquiring them,
refus ed to pay-and therefore the suit.
The second Suit is at the instance of
Henry A. Tilden, who asserts that Butler,
| while commanding in New Orleans, seized
h a.. 4
| money, compelled the owner to take S3l,-
600 in deprecated bills of a New Orleans
bank for her, chartered her to the govern
ment at $3.50 day, though the original
owner was willing to charter her to the
same for 500 day, and that he finally sold
her for over $4,000
In the third suit the plaintiff, Alfred
| Kearney, makes averment that while But
Ter commanded in New Orleans he (Kear-
ney,) possessed, in his own right, ], 800 bar
rels resin, l6S barrels pitch, and 399 bar
rels tar, these articles were valuable in
those days worth $66,715; that the de-
PENDANT, confederating with his brother,
| Andrew J. Butler, since deceased, caused
the plaintiff to be arrested by a squad of
! soldiers, and taken before him at his head
| quarters, and upon the pretence that plain.
| tih had agreed to sell 10 Andrew J
Butler the property mentioned in exchange
for certain notes in the similitude Of paper
money, issued by the so-called Confederate
States of America, but which were worth
less ordered, and by force of his power
compelled the plaintiff deliver to Andrew
J. Butler the property in question for the
nominal sum Of 1883 in the invalid and
worthless notes of the Confederate govern
ment, and that the said Andrew J. Butler
was enabled to, and did carry away and
dispose Of the goods and merchandise to
his own personal profit and advantage, for
which property the plaintiff asks judgment
in the sum Of S6G,7l5, with interest.