Vicksburg weekly herald., 1870-08-20

@~ Ahs ~N~N
of q very profitable little office,
taking in fees, perquisites, steal
age and all. He says he never
collected dollar Of wharfage
himself; that it was done by his
deputies. The DR.. knows this to
be untrue. He has collected time
and again in person.
~sSs-
THE New York Sun,-which
seems to be a sort Of political
sore head bear, quarreling with all
parties, but more firmly attached
to the Radical than any other, in
its issue of August Sth, gives
some interesting accounts Of Ben
jamin f. Buffers transaction in
the lobbying and corruption bust
ness since he has been q member
of Congress.
Butler has a confidential clerk,
one B. D. Whitney, who appears
to be the middle man between
Butler and his clients. He occu-
pies about the same relation with
Butler that John W. Forney's
brother did to that gentleman. In
other words, Mr.. Whitney, is the
financial partner in the firm. He
makes the contracts, and Butler
carries them out. That is, Mr..
Whitney, as authorized agent,
farms out the services OF Butler
for any scheme which will pay
sufficiently. Not long since, this
middle man filed a bill in equity
to prevent the payment by the
Treasury Of certain moneys due tc
Horatio Ames on an old cannon
contract. An act of Congress
had been passed authorizing the
Treasurer to pay Mr.. Ames's de
mand; but Mr.. Whitney claimet
that the money should not be pai(
until Ames should pay him
(Whitney) the sum Of $4,000 70.
services rendered in securing tn,
passage of the bill. In answer
Mr.. Ames admitted that he haC
promised to pay $4,000, but aver
red that the money was intended
for Gen. Butler, and that whel
the arrangement was made it wa
distinctly understood that til,
bribe or fee was offered to secur
Gen. Buffers personal service
and influence. The responder
further stated that those service
were not rendered, and that, there
fore, he is not legally or moral,
} bound to pay the sum demanded
He also claimed that a retaining
fee Of $3.50, which he paid t,
Whitney at the commencement o
. the negotiation, should be re
turned.
. The question is still in abey
ance, but when it is brought u
for settlement its various phase
cannot fail to prove Of great in
: terest.
AS the Ames case is not th
only one of its kind in which B. I
Whitney and Gen. Butler are cor
! cemed, it is natural that the pul
lie should begin to wonde
whether the member from tn
Fifth District Of Massachusctt
has not been frequently guilty {
abusing the confidence reposcd i
him by his constituents, Of pro.
tituting his position to base use
and of disgracing the House
- which he is q member.
1t is barely possible that IL
> agent, Whitney, has been tran
- acting his nefarious business witt
{ out the knowledge of his en-
ployer but it is not unnaturally
matter of surprise that such gla
ing attempts at extortion made !
the servant could for so long
time remain concealed from Il
master, whose name has in {
= cases been freely used in order
;, secure the prey.
!. Late in the last session of Co
.. gress the House was electrified
"a o speech from Gen. Farnswort
IA who openly charged Gen. Butt
Il with having received, or deman
. ed, q fee of $1,000 for his servic
q. in lobbying a bill then befo
.. Congress. This was the first pu