The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-04-02
,,l.tMAOK, ON BUTLER.
losr,.spsnae.os ofths osuudnus l.Enauirsr:
- 4BurLERoN NEwsPAPERs.

ties TO make the offer to buy Whites
more,s appointment. He ives negoua-
ting for : third pnrty, and knowing
OF the maa he WAS dca ing
With. De approached Whittemore with
plain Offer, which I believe was accept
led. ,Wheieupon Old Diabotos taxes
occasions TO make sweeping 6epnnc'-
altos az all newspapers and al EDITORS
and writer's. I thought the opporto-
nifty o good one to "take my pen III
baud" and write him these few lines to
let him know. I was we'll and hoping
they would find him in the same condl-
WASHINGTON Feb. rs, 1870.
r. n. Hon. General BENJAMIN Falsts1 Butler:
Mon Brave Gene, al.-Was 1t not a
little unjust in YOU to include in one
indiscriminate denunciation all "news-
paper men," as you style them, because
Of the dishonorabIe act Of one There
is always more or less Of injustice in
such sweeping aud all embracing con-
demnatiors but especially is this true
when the object oft is profession
including 80 many shades of lntellectu.
al and moral character as the press, of
necessity, does. You, who have won
the applause Of your country men, first
as q brave soldier Of the Republic,
fighting its battles and saving its honor
and integrity; and then as a great
statesman, harvesting, for the benefit Of
future generations the precious fruits
of your prowess in the field, should be-
the last to adopt such a standard OF
criticism. In the late war there were
generals who rivalled Flora Temples
best time in putting ten miles between
themselves aud the armed hosts OF,
rebellion at Big Bethel. There were
also generals who conceived the strait
egg of conquering peace in the south.
west by storming the side boards OF
New Orleans, and failing,to mako the
insurgents lay. down their arms, made
them lay down their spoons and their
70, *. There were those also who,
sent to attack the Confederacy at Fort
Fisher, saw in every gray jacket be-
hind the bristling bayonets there "a
true Prince. and retired ION instinct.
like your valiant prototype on Kendall
Green. moistening their small clothes
in nervous trepidation the while. Not
to mention him who. according 10 the
General in Chief. converted himself
! into bottle imp and corked hin s;lf up
in Bermuda Hundred.
Now, sir, ! mention these historical
facts, of which doubtless your presence
at the front prevented you hearing at
the time of their occurrence, merely for
the sake of proving by the ar;gu1ae'stuna
ad Aonainens tho utter in justice of your
sweeping denunciation of newspaper
men," How would you like to have
your we'll earned military laureis torn
from your brow by a-wholesaie censure
of all commanding officers as set of
| runaways and spoon thieves-to in =
clude alik the battle SCARED vaterans
like yourself, and the bottle Scared
hero. Of Bermnda-and to reduce to
one degrading lev Ell the captor efforts?
You will see at once how you will
suffer by such indiscriminate condem =
nation.
| The same is true Of you in that other
and more lofty part you are now en-
actinglon thespublic STAGE, showing by
your daily acts that peace hath her
victories no less renowned than war.
When you returned your blood-stain-
ed sword to- its rusty scabbard, and
laid aside your glittering but deeply
dented helmet.of war to assume the
peaceful robes OF craftsmanship, did
you not find yourself throw into the
company of men who sought as the
highest object of ambition the cheap
applause Of the groundliugs-whos sunk
the statesman in the politician, and
both in the demagogue-lnen who
would rather be notorious than right !?
Have you not met those who perferred
the extraordinary role of Tombs law
yer pract:cing in the House Of Repre-
sentatives, to the office ofjudge to pass
upon the guilt or innocence of an &C
cused member ? And all because it
was apt to attract attention, and be-
cause, next to we'll deserved fame,
there is nothing SO good as we'll earned
infamy in5the opinion of such men.
This is another instance in which your
great name and .repu' alton would suf-
fer bv thezreversal of the doctrine Of
the atonement, which you seek to ap--q
ply to newspaper men" in max ing all
suffer for tho sins OF one 1t would
degrade you to the levelsof him who,
failing 10 secure the honorof chief pros
ecutOr in tho Whittmorc case vOlun