Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-03-17
Seleet aseadina.
ssMach's' Letter TO General Butler.

"Mack," in a letter to the Cincinnati
Enquirer, says:
1t so happened that there was news
paper correspondent mixed up in the IN
vestigation of the sale of cadetships to the
extent of having been one Of the parties
to make tue offer to buy Whittemore's ap-
pertinent he was negotiating for a
third party. aid knowing something Of The
man he was dealing with, he approached
Whittemore with plain offer, which, |
believe was accepted. WhereUpon Old
DiaboIus takes occasion to make sweep
ing denuncia;ion of aIl.newspapers and all
editors and writers. I thought the op-
portuuity good one to take my pen in
hand" and write him these few lines to let
him know I was we'll, and hoping they
would find him in the same condition
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 1870.
= 10 tic honorable General Bepdmon
Fulstaf Butler:
Mon. Brave General-Was it not a lit
tie urjust in you to include in one indis-
criminate dcnunciation all newspaper
men" as you style them, because of the
dishonorable act of one? There is always
more or less injustice in such sweeping
and all embracing condemnations, but es
peciallv is this true when the object Of it
is profession including so many shades
of intellectual and moral character as the
press, of necessity, does. You, who have
won the applause of your countrymen,
first as brave soldier Of the Republic,
fighting its battles and saving its honor
and integrity, and then as great states
man, harvesting for the benefit of future
generations the precious fruits of your
prowess in the field, should be the last to
adopt such standard of criticism. In
the late war there we're generals who
rivalcd Flora Temples best time in put
ting ten miles between themselves and the
armed hosts Of rebellion at Big Bethel.
There were also generals who conceived
the strategy Of conquering aIeace in the
Southwest by stormlng the side boards of
New Orleans, and, failing to make the
insurgents lay down their arms made them
Law down their spoons and their forks
There we're those also who, sent to attack
the Confederacy at Fort Fisher, saw III
every gray jacket behind the bristling
bay5nets there ''true Prince, and re-
tired ION instinct" like your valiant pro
totype on Kcndslf Green. moistening their
small clothes in nervous treplt!a ion the
while. Net to mention him who, accord
inr TO the General in-chief converted
himself into bottle imp and corked him
self up in 3 rmuAa Hundred Now, sir,
I mention these historical facts, of which
Doubtless your presence at the front pre-
vented your hearing at the time Of their
Concurrence, merely for the sake Of prov
ing by the oyyament,ns aa honalacnP. the
ut er injustice of your sweeping denuncia-
ton of newspaper men, How would
you lie to have your well earned military
aurels torn from your brow by whole
SHE ccnsure of all commanding officers as
set of runaways and spoon thieyes-to
ioclude. alike the battle Scared veteran
like yourself, and the bottle scared he; 0
Of Bcrmuda-and to reduce to one degrad-
ing level the captor Of forks and the cap
tor Of forts =? You will see at once how
you viii suffer BY such inliscriniaate con-
domination. ,a
The sane is true Of you in that other ana
more lofty part you are now enactlng on
the public stage; showing BY your daily
acts that peace hath her victories no less
renowned than war. When you returned
your blood stained sword to It's rusty
scabbard and laid aside your glitiering,
but deeply dented helmet of war to assume
the peaceful robes Of craftsmanship, did
you not find yourself thrown into the com
pany Of men who sought as the highest
object of ambition the cheap applause of
the groundings-who sunk the states
men in the politician, and both in the
demagoguc-men who would rather be
notorious than right? Have you not met
those who preferred the extraordinary role
of Tombs lawyer practicing in the House
of Representatives, to the Office of judge
to pass upon the guilt or innocence of an
accused member? And all because it was
apt to tract attention, and because, Ie1t
to welI-deservei fine there is thing so
good as wcl-earned inflmy in the opinion
of snch men. This is another instance in
which your great name and reputation