Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-20


Mr.. Butler, and who paid him one thou
sand dollars, swore the first day of his
examination, that as far as he understood
the matter, the appointment was made
for pecuniary consideration; that he
could not say whether Butler would have
made it il money had not been used, and
that he could not say positively that
money was paid before the appointment
was made, one event followed the other so
closely. Afterward, this witness being re-
called, remembered that nothing was said of
| money beforehand, and that the payment
was nos made till some time afterward
Both the witnesses and Mr.. Butler him
self said good deal of Gen. Schofeld
having been active in securing the ap-
| pointment, but the General, when sum-
moned, testified that he never knew Gen.
Tyler's son had applied for an appoint
ment, or that he had been appointed, or
even that Tyler had a son. Gen. Tyler,
testifying ON this point, said he never
knew or believed that Schofield expressed
to Butler or any one else desire to have
young Tyler appointed. Butler himself,
after making one statement for the COM
mittee, withdrew it by permission for cor
rection, and returned another substantially
different. Upon the single claim, very
loosely supported, that the money was
not paid until after the appointment,
and that the bargain was not agreed upon
before it, the House voted down expul-
sion, refused TO entertain amotion that he
be requested to resign, and then passed a
vote of censure. Maynard made an effort
| with members of the committee this morn
ing for further postponement, but to no
| purpose Butler then busted himself with
some of his friends during the entire
morning hour, urging them to vote against
| the report of the chairman. Butler him
self inquired of members of the commit
Zee, and of many members af the House,
if they were Masons, and this is but an
indication of variety of means used in
| all directions to secure acquittal. The
whole thing has been humiliating and dis
graceful"
The Washington correspondent of the
Cincinnati Commercial RadicaD writes,
March II:
'tAIr. Butler during the reading of the
1 GNAACllNC lClLa1luGu vi lAlC llUDl AJihlDS
with this member or that, and his friends
were pleading for sympathy and working
up votes in his favor. There seemed to
be no modesty or hesitation in his button
holing members, and, unlike Deweese,
Whittemore and Golladay, he went about
| the House in the most unblushing
effrontery, lobbying for his own acquittal.
A more shameless and melancholy specta-
| Gle was never seen upon that floor. Every
excuse and motive which ingenuity and
cunning could devise was made use of.
The charms Of brotherhood in Freema-
sOnTy were invoked, and even the pitiable
subterfuge that Andrew johnson would
be elected in his place if he was expelled,
was brought to bear to save him from
the disgrace which has overwhelmed
him.
''The galleries were well filed, aud the
visitors did not fail to note the disgrace
full scenery. Some members, as much
lost to feelings of delicacy and the propri-
cites of their position as Butler himself,
sought his cOmpanionship, and consulted
as to the best means of comprising his
acquittal.
W It'll lltC NJiG4A Aul IlllSllCNl NuC 1Cdll-
ing of the testimony, a vote was taken as
to the adoption of Logan's substitute, and
it was rejected by vote of Ill to 68.
Nine members, finding that there was not
the necessary two-thirds, flew the track,
and, skullling into the halls and commit
tee rooms, lodged the final vote. The
question arose-Shall Roderick r. Butler,
member of Congress from the First Dis
trict of Tennessee, be expelled from his
seaJ in the House on this vote2 The
ayes were 102, and the nays 68, and as
twO-thiTds had not voted in the affirma-
tive, he remained a member of the House.
''Gen. Morgan desired to offer a resolu-
ton requesting Mr.. Butler to resign; but
the Speaker ruled it out of order. 1t
would have been useless, any way, as
was said by a member who voted for his
expulsion can not drive him out
of the House except with his own blood
hounds and battery of artillery
''Of the sixty-eight members who voted
for his acquittal, it is noticed that Covode,
Churchill, Bowen, Brooks, and all others
who are suspected of completely in the
cadet business, voted for his acquittal.
''Two Democrats, Brooks and Axtell
voted mo-" although it appears in the
testimony that part Of Buffers money was
used for the success of the Republican
party Other Democrats lodged the vote
entirely.
F'Of the Tennessee members, Arnell and
Tillman lodged, and Prosser, Hawkins,
Maynard, Smith and Stokes voted ''no."
CATER the vote was declared, the prop
osition of censure was put, and every
body, of course, voted ''aye. The num-
bers standing 157 to none.
at is now stated that resolution will
soon be presented to recall the votes
against Whittemore and Deweese. "
This man Butler has covered himself
all over with infamy in this affair, and
Notwithstanding one hundred and two of
his peers in the House Of Representatives,
being a majority of thirty-four of those
voting, have put on record in the most
solemn form their conviction that he de-
serves expulsion, that he is disgrace to
the body Of which he is a member, he
holds on to his seat with tenacity the
like of which has never been witnessed in
a representative body. In any other
country and in other times in this country,
this man Butler, even with the fmpudence
he has shown himself master of, could
not stem the tide of oblOquy he has called
down upon himself. This case is q most
forcible commentary upon the character
Of the men that have been thrown to the
surface by the late war and the rule of the
Radicals that has followed that event.
This man Butler who thus brings disgrace
not alone upon himself but upon Tennes-
see. is trusted leader Of the Radicals in
their revolutionary movement to upset the
State government He is put forward as
a champion of the men who thus seek to
get into office in this State. What must
be the character of the cause when it
seeks a leader in such man as Picayune
ButleT2
THOSE who charge that the August
election was carried byregistration frauds,
seem to forget the extent to which the
registrars appointed by Gov. Brownlow
issued certificates. According to the re-