Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-04-17

(From the Special Correspondence Of the Cincin-
natl Gazette.) aa- gsasttl3 8Ha
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
The Blafne.Butler Controversey-rrhe
True story About the COMMITTEES APP
POinfments. ~ .xa.
WASHINGTON, April, g..
General Butler is greatly dissatisfied with
the result of the conflict between Speaker
Blaine and himself in the House Of Repre-
sentatives on the 18th of March. He has
been engaged ever since in trying to repair
the damages he sustained that day in the
general judgment of the House, the press,
and the people. He has published pamphlet
giving his own explanation of "why and how
lie came to grief;" he has manipulated the
facts to suit himself, and has even garbled
the Globe report of the scene and inter-
polated whole sentences that were not in the
Globe at all, attributing in every instance the
applause" which greeted the speaker to the
the democratic side of the House," where
as it is notorious that the Democratic mem
bers were quiet lookers-on, and all nantes
tations of applause were from the Republi-
can side of the chamber. In addition to the
pamphlet, the General was interviewed" at
his own request by reporter of the New
York Sun, and gave full recital of his woes.
Not satisfied with this, he dictated a letter to
the New York Standard, in which his grief
and wrongs were more prudently narrated
and the Speaker more circumstantially ar
raigned. Exhausting himself in speech and
IN print he had recourse to the pictorials, and
his application not being well received at the
Harper's, he went to Frank Leslie, who fav-
! wi ipo 20 e,
and woodcut in which neither purchaser
nor publisher can take much pride, and at
which only the intended victim can really en-
JOY an honest laugh, vas q 80 as8
The chief misfortune of Gen. Butler in all
the underhanded assaults, is that the alleged
facts rest wholly upon his inventive state
ment. The only Witnesses referred to BY him
deny explicitly and absolutely all knowledge
whatever of the facts attributed to them by
Butler, while the journal named never con-
tanned the despatch to which reference has
been SO often made by him. The same
stories were attempted to be circulated two
years ago, but with an utter want of success.
Speaker Blaine declined to notice them fur
ther than to remark that Butler knew them to
be false, but that no denial on his part could
stop the Generals attempt to give them cur
rency. Their industrious renewal at this time
is not to be taken as any fresh evidence of
.iiSiA tAuti, Uut ouly measuring uen. buffers
chagrin at the result of the little debate be-
tween himself and the Speaker
But General Buffers persistent attempts to
present himself as maltreated man in the
matter OF committee appointments make the
exact and literal truth interesting-truth that
does not rest upon the statement of the single
individual, but which is corroborated by the
accordant testimony of many. After consid-
cradle pains in ascertaning all the facts in the
case, plain statement of them will be found
to be of very considerable personal, if not,
indeed, of general public interest.
In the first place, General Buffers present
alton of himself as the leading influence that
secured Speaker Blaine's election is simply
laughable. He never ayowed himself as a
supporter of the Speaker, and when it was
charged during the winter preceding the cleo
ton that he was betraying Mr.. Dawes, he
made haste to deny it, affected to be taking no
part in the contest, and repeatedly declared
that he had no understanding with Mr.. Blaine
AT the same time various papers were charg-
ing that Mr.. Blaine and Gen. Butler were in
collusion, and that the latter was promised the
craftsmanship of appropriations.
Inns statement was positively and indig-
nantly denied by Mr.. Blaine over and over
again during the two months preceding the
election, with the repeated assertion made
openly by him in Buffers presence and else
where, publicly and privately, that if he were
elected Speaker it weuld be alike his duty and
his pleasure to tender the Craftsmanship of ap-
propriations to Mr.. Dawes. Of this fact more
than fifty members of the last House would
be willing witnesses. 1t was, indeed, perfect
ly understood on all hands that if Mr.. Blaine
were chosen Speaker, Mr.. Dawes would be at
the head OF the appropriations committee, and
rtcs versa, if Dir. Dawes were elected Speak
er. MIR. Blaine would be at the head of that
committee. Any one at all familiar with the
rules OF personal etiquette and official promo
ton that prevail in the House of Representa-
tives will at once see that this must have been
so. Unless Mr.. Blaine is assumed to be a
TOOL or worse, 1t is impossible to suppose that
he could have made an arrangement to give
the place to Gen. Butler, then in his second
years service in Congress, to the exclusion of
Mr.. Dawes, then in his fourteenth year, Mr..
Dawes having the additional and always rec
ognized claim of the competing candidate for
the Speakership. This claim is generally
most powerful one, as in the case of Lewis ID.
Campbell being made chairman of ways and
means by Gen. Banks, John Sherman being
assigned the same position by Speaker Pen
nington, j CLANCY Jones by Speaker Orr, and
John S. Phelps by Lynn Boyd.
But it is not to be understood that General
Butler did not aspire to be chairman of appro-
priations. He used all his arts, efforts and arti-
fees to secure promise of it from Mr.. Blaine
without success. To show how little he re-
lied at the time ON securing it from Mr.. Blaine
it is sufficient to say that as late as the lst of
February, 1869, within thirty days of the
election, approaches were made to Mr.. Dawes,
by Buffers friends, rendering his support in
case he could have the chairmanship Of ap-
propriations. Mr.. Dawes was no more COM
mercially disposed than Mr.. Blaine, and the
bargain was not made. Gen. Butler con-
tinued his noncommittal attitude to the end,
1t being generally understood, however, that
he was opposed to Dawes, if not friendly to
Blaine. His support was of no advantage TO
either candidate, but in his sympathies he was
doubtless against Dawes, to whom he is, has
been, and will be unwaveringly hostile. His
peculiar boast in his ''Sun' interview is that
he betrayed Mr.. Dawes for valuable consid-