The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-09-02
.rhat seoundreI.: Butler.n

IL would seem tnat Butler discourse
at Springfield has stirred up world Of
hatred in the Old Bay State. Itappears
that the beast is even better known al
home than abroad, and while they Law
ish honors upon him, know hin to be
wanting in every virtue. The New
York Tribune has the following from
one of the victims of Buffers tongue at
Springfield: m- .u.....
"wARRINToN's REPLY TO BUTLER"
To the Editor of the Boston Journal:
The personal collision, hand to
hand, which General Butler SAYS he
had with me some twenty-five years
ago was just. this: | think it was in
1912 that | had reported for the Lowell
Courier of which / was assistant editor)
a very scaly and disreputable trick by
which Butler had got o criminal re-
leased from the prisoners dock in Con-
cord court house | had returned to
my post, and was one day sitting at my
table writing, when Butler entered and
asked who wrote the report. told
him l wrote it. He asked me
it would retract. 1 replied that
if he would satisfy me that l had
made any misstatement l would correct
it. That did not content him, and he
again demanded to know if l would
retract. Certainly not, said l. Where
upon, l being seated at my desk and he
standing beside me, he brought down
his hand, and, striking my sPectacles,
Knocked them upon the floor, where
upon Col. Schouler, editor of the Cour-
ter, who had been standing by, an
amazed listener, turned Butler out of
the office To do him justice, he was
not reluctant to 60; on the contrary,
his evolutions toward the door and
down the stairs into the street were per-
formed with a celebrity that gave rise to
the impression that he. feared the Col.
onels boot would reinforce the order to
quit. The city laughed about the &C
count which we gave ofthe " collision"
Everybody said it was characteristic of
Of Butler, and / never supposed it
would be used to point moral in rela-
ton to the Springfield Republicans hos
tility TO him. | doubt, indeed, whether
any one connected with that paper ever
heard of the collision" before. So it
could not have contributed to the Gen
eral s unpopularity in that office.
AS for me, why | have suffered for
years under the reputation of being "a
Butler man." Butler and | were elect
ed to the Legislature ten years after
this occurrence on the same ticket; /
remember it well, for he was dreadful
load for the party to carry. 1t was only
a fortnight since the New York Nation
twitted me with supporting Butler when
lie was elected to Congress; and, indeed,
it was on this very account that | came
near quarreling with my friend, General
Hawley, whose paper, the Hartford
COuraat, | partially had charge of in
the Fall of 1868. l told Hawley he
ought to let the Massachusetts, Repub-
licans fight their own battles and man
age their own affairs. No; he insisted
on pronouncing against Butler. He
said lie was a demagogue. "Well,
rybody knew that" "He was a
BLACKBOARD" "Of course he was"
He was a scamp and a disorganizer
generally. | could not deny it. But
still | insisted that if Essex county
wanted him, it ought to be allowed to
take him, and on the whole, if he could
be confined there, so much the better for
us generally throughout the State. |
am Lot fully satisfied that l was right,
though my theory that few years in
Congress would sicken everybody Of
him, is now in process of fulfillment.
This is not the only time | have suf-
iered on Buffers account. You remem-
Der that one year we asked him to pre-
side at the Republican State Conven-
ton. / was not guilty in this more
than others, but as / was Secretary Of
the committee | was blamed for it.
Meeting Gov. Andrews one day on
fremont street, he, after passing the
time o'day," asked rather gruttly why
the committee had invited that scoun-
drel Butler" to preside. / gave some
excuse, and added, "You know, Cover
nor, that we invited you, but you de-
clined." well" said he. with an EN-
phatic sort of gruut, 'if I supposed
you would have been fools enough to
ask Butler would have accepted" l
respected his honest, well.grounded, in.
telligent opinion, and did not press mine
upon him any further.
So, in the Legislature, when an cleo
ton for Major General of the militia
took place, and the conservatives"
were trying to defeat Butler for his
Radicalism by running General Bart
lett, | did what l could for the former,
and whatever may be the opinion OF
military authorities in relation to Big
Bethel and Fort Fisher, nobody can
deny that, as was said of one OF our
former Governors, "he did well at Con-
cord" l know of no man who carries
on fight where they fire no powder
better than Butler.* So l have never
regretted the support gave him for the
Major Generalship. And he was ap-
parently very grateful for it, and &C
knowledged the favor by a neat letter
and present. can hardly call it a
handsome one, it being merely his pho
tograph. You will see, my dear editor,
that Butler can hardly make out a
connection between the collision" 81
yaars 400 or 80 at The RepubIcan's hos
tility to him. He succeeds, however,
quite as we'll as in most Of his attempts
at logical solution of the mystery
which surrounds the opposition of the
press to his nomination. Indeed there
is a mystery in it to the average" mind;
Butler is simply political and social
nuisance, and that is all there is about
him. Yours, with respect,
WARRINGT0N