Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-28

To the Editors Of the BoStonl journal: The
personal collision" hand TO hand, which Gen.
Butler says he had with me, some twenty-five
wears ago." was just this: think It was in
1912 that had reported for the Lowell Courier
(of which was the assistant editOr) avery scaly
and disreputable trick by which Butler had got
a criminal released from the prisoners dock in
Concord court house. | had returned to my
post, and was one day sitting at my table writ
ing, when Butler entered and asked who wrote
the report. told him | wrote it. He asked
me if would retract. | replied that if he
would satisfy me that had made any mis-
statement would correct it. That did not con-
tent him, and he again demanded to know if
would retract Certainly not said |. Where
upon, ! being still seated at my desk and
he standing beside me, he brought down his
hand, and, striking my spectacles, knocked
them upon the floor. Whereupon, Col. Schoul-
err, editor of the Courier, who had been stand
ing by, an amazed listener, turned Butler out
of the office. To do him justice, he was not re-
luctant to go; on the contrary, his evolutons
toward the door and down the stairs into the
street, were performed with CELEBRITY which
gave rise to the impression that he feared the
coonelS boot would reinforce the order to quit.
The city laughed about the account which we
gave of the Collision" Everybody said it
was characteristic of Butler, and never sup
posed it would be used to point a moral in rela-
ton to the Springfield Republicans hostility to
him. | doubt, indeed whether any one con-
ion' before. So it could not have contributed
TO the Generals unpopularity in that office.
AS for me, why, | have suffered for years un-
der the reputation of being "a Butler man."
Butler and were elected to the legislature, ten
years after this occurrence, on the same ticket;
/ remember il WELL for he was dreadful load
for the party to carry. Ii is only fortnight
since the New York Nation twitted me with sup
porting Butler when he was elected to Congress;
and indeed il was on this very account that |
aliOfr INV
lev whose paper, the Hartford Courant, | par
TALLY had charge Of in 1868. told Hawley he
ought to let the Massachusetts republicans fight
their own battles and manage their own affairs
No; he insisted on pronouncng against Butler
He said he was a demagogue "Well, everybody
knew that" "He was a blackguard." "Of
course he was" Gle was a scamp and disor
ganizer generally" / could not deny it. But
still l 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
better for us generally throughout the state.
am not fully satisfied that was right, though
my theory that a few years in congress would
scken everybody of him is now in process of
fufiment.
This is not the only time have suffered on
Buffers account. You remember that one year
we asked HIM to preside at the republican state
convention. | was not guilty in this more than
Others, but as was secretary of the committee
was blamed for il. Meeting Governor Andrew
one day on fremont street, he, after passing
the time o'day," asked rather gruffly, why the
committee had invited "that scoundrel Butler"
TO preside. | gave some excuse, and added:
"You know, governor, that we invited You, but
you declined" "We," said he, with an en-
phatic sort of grunt, eff had supposed you
would have been fools enough TO ask Butler,
would have accepted" respected his honest,
well-grounded, intelligent opinion, and did not
press mine upon him any further.
So, in the legislature when an election for
major general of the militia took place, and the
conservatives" were trying to defeat Butler
for his Iadicalism by running Gen. Bartlett,
did what 1 could for the former, aud,
whatever may be the opinion of military author
tiles in relation to Big Bethel and Fort Fisher,
nobody can deny that, as was said of one of our
former governors, she did well at Concord" |
know of no man who carries on a fight where
they fire only powder, better than Butler."* So
| have never regretted the support | gave him
for the major generalship. And he was appar-
emily very grateful for it, and acknowledged the
favor by q neat letter and present can hard
ly call it a handsome one, it being merely his
photograph. You will see, my dear editor, that
Butler can hardly make out a connection be-
tween the Collision" thirty years ago or so and
the Republicans hostility to him. He succeeds,
however, quite as well as in most of his attempts
at logical solution of the mystery which sur
rounds the opposition Of the press to his nOmi-
nation. Indeed, there is no mystery in it to the
average" mind. Butler is simply political
| and so-called nuisance, and that is all there is
| about him.
Yours with respect WARRINGTON.
Manomet House, South Plymouth, Aug. %,
| 1871.
*NoTE. He is the only one of our generals
who has been so lavish OF his powder as to fire
it by the ship load.