Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-12
POLITICAL STRESS OF WEATHER
A Spicy Letter from Ben Butler.

A Spicy Letter from Ben Butler.
His Defence of the Salary Grab-EIi-
bu washburne's Virtue-The Pay
Back SneRks-MOrtOn's Record
Henry Wilson's Predicament-Jhe
Charity of uI.GOtten Gains-CredIt
MObilieF.
Gen. Butler. has written an elaborate de-
fence Of the back-psy measure, which he
has forwarded to the New York Tribune to
be published there exclusively. II is a re-
markedly aggressive document, CLING near
ly a page of the Tribune if published in
full, but only three columns are given. he
says:
A letter appears in the newspapers, pur-
porting to come from Mr.. Washburne, our
Minister to France, upon the question of
q suficiency Of salary to members OF Con-
gress, in one portion o. which l agree with
him so far as | understand the language he
uses. He says: "The people don't send
their representatives to Washington to live
like princes, 'buck the tiger and keep q
dozen mistresses," therefore l voted a Sal
airy sufficient to support the mem
ber's family at Washington to guard
him from temptation to multiplicity
of mistresses. If Mr.. Washburne's
negative innuendo is supported by fact, the
member should have bis family with him.
What exactly the Minister to France may
mean by the underlined phrase, "Buck the
tiger" | am quite unC ertsin. | certainly
never have seen any thing in Washington
that went by that name during my seven
years. service in Congress. If De Minister
is familiar with it, it may account for the
ability which he claims to have to live on a
small salary. Still, l have not observed
any objection on his part to the appropria-
ton Of $4,000 additional passed in 1871 for
the purpose of defraying expenses in part Of
the Minister to France in 1870, although
that appropriation was retroactive. With
out this increase or "bucking the tiger" it
would seem little easier to live not like a
Prince, and support a family in Paris at
$17,500 gold than to do the same in
Washington on $500 currency. In
view of these facts you say, "Why,
then, DO so many members OF Congress ras
turn their payitO the Tre&ury?" Now,4
have heard, more or less spocryphally, that
some thirty odd out of 240 members Of the
House, and Is or IA of the "A members of
the Senate have so done. The country may
well thank God that no more of its public
men can be frightened out of their propriety
by vituperation and senseless clamor. For,
l repeat again, in my Judgment, no man be-
lieves that one of those who have returned
their pay did it for any other motive than
because he feared it would not be popular,
and it might endanger bis future to Take it.
wish 1 could believe those who have re-
turned their pay were actusted by none
but mo ives of conscience, for tbey would
ook hon MN h
might criticise their acts. By SO doing they
have criticised my motives and my judg-
ment in action, and they must pardon me
if l remark upon theirs.
Let US examine the grounds, not too I'M
kindly, upon which some gentlemen must
stand who have sent back their pay. | see
it stated in The papers that Senator Morton,
of Indiana, has returned his pay, aud ye5
in the Senate, when the proposition was to
increase the slary from IS, 900 to $4,000, L
find be used this language, as reported in
the Congressional Globe: "If am to have
the name of having my salary increased, L
want il increased in such a way as to
amount to something. The increase here
given is $4,000 for saiary in lieu of mileage,
stationery and newspapers, would be an in
crease to me of about $500. prefer to let
change as that makes. Everybody who
knows anything about the cost of living in
this city knows that there are but very
few members of Congress that can
save $500 year from their sal.ry. l do
not believe there are twenty members Of
this b, dy who can save $50 month from
their salary during sess on of Congress,
while many of them spend the whole Of it.,
and sc me two or three times the amount.
Senator Morton's only objection to the bill
was Ii en- expressed in these words: 81 hope
we shall increase the salary of the Presi-
dent anyhow. II that is not done in two
days, it can not be done TOR four years IN.
der the Constitution, but we can act in re-
gard to the rest of them at the next Con.
gress." Not a word against the salary ap.
plying to The Congress voting it. How
could Mr. Morton return his pay in view of
such q, Clarallons, except from fear of the
lash of newspapers, which he mistook for
public indignation?
Again, the newspapers tell me that Vice