Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-08-29

WHAT \ MASSACHUSETTS, CONGRESSMAN THINKS
OF GEN. BUTLER.

OF GEN. BUTLER.
To the Editor of the Gazette.
Sir-I have received your paper of this
afternoon, in which iswrapped up a printed
sheet with the heading Supplement it
consists of a document, the like of which |
do not think was ever contained within
your covers before,-a letter signed 'Benia-
min F. Butler" 1t is devoted to defence
of his conduct in regard to the raising of
salaries by the last Congress to denun-
ciaii0n of the newspapers. religious and
pol 3cal, the clergy, Gov. Hawley, various
distinguished gentlemen named Washburn,
and those members of Congress who declin-
ed to receive back-pay. The letter closes
by informing us that "there is one man who
is able, from competence in private fortune,
from fearlessness of undeserved censure, and
Indifference to all animadversions but the
promptings of his own judgment, to dare
to do that which he firmly believes ought to
be DONE" and that "the American people
will know where to look in time of public
peril, calamity, or cOmmotiOn for a man on
whose fxedness ofpurpose and steadlastness
in action they may with surety rely"
do not know that ! should have felt called
upon to discuss any of these topics, or to
dispute the truth of Gen. Bltler's eulOgy
Of himself, although | mover knew anybody
else say 50 much good OF him, II he had not
included in his letter an attack on the ac-
tiOn of the representative of this district.
lie says that my faction seems intended
as a criticism of his course" \ more re-
markable exhibition of conceit and hallGc-
nation was never made. Ho| Gen. Butler
can suppose that the disposition of Il sum Of
money placed to my credit by the law OF
the land in the public treasury had any
reference TO him, or was criticism Of his
course, ANY more than his use Of his com
petent private fortune Is q criticism on
mine. | cannot see. 1t would seem to be
absolutely none of his business.
On the last day but one Of the last Con-
gress, gentlemen who had drawn and re-
ceipted for their pay in full, month by
month, voted themselves a large sum,
nearly $1,000 apiece, as compensation Tor
| past service.
An example was set OF lavish expenditure
when the country, burdened everywhere
with heavy national, state and municipal
debt, needed an example Of retrenchment.
The measure and the arguments by which
it was advocated made radical change in
the policy of the American people on this
subject, taking the legislator out ot the
class Of persons whose reward Is chiefly the
honor Of rendering important public
| service, and who are TO receive from the
treasury only frugal and honorable main
| tenance, and transferring than 10 The class Of
| persons irhO are SerrlHg for hirei There are
some classes of our public servants
whose chief compensation for serving
the republic Is the having served her.
Our fathers, in the first Congress,
| placed the salary of the President at
! S25, 900, a sum equal to ore hundred thou
sand at the present day. They fixed their
| |.|N
per day. Hitherto the legislator had been
classed with judge, the teacher, the clergy
man, who expect nothing but frugal and
! honorable maintenance. | think II the
salaries ofthe professors in Yale college
were to be fixed at $50, GOO a year, the col
! lege would have much worse class OF men
in its service than now. Woe to the country
! when places in Congress shall become OBJ
| jects of desire on account of the money that
| l. earned in them. ! do not think that
| place which pays s. 600 per year for SIX
months service could properly be claimed 20
| De one from which poor men are excluded.
\ proposition 10 increase the salary ot the
/ President had been voted out Of order by
majority of the committee ul the whole.
| wien moved as an amendment to an appr0-
/ priation bill. The same thing, and largely
/ by the same votes, was voted 10 be IN order,
/ the salaries Of members of Congress. / ndcr
these circumstances, | thought | ought TO
refuse TO derive any personal advantage
| from the retroactive provision OF the stat
ute There was no doubt of the entire legal
and constitutional power of Congress TO fix
! it. Own compensation, and to do 1t AZ any
| time in the session, when 1t should reach
that subject in the course of business.
Previous Congresses had many timcs ia-
creased salaries, making the increase retro
active, and the men who had voted for and
| taken such compensation for past service
I had been sustained and honored by the
| people with full knowledge of the TACT. The
| confidence placed in Congress by the con-
-titution is complete ana absolute. But
the present was an exercise Of power, So
| gross. 50 Uncalled-i0r. So extreme. rs TO con-
| stitute an abuse OF the confidence.
Instantly on the passage of the bill [ de-
| termined not TO receive the money. Ii was
| legally mine. IL was placed by law to my
credit, there TO remain until | disposed Of it
| in some way. inquired of several Of the
| leaders OF the opposition to the measure
| what they proposed to do. and was informed
| that they proposed TO take the money
| that. If the salary had been reduced, they
must have submitted, and they saw no
reason why they should not receive the
money. although they diapproyed Of the
| law. Under the circumstances, it seemed
to me that it was not Just that, while this
| district was TO be taxed its share of the
| whole money which was drawn By the rep
| reseutatives of other districts the sum al
lotted to me should be put in the treasury
| TO 20 chiefly to the benefit of the same dis
tricts whose representatives had drawn ike
sums for themselves ! acted at once. with
| in ten minutes after my return home. and
not then having reason TO believe that "a
| single other representative proposed TO de-
| cline this money. | did not then think.
nor do now think, the money was stolen,
| OF received in breach of contract. | thought
| the voting 1t was very Objectionable and
extreme exercise of an admitted c0n-titu-
tional power.
Under these circumstances, it seemed my
right and my duty to determine what dISpo-
stioE should be made Of this sum. /
thought that, in justice, it should be ap-
piled to the benefit of this district. The
| Worcester Institute Is school for prepar-
ing youths. by scientific training, for the
| leading industries of the district. Ii is free
to all residents Of Worcester county, which
| included the whole district but five towns.
! By requiring that so far as this money goes.
| it should be free TO those towns also. the
1
cOntrive it, to the benefit of this district |
accordingly wrote a letter, dated March
| Sth, reaching home on the afternoon Of
| that day, informing the trustees of the In
stitute of the determination | had reached,
in which | said that did not conceive my
sci. entitled to either credit or gratitude
| from them or anybody else. This Is the
transaction which Gen. Butler thinks re-
sembles the purchase Of the potter's field by
! the chef priests with Judas's 30 pieces Of
silver. Like another person much perse-
cuted by the clergy and the religious press,
| Gen. Butler Is notoriously unfortunate in
| his alluslon to Scripture. One of his bio
| graphers said OF him " lie makes great
use of the story Of Ananias, ever since he
| first heard Of him, about 10 years ago. from
the late Chief Justice Nelson in Concord
| courthouse"
Mankind execrate Judas, because he G.
trayed the confidence Of his master They
execrate the chief priests because they
empted him to do evil by a bribe. The re-
resentative who betrays the confidence Of
| the people so far resembles Judas. The
representative who tempts the cupiditv of
| his fellows 50 far resembles the chief priests.
| The disposition of the money. for the
purchase of the potter's field, not only was
not wrong. but was expressly commanded
by God: - They took the thirty pieces Of
airer and gare then for The poHer's field, as
the Lord appointed me-"
In all this | may have been wrong. The
force OF my reasoning Is diminished by
| every person who returns his own pay to
the national treasury. So far SO represent
atiyes out of 253, one-seventh of the whole.
have returned the money. The remainder
have taken it.
Let me not misunderstood. 1t never oc-
Cured to me to set up my action as n stan
dard for others. 1t never occurred to nc
that disposition of this money, otherwise
improper, was rendered proper because it
was charity. endcavored to determine the
question where the money ought in Justice
to 90, as justly and equitably as | could
under the circumstances. | supposed my
important duty was not to touch it mvself.