The Van Buren press., 1873-07-29
Gen. Butler and Gen. Grant.

There are some oompensstions for
living out of Massachusetts. II you are
a truly loyal Republican editor. you can
then indulge your fancy that Gen. Grant
IS in no wise responsible for Butler :
hold on the federal Offices and party ma
ehinery in this state. The Hartford
Coursnt tries to be happy in mist of
this sort and seeks to have every one
else share its comfort The Republican
must lie excused it has been there and
graduated For year after year now it
has seen the president, in every case of
conflict over federal appointments 10 this
state, side With Butler again and again
appointing the poorer officer sometimes
Violating his own promises; turning a
deaf ear to the earnest appeals ofperson-
al friends-all that ,his vicious and cor
rupt, but in the eyes Of Gen. Grant and
his near advisers, very useful politiciap,
shall be appeased, shall not be driven to
make war upon them.
No doubt, as the Courart says, "Gen
Grant understands D. f. Butler as we'll
as any man living, And that is what
makes his compliance with Buffers de-
mands so disgraceful and so damaging
The president has had his choice again
and again to follow the lead of Sumner,
Dawes, Washburn and Hoar in Massa-
ehusetts appointments; Boutwell, and
! Wilson would have acquiesced the whole
delegation would have been detached
from Butler; the party would have been
I Hryp n y np1 ~ in, tho st,to f.I
eral offices more respectfully filled, and
Gen. Grant more honored by honorable
men all over the land. He did not do
this-he did the other thing because he
and his cabinet officers, and his outside
! friends in Office or in contracts found
! Gen. Butler more useful for certain pur-
poses than the other set, and besides
were afraid not to please him Dawes
and Garfield would have kille the salary
grab bill the last day Of the last session
| if they had not been afraid Of Butler
and Gen Grant would not have given
over the federal offices in Massachusetts
to Buffers practical ownership, if he was
not similarly afraid OF him These are
not pleasant things to think, not agreca
bic things to say-but they are the essen
tial truth.
The Courant says, at is not Gen,
Grants business to purify Massachu-
sets politics " Perhaps not--but it is
his business that he do nothing to pol.
lutte or degrade thcm-it is his business
that they take no harm from anything he
does or omits to do. That he has sur
rendered the federal patronage in this
state to Gen Buffers service is the sim
pie truth that he knows he has done
this, and that he and his friends are en-
joying tho pay for it, can hardly have cs
capped penetrating his inattention. IL
don't say anything about my neighbor's
sausages,' says the London grocer Of
the butcher, "but where you see them
sausages, you don't see NO dogs "
Wherever you find federal ofIlce-holder
in Massachusetts Of any note or power,
you find a man who is deep in the ser.
vice Of Butler or holding his silence in
style that Sidney Smith would have call
ed eloquent in Macauley. They know at
least in whom to put their trust--they
know too, MS well as the men above them
in Washington, whom il will not do to
offend Springfield { Mass Reputlicon