Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-08-27

| BUrLER's LAsr.-Gen. Butler addresses
letter to s. @. Fay of Chelsea, in which b
asks Mr.. F. to give hin authority for certail
charges which he has made against him. an
tells Mr.. Fay in plain language that witt
the same license, charges affecting his Owl
moral character might be made. In his let
ter he takes occasion to hit Gov. Washburn
who is to be his competitor in the cominl
canvass. He says:
III had gone to Congress pail-maker O
very moderate means. and had served fol
years as Chairman of the Committee or
Ciaims-the only place in Congress, SO far al
l have ever heard, where a man can make g
business of selling himself successfully and
probably, because it remains with the chair.
man of such committee to say what claims
shall be considered; and any claimant will
give ten, fifteen or twenty-five per cent of bis
claim, if it is good one, to have it given
priority on the list for consideration-and
had come out of Congress reported to be
worth half million, while my equal part
ner in the pail business had not come to any
such fortune; if had given evidence OF
such wealth by building house reported to
have cost $4,000, and become a manager of
a national bank upon my gains, and always
voted in favor of the national bank interests
while in Congress, would there not have been
very considerable more ground of accusing
me of having used my public position for my
own emolument, especially if had no visible
means making money, than you have now ?
| accuse no one."
The opinion of the Boston Journal on this
attack is as follows:
" Having let off this yolley of foul insinu-
atoms, Gen. Butler says with a modesty
which reaches the height of-coolness, ac-
he does accuse Benjamin F. Butler of resort
ing to the shabbiest, dirtiest course of con-
duct that ever disgraced any candidate for
office in the commonwealth of Massachusetts
and this, we believe, includes himself.
Imagine-we will not say Gov. Andrew or
any of the noble line of our chief magistrates
IN the past, but imagine-Gov. Washburn
writing to the papers, to-day, in order to
give utterance to such a nest of calumnies,
sneers and malignant inuendoes against
Gen. Butler or any other man ! Would he
not astound every friend he had. and at once
SILK OUT Vi Tue CdHVdsS DIS ii ne Qdu commit
ted suicide? Bnt the Imagination is not
equal to any such supposition. Till Gen.
Butler had Haunted the fact in our faces, We
should not have believed that even be was
capable, in one act, of such self-degradation
and such insult to the people of Massachu-
sets. So far as Gov. Washburn is concerned,
the enormous overriding of the attack hap
PLY defeats its purpose utterly, and only
raises sympathy instead of odium. That re-
coils upon the calumniator. No one now has
any excuse for misunderstanding the charac-
ter of Gen. Butler; and no matter how des-
perately his fading fortunes may have goaded
him on to this act of madness, he has at
ength finished his chances by betraying
Meantime, a Massachusetts, officer arises
and claims that he and not Butler originated
The idea of " contraband of war;" as applied
to negroes, but the letter of this officer is
rather of the romantic order, and looks more
'eadable than truthful.