Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-03-01
Butler in Defense of Ames.

| LII tbC uiSCuOoASA VI VIZ AScoAutAOA NASA
ed by Judge Poland's Credit Mobiliel
Committee, Ben. Butler. made tearing
sort of speech, cutting right and left in O
rather reckless manner. He excoriated
one of our Tennessee Representatives, got
off e cruel joke on Job Stevenson, and
made an uramerciful onslaught upon the
press. The following is specimen:
MI. Butler then referred to the case of G..
G. Bowen. He was charged with murder,
and yet the Committee on Elections OF
that day declared Bowen worthy of seat.
That committee was composed in part of
George w. McCrary, of Iowa; L. p. Po-
land, of Vermont, and Job +. Stevenson,
of Kentucky-nO, of OhiO-he begged
Kentucky's pardon. Laughter. Why
was not Bowen expelled He had also
been convicted of bigamy right here in the
District, and was permitted to sit in this
House for months, to the great danger of
cOntaminatiDg every married man in the
House. [Laughter.] He referred to the
cases of Sickles, and of a Representative
from Texas who killed waiter at hotel
here, TO show that murderers had sat with
members of the House. at
In further discussion, Mr.. Butler said
that when the late war broke out the Ad
jutant General of Isham G. Harris, of Ten
nessee, (Mr. Whitthorne, now q member
of the HOuse,) stole all the funds of the
State and carried them into the rebel lines.
Mr.. Whitthorne, amid good deal of ex-
element, denied the charge.
Mr. Butler asked, but suppose commit
tee of investigation should find you did
1t was easy for committees to find crimes
He added that if the Adjutant General lived
in England his head would have been up
onI ha ho1
ing at his burning entrails. And yet that
man Mr.. Whitthorne) come here to de-
mand the conviction of Mr.. Ames.
Through the grace of God and the Repub-
lican party he had had his disabilities re.
moved. The House had not been contain
mated by sitting here with him, and yet
he considers himself contaminated by sit
ting here with Cakes Anes.i Oakes Ames
was at lea.telected by constituency that
never wet into treason. ~ CO..
Mr.. Butler then paid aeglowing tribute
to Mr.. Aines' character, and stated the
progress of the Pacific railroad and. Mr..
Ames' agency in it. He referred to the
fact that Mr.. Ames became a bankrupt by
investigating his all in that road. That
bankruptcy was occasiOned by the action
of Congress, and all Mr.. AmeS wanted to
do was to get men interested in the road so
that the interests of the road could be pro-
tected; but he never offered the stock as a
bribe, for he never wanted legislation of
Congress and did not expect any. He on
1y wanted Congress to keep its hands off.
All the legislation he ever asked for was
the removal of the office from New York
to Boston, where the business could be
transacted honestly. But he denied that
Mr. Ames bribed any one, and If all men
had told the truth as Mr.. Ames did all this
storm would have been over. 1t was not
Credit Mobelier stock that troubled the
public mind, but it was the lying and per-
jury of the men in the shambIes that trOub-
led them; and because there is one man
who told the truth the committee wanted
to expel him. [Applause.]
Mr.. Butler was very severe upon the
men who had prevaricated about the stock,
SO much so that TE.7
Mr. Bingham rose to- interrupt him,
when
Mr.. Butler said he inculpated no one
he only wanted to call attention to the lies
that had been uttered. He again payed
tribute to Mr.. Ames as a noble-hearted,
honest man, and yet he
had been libeled by that damnable engine
before been libeled, and he was held up as
a byword and reproach. He (Mr. But
ler) thanked Heaven that he was a man
whom God made. The newspapers never
made him. [Applause.] The Credit Mo
bilier matter was started by newspaper
correspondent who stole the papers from
the court of Pennsylvania and sold them
to a newspaper editor. 1t originated in
the crime of receiving stolen goods. Let
the newspaper fraternity expel that report
er, and then they can demand the expul-
sion of Mr.. Ames with better grace. He
wanted the House to deal with Mr.. Ames
as they would be dealt by, and to consider
we'll before they voted his expulsion.