Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-02-12
Ben. Butler, the Terror Of Congress.
siOnal NOvices.

SlOu6l QVflCCSs
The newspaper correspondents con-
tinue their relentless war on the famous
"Essex statesman" Here is one of the
latest shots, fired by Washington let
ter writer:
The country will be frightened some
fine morning with the tidings that Ben.
Butler has been batted in the face, may
be, if the Lord is especially gracious,
killed like Caesar in the capital" II
will be done by some new member
Brown of Calaveras, or any other
wrathy delegate from the western slope.
The seats In the house of representa-
tives are arranged in a semi-circular
form, with aisles radiating thickly from
the centre. Half pie cut in slices of
clearinghouse thickness, gives a good
idea of the general plan. There is a
little area in the center occupied by the
pages-and Ben. Butler. Old Strabis-
mus has a seat somewhere back with
the other representatives, but he never
sits in it. When not lounging in the
lobby he is usually lowering in this bit
of open field directly under the speak
er's nose. When a member, new or old,
gainsays statement of Buffers, the
latter makes directly up the aisle and
fixes his complicated stare straight into
the face of the talker. Men who have
become Injured to this horrible phan-
tasm, haunting them in broad daylight
so closely that its demoniac breath can
almost be felt, talk right on with aston
fishing unconcern. Farnsworth used to
go further. He would return stare for
stare, and leer for leer. But all men
are not Farnsworth's, and it is only
after severe apprenticeship has been
served that a man can preserve his CO.
herency within average proximity to
Buffers relentless jowl.
The fearful phase of all this matter
is that Butler grows worse as he grows
older, in congressional sin. Five or six
years ago he could be endured if not
cured, and even fresh representative
fish could be allowed to founder in the
shallow waters of a maiden speech with
a modicnm of annoyance. Now Butler
waits until the raw member has worried
well into the core of his address. Hav-
ing gradually found that his voice does
not ring particularly different jangle
in the halls of Capitol hill from its old
time twang In the district school-house
or police court, the new delegate has
partially acquired confidence in himself
and is warming into something like Wig
or. This is Buffers cue. The Essex
county fend drives his hands into his
pockets and starts across the house, Os-
tensibly upon private impulse. He
eontrives to take apath which will bring
him face to face with the victim; then
abruptly stops as if he had for the first
time discovered that somebody was talk
ing.
A look of utter amazement spreads
over his knotty features, which express
in the acme of pantomime, "Why, VINO
in thunder are you ? How long have you
been here, anyway" Then he twirls
his twisted glare alternatively from the
half-stranded oratorical craft to the sea
of members around him with a painful
look of inquiry. He asks, as clearly as
the words themselves could do it: els
this all right, boys does this fellow be-
long here ?" satisfied, apparently, that
the poor devil is duly qualified; Butler
fops into the nearest empty seat. An
interminable ogle of hungry curiosity
is turned into the wretched beings soul,
and at last he willis and collapses into
servility and sinks down to his boots.
Butler strolls away Juggling at cold
cigar.
And SO say that on some suspicious
morning the national heart will be made
glad with the news that his oblique face
has been smashed into harmonious pulp.
He will corral an arrival from central
Colorado, who, like Macduff, will lay
on" him.