The Portland daily press., 1874-06-22

been stolen from the District Attorneys office
at Brooklyn through one of Buffers friends.
In Fosters letter the latter spoke, OF getting
a rap at old Cockeye." Butler also produced
the affidavit of an eavesdropper of the Com
mittee on WAYS and Means, w. Martin, how
that the Committee on Ways and Means were
striking at Butler.
character and backmaler, and Butler knew
it. and the affidavit was false.
Butler charged that his Massachusetts col
leagues had assisted Foster in the investiga-
ton on seeking to strike at Butler.
Foster denied this in the broadcast terms and
said that he had had no consultation with those
gentlemen.
Gen. Butler closed as follows: II invoke the
investigation of gentlemanly political OPPOSE
ton and not of malicious personal spleen and
spite, egged on by political rivalry, because
humbly trust that when my every act is known
and understood, authorltatively and exactly,
in its breadth and motives, the kindly iudg-
ment OF my countrymen will be, after all rival
~ and unkindness OF thought has passed away,
faults, who loved his country, his kind, justice
and nObleness."
Mr.: Foster of Illinois, (mockingly)-Let as
pray!
Mr. Butler was followed by Mr. Foster, whom
he had attacked, who proceeded in a blunt,
straightforward manner to show clearly that
Buffers statements in regard to the inception
of the Sanborn investigation were distorted,
and in the essence false. Mr.. Foster met him
boldly: told the House of SanbOrn's dealings
with the rebels under Butler during the war, at
Fortress Monroe; of Buffers advising Sanborn
not to answer before the committee etc AS
to the lead statues of Phelps, Dodge & Co., Mr..
Foster showed that these were important before
the days of the present members of that firm.
In regard to the members of the Treasury Sc
coet service being sent to his (Fostsrs) district
to hunt Hp the scandal against him, he intimat-
ed plainly that Butler knew of this; that he
was really party to the stealing of the private
letters read at the clerks desk, and further re-
minded him that during the Simmons contest
the House was obliged to pass resolution to
prevent Butler from stealing private dispatches
to members.
Ellis H. Roberts of New York, showed HIM
self master of remarkable powers of sarcasm.
He charged that Butler was the attorney of
blackmaiIers, and intimated that perh APPS it
was part of the task he had undertaken to
peform for Jayne that Butler here tonight
should villify the name of honorable merchants.
In response to Buffers charge that the Com
administration, Roberts declared that he had
yet to learn that moieties, OF Sanborn, or But
Ter were the administration, and he expected to
live to be Republican after Butler had aban-
doned the party. He (Buller) had had abund-
ant opportunity to speak while the bill was
pending, but. while he had pleaded sickness, he
had made the cloak-room ring with his stories
and his arguments against the bill but had not
entered the arena Of debate. Long before he
closed twas apparent on all sides that Buffers
battle was regarded as utterly lost. g =
Judge Hoar spoke only five minutes, but his
words were the bitterest safcasm. He said he
had indeed yesterday, as Butler charged, inter-
posed his objection to night session for But
Ter to give expression to personal grievances,
which might we'll be postponed for the stump,
witnessed here tonight, Gen. Butler could now
but regard the interposition of yesterday as an
ast of gre atest kindness. az go sas,~7
Mr.. Dawes, quite i'll and hoarse, spoke fifteen
minutes with great force. He was very severe
upon the informer system, of which he said
Butler is the chief apostle and defender. He
was pitiless in his criticisms of the positions
assumed by Butler that thieves alone were suit
ed for government Offices, and tainted him that
he had had no part in this winters legislation
Mr.. Tremain complained of Mr. Butler that
under the pretense of defending two dead and
buried instituti0ns-the Jayne rotten moiety
system and the Sanborn infamous contracts
he had arraigned Phelps, Dodge q Co., as
swindling merchants and as perjlred will aims.
The gentleman from Massachusetts had not
the power to raise the dead, and until he had
ne could neither reverse the Judgment of the
House and Of the. country thatsthe Sanborn
contract was the most disgraceful and disgust
ing performance that had ever brought discred-
it on the American name With all that gen
tleman's power to please. and to call down the
plaudits OF the galleries. he could never recall
that Judgment There was in all this broad
land but one man who had the boldness to
stand up against the unanimous experience of
the House, and against the conscientious and
honest opinions of thoughtful and truth low
ing community in regard to thsss transactions
He had been sick, but he would be sicker yet
before he got through with his connection with
that infamy. Mr. Tremain defended Phelps,
Dodge & Co., in regard to the Importation Of
statuary, and said that that was = stale old
story, dug up from the cutters to sustain the
rotten canse OF Sanborn and of Jayne, and to
bring discredit on the name Of Phelps, Dodge
y Co. 1t seemed to him that this whole de-
bate tonight had been in the nature of funer-
al Grafton over the dead and. the corrupt, the
dead and the condemned, the dead and the in