The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-06-09
BEN. BUTLER ON HAYES.

When Morton, in his recent letter, defend
ed Hayes against the assaults OF the bloody
shirters by saying that "the language OF his
inaugural was strong and beautiful and he
could not believe the President intended TO
destroy the republican party" people said
his language was Pickwlcklan, and instead
of a defense, it really amounted to the keen
est sarcasm.
Nobody will accuse Gen Butler of such
distressing ambiguity in the following letter
Of coincidence TO l. S. Marshal Pitkin, of
Louisiana, whom Hayes recently removed TO
make place for man who arranged some of
The minor details of the bargain recently eff.
.ected at New Orleans. There is no need. as
the Sun Observes, of a key 10 the grim humor
of this epistle. The letter reads strangely
ike Morton's, with the sarcasm a little better
adapted to ordinary comprehension. In this
case Buffers face is turned toward Pitkn
but his remarkable left eye is fixed point
flank on Hayes;
"WAsHNGToN, D. C., May 20, 1871.
My Dear Pitkin: have yours Of the 18Th
INST, informing me that when you were IN
Washington both the President and Mr.. Dew.
ems, the Attorney.General, gave you suUslan-
llal assurance that You would not be disturb
cd in your office as United States Marshall
being a native Of the State of Louisiana and
good Republican, and against whom no Of
fetal malieasance or personal GerelictiOn
from the path Of right had been shown, aud
who, therefore, came eminentiy within the
provisions OF civil service reform, which is
\ The cITncr stone, as | understand it, of our
y nr,in CT 7
therefore, that the President and the Altor-
neyGeneral would never have asked your
resignation of the Office of Marshal, as YOU
say they have done, IN COntraventiOn Of their
assurances and in disregard Of Tie principles
of civil service reform. | am bound, there
fore, from what | know Of both these gentle
men, TO believe that they intend IN good faith
20 carry out their assurances and preserve
their principles. One fault which find with
your letter is that you do not make sufficient
allowance for political necessities and entan.
clements, by which good men are compelled
10 do that which they would rather not do.
1t is an open secret here, as am informed,
that Col Wharton, your competitor, aided
Mr.. MACY eagh, one Of the Commissioners at
New Orleans, very largely in getting por.
lion of the members of the Republican Lcgis.
lature TO desert from Packard and go over to
Nichols by which Returning Board Leg
islatule was put under the control of Mich.
oils, and then that Legislature enabled the
commission to advise that, as the Legislature
mad recognized the Nichols Government, The
President was bound to withdraw the troops.
1t is also asserted that $4,000 was to be paid
10 the leading deserving legislators and only
5000 to others, disguised in the latter case in
the shape of mileage, so that Mr. Johnson q
colored man, speaking out of the innocence
of his heart, said on the floor Of the House
that all he wanted was TO get his mileage and
90 home. IL ie also asserted here that Col.
Wharton, being the instrument selected by
Mr.. MacVeagh to do this piece of business,
had his promise of being made Marshal if he
successfully accomplished it.
Now, Wharton performed his side of the
bargain, and think you are very unreason.
able in Directing that the Administration
should carry out their side of it. or, at least,
do the best they can so to do. 1t ought to
satisfy Wharton that they have asked you to
resign, and yOu won't, and therefore they
have done the best they could to make good
MacVeagh's bargain, and as they can't, Whar-
ion ought to be satisfied, precisely like my
friend, Gen. Garfield who, having dore his
best and succeeded in eectng Dir. Stanley
Matthews to the Senate at the request of the
President on the promise that he would make
him Speaker of the House of Representatives,
will have TO be, and ought TO be, satisfied
with fair, Lonest, and hearty endeavor on
the part of the President to do all he can to
make him Speaker, and If he fails Garfield will
have nobody to blame but himself for not re-
Numbering that "a bird in the hand is worth
TWO in the BUSH
Now, my dear Mr.. Piikin, call upon you,
by TIE love you bear TO the Republican party
and its principles, IN memory of the many
sacrifices you have made during and since
the war as Union man in Louisiana, for the
safety OF the country, ard not for the sake of
holding office under the United States not to
throw any impeachment in the way OF the Pres
dents fulfilling all the bargains which his
subordinates made. as necessary steps in in
augura,ing his Southern policy, which is to
be of so great and incalcuabe advantage, not
only TO the party which you love so well, but
also TO the country, for the unity and pacit
cation of which you have given The best days
of your manhood. | write thus TO you be.
cause thought detected IN your note 10 me
what seemed 10 be an unreasonable tone of
compliant that you are thus to be sacrificed.
Remember that Abraham was about to sacri
fee his only son, Isaac, the child of his old
age, 10 what he believed TO be the will of God
and the necessities of his people, an / the Good
Book does not make mention OF any unreas
enable complaints or outcres of Isaac on that
occasion, and SO, when you find that the Pres
!dent, in obedience to the call of his country
and the public exigency for its pacifca,oD,
deems II necessary to sacrifice you, and take
away your office and give it TO one who wore
The gray when you stood in the blue. you
ought not to kick and squirm any more than
Isaac did when lie lay upon the altar under
the knife Of his father, Abraham. / am sorry
That | cannot write you any other words Of
comfort and consolation, but such as l have
give unto Won I am yours trulv
BENJAMIN +. BUTLER.
J: r G. PTTEIN, Esq, United States Mar
shall, New Orleans, La