The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-09


Ter which we printed yesterday is infinitely
more diverting than the one we procured
from Wendell Phillips few days before.
In assailing the policy of the President Mr..
Phillips exhibits nothing but biting acri-
mony, but General Butler laughs in his
sleeve at the comicality of his odd criticisms,
and finds it hard to restrain himself from
laughing outright. He is as human and
genial in his scofing foolery as Goethe
represented Satan to be in that singular
prologue to the Faust" The Presidents
new critic is too grotesque and whim-
steal to be very much in earnest.
and but tor his pious JUNCTION IN
quoting and applying Scripture and his
wish to deliver a rousing sermon in Parson
Newman's pulpit there would seem more
of the wag than the saint in his homily to
the Laodiceans-meaningt the President and.
his Cabinet st. Benjamin tells these Lao
diceans that they are neither cold nor hot;
that he wishes they were either the one or
the other that he is inclined to spew them
out for the simple reason that they are luke
warm. Does General Butler mean to imply
taking the extreme Southern ground on
which he himself stood in the famous
Charleston Convention? 1t cannot be said
of st. Benjamin, as Of too many preachers,
that his doctrine is at variance with his
practice. When he is not on the extreme
right he is always on the extreme left,
moderation being thing which he always
spews out of his mouth.
But in this instance he shows q nearer APP
proach to temperance than we have ever OBJ
served in hjm before. He quotes and
thereby recognizes as Of canonical author
ity the prophecy about the lion lying down
with the lamb and little child leading
them-a state OF things to which his COLDER
hot dictum has but q remote application.
Even his quoting the reproof to the Laodi-
ceans against President Hayes may have
been more kindly meant than appears on
the surface. In the sermon he offers to
preach in Parson Newman's pulpit he
will doubtless give the whole context OF
the passage, from which it will APP
pear that the church at Laodicea
was not beyond the pale of mercy.
'As many as love-" the message went on
to say, II rebuke and chasten." And in
the next verse the attitude Of General Butler
toward the angel of the church OF Laodi-
cia-meaning President Hayes-is very Tuly
expressed: -"Behold, I stand at the door
and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with me-" This
was the actual offer made to the Laodiceans,
but General Butler thought it more modest
to hint the suggestion than to quote the
whole passage, while he is as yet uncertain
whether Parson Newman will accord him
the pulpit he solicits. In the part he quoted
we are sorry he did not use the Catholic
version, which better accords with the sub
sequent context. 1t is not ~ will spew
thee" &C., but ~ will begin to
vomit thee" &c.-a rendering which
is consistent with the profession Of love and
the prefer to come in and sup with the
Laodiceans, if anybody will regard his
knock and open the door. This dexterous
hint to our political Laodiceans may be
worth considering Wendell Phillips did
not compliment them with fulfilling the
prophecy of the lion lying down with the
lamb; Wendell Phillips did not offer to
come in and sup with them; but the more
mellow and genial Butler islands at the
door and knocks"
He is pretty sure to force recognition in
some way All the other experienced party
chiefs having disappeared from the House,
except Garfield, Butler intends to be the re-
publican leader in that body. Garfield's only
advantage lies in his confidential relations
with the President as being citizen of the
same State but if he assumes to be the
spokesman of the administration and puts
on airs of leadership Butler will clip his
wings. Butler feels that the position be-
longs to him by the conjoint titles Of ex-
perience, ability, readiness of resource and
retort, and power to gall and annoy the
democratic leaders, If he is not permitted
to lead the party he will lead the dissatis-
fed wing of it and apply his whip of
scorpions to Garfield himself instead of the
democratic leaders on the floor. Behold, he
stands at the door and knocks if the Laodi-
ceans open to him he will gladly come in and
sup But unless the administration recog-
nizes the value of his services as supporter
he will be o thorn in its side and smoke in
the eyes of Garfield, its contidant. General
Butler is not intractable, and it is for Presi-
dent Hayes to decide whether his support
and friendship will not be better than his
opposition. So able and irrepressible man
is sure to make figure. He has heretofore
rather hung on the skirts of his party than
enjoyed its confidence, and has therefore
been able to assert himself only by fighting
as free lance. This may be one reason
why he hos been SO erratic and sensational.
Nothing is SO steadying as a position of re-
snonsihility. and even General Bntler no