The daily gazette., 1877-05-31
FROM WASHINGTON.
Especial to the Baltimore Sun.IrG
THE BUTLaR-PITKIN LETTER--Mo-
vEAGH's REToRT-PRIvATs Dali
ZELL AND TIE sPooN-rHE DEATH
OF Ex-MINIsTER MOTLEY. fF 4.
Buffers Tilt at MdcVeagh.

OF Ex-MINIsTER MOTLEY. tfi .4
5.II gdf
-. Buffers Tilt at MdcVeagh. .....
WASHINGTON, May 3U.-Gen. But
ler's letter to Marshall Pitkin, Of
Louisiana, is, like everything that
emanates from that source good read
ing. 1t is also decidedly lIuterlish in
its reckless disrt 6 ard of truth. 1t is
looked upon here as very positive
evidence that Ben means to be ugly
and to show his teeth when Congress
meets. There is one consolation in
this, that he will stir up things and
-revent the proceedings Of the House
Iot RepreseI tativ ss FRI m be- o min :
monotOnous. HIS statements ia regard
to Col. Jack Wharton and Wayne
MacVeagh are 30 entirely destitute
of truth that it is no wonder Mr.. Mac
Veagh employs the plainest language
to fling the lie at Butler and taunts
him with appropriating property
while military commander at New
Orleans that did not belong to him.
81 far from Jack Wharton making an
effort to induce members of Packard's
Legislature to desert, his whole in
fluence was thrown the other way.
Had Packard been able to MAINTAIN
his government the State office which
Wharton held would have paid him
five times as much as the emoluments
of the United States marshalship,
which he now wants to take away
from PitkIn. All his interests, there
fore lay with Packard, and when Gen.
Butler says it is open secret in Wash
ingtou that Wharton was acting as
MacV eagh's agent in corrupting Pack
ards Legislature he says what be
knows and what all here know to be
untrue. .t-.. .
General Butler is very fond of writ
ing letters, and he may reply TO Mr..
iMcVeagh's extremely personal epistle.
There is another friend of General
Buffers who says he is very anxious
to have satisfactory reply to a letter
he wrote to HIM long time ago. This
is Private Dalzell. Three years ago
| when General Butler was making the
campaign for Congress in which he
was defeated he was addressing his
constituents in the town hall of one
of the villages of his district. While
| he was speaking al enormous spoon
was seen apparently 10 descend from
| the ceiling and swing to and FRO I'm
medately in front of the speaker. For
probably the first time in his life Gen
eral Butler was staggered. and 1t was
some moments before he conld frame
an an appropriate remark. Private Dial
zell heard of this incident and says lhe
thought II was time to have the spoon
question definitely settled. He wrote
the following:
"Gen. Benj. F. Butler: Are you q
thief? An:earlY answer will oblige.
PRIVATE DALZELL.
| The General indorsed on the back
of this. "You are an impertinent
scoundrel," and returned it. The pri-
vate reindorsed II, "Respectfuliy re-
turned for fuller answer He has
never heard from it, but says that he
will be in Washington again when
Congress meets in the fall. and that he
then expects to see Gen. Butler per
sonally when fine still has no written
reply he will request verbal answer
to his polite interrogatory.
| Molten, Sumner and Grant.
The cable telegram announcing the
death of the historian, Motley, recalls
vividly the quarrel of the late Senator
Sumner with the Grant administration.
| When Gen. Grant first came into Office
MIR. Summers influence was all power
full, and it was at his simple personal
request that Mr.. Motley, his bosom
friend, was given the English mission
the best position abroad in the gift of
the administration. Twelve months
later Gen. Grant sought the assistance
of Mr. Sumner in behalf of his San
Domingo and other schemes, even
going to his house in person to i'm
perfume him. MIR. Sumner positively
declined to countensnce any such
projects, and Immediately began to
assail them in the Senate. This action
of his was Immediately followed by
the rcall of MIR. Motley, Mr.. Fish
always asserted that Mr.. Motley was
recalled because of serious blunder
he had committed in improper inter
ference with the delicate negotiations
the State Department was then con-
ducting with the Engli, h 70 Q gn offce
with reference to the settlement OF
the Alabama claims. Notwithstand-
ing this statement of Mr.. Fish it was
the general belief that Mr.. Motley was
disgraced that the administration
might revenge itself of Sumner. Mr..
Sumner tenaciously held to this view
himself, and he was very much
strengthened in it when his party asso-
ciates in the Senate deposed him from
the craftsmanship of the committee on
foreign relations in Difference to the
direct personal solicitation of Mr.. Fish.
From that time up to the hour Of his
death the extreme animosity which
he had entertained for the South was
made secondary to his intense hatred
for everything and everybody connec-
ted with the Grant administration,
and in season and out of season he
dealt his assaults on the administra-
tion.