The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-06-09
a MARKED INCONSISTENCY.

W A"Ae0 uAoJOAAOy VI OAO
Eastern press. They hold that poll
tics entered into the decision, and
that Senator Hoar was the inspiring
cause of the Governors humiliation.
The o%verseers, of course, dc not adj
init this, but justify their action on
the ground of bad character. This
is all very well, but in the light of
the past that reason will not be &C
cepted as the true M The college
corporation had recommended with
out dissent that the degree be granted
in accordance with the custom Of
so honoring the governors of the
State without regard to politics. Had
the degree been conferred little or no
comment would have followed the
act. A good natured, forbearing
public would have forgotten all about
the circumstance within q month.
But the Is to II vote of the overseers
has naturally provoked inquiry, and
as a result OF that inquiry the fact is
developed that it was politics and not
''bad character" which robbed the
Governor of the honor.
Now there are but few who care
whether Governor Butler receives the
degree or not, but there's are thousands
who entertain serious objections
against the making of one Of the first
institutions of learning in the
country a political machine by
which the Hoars and men of
like marrow prejudices in Mas
sachusetts. may wreak their pet
ty spite against an enemy. That MI.
Hoar is at the bottom of the overseers
refusal but few doubt, and their OBJ
lection to confer the degree on &C.
count of the Governors bad charac-
ter lacks every element of sincerity.
1t cannot be denied that he was faith
full to the Union cause durin the war.
In intellectual vigor and capacity he
is inf nitely the superior of the pro-
tentious blockheads who voted
against him. Although in pub
lie life he has been often a
demagogue. he has never been
charged with dishonest prac-
tices for pecuniary gain. Even in
his efforts to cleanse his State of
official %rottenness and corruption bis
worst enemies go no further than to
charge him with q desire to make
political capital, hence the "bad
character" charge will not hold
water.
The New York World, in COM
menting upon the refusal of the
Overseers, says: "Perhaps their fas-
tidious ness might be justifiable in
consideration of Buffers past career,
provided they could themselves show
a consistent record. But the men
who rejected Butler have proved
their readiness to do honor to can't,
hypocrisy and meanness, and to at
tach the letters of their coveted de-
giee to the name of one whose intel
lect compares with Buffers as a
squash would compare with a noun
tain.
Have they not made Rutherford
BOBBY Hayes an LII. d.? Did they
hesitate to honor the receiver of the
stolen Presidency? Did they find
anything Objectionable in the Uriah
Heep of politics-the official sniveller
whose "heart bled only for the COL
ored men, before fraud and forgery
put him into an Office to which he
was not elected, and whose first Off
cial act was to surrender the colored
men he had maliciously maligned?
Was the honor of these high-toned
Overseers affected when they took
their hOsOnns the ma whoeo fro,,d-
ulent occupancy Of a stolen office
will forever be a blot on the American
escutcheen?
What impudence for the self
arrogant b~lockheads of
Harvard to refuse to Ben Butler on
high moral grounds the empty honor
they rushed with all the zeal of
tiunkeyism to bestow on Rutherford
B. Hayes!"