Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-09-11
BUTLER ON HENDRICKS,

iioAn oPOOOh ~ IL - OOoACi, tc-
livered in indianapolis Oct. 3, 1873
/" Mr.. Hendricks degrades the posi-
ton he seeks and the one he has he'd
so much as to say to the people of
North Vernon Gen. Butler is con-
ing over here, and you must look oft
for your spoons. Now that is slal-
der; the Democracy, thank God, can
find nothing else to use in the
way of argument. My record h.
been closely examined for the last tel
years, and this-this is the eulmina.
ton x I
have been the the personal friend
and honored guest Of every Democrat.
ic President since 1915 nay, I was
the friend, neighbor, and family guest
of Pierce, who appointed Thos A.
Hendricks to a subordinate office to
pay for his vote. [Applause. If
Mr.. Hendricks wants any more of
that | can tell good deal more about
that transaction. Tremendous cheer
ing, and cries go on. Give it to him.
Tell it ALL etc. [ do not come here
to bear false witness against my neigh
bors, or true witness about transas-
tions that should be confidential ard
ought not to be told [ am not here
for that purpose [ only say that Nj.
Hendricks makes large draft on my
gentlemanly instincts. loud applause
and cries of go on
Gone word about this, and let's
have done with it, and go ON to
something that may be of some prof.
to mortal man or woman. Ever
creature on earth judges according t.
the standard which he has, which il
his own capability, his own sense Of
propriety, or his own powers. The
fly that lights on the dome of St.
PauPs Cathedral looks around him to
the distance of eight feet, the extent
Of his vision, and thinks it fair,
slightly piece Of work. The pig that
feeds out of the trough thinks it a
very excellent piece of architecture
That is the best he can do with his in.
stincts; that is as much as he can
understand. He does not understand
the mansion, at the back of whose
barn his trough is, at all. Every
man, therefore, judges every other
man by himself, and whoever believes
that I, major-general of the United
States, with life and death at fingers
ends, exercising that unlimi ted and
despotie power given me by the war,
went around picking up spoons, know.
he would have done it if he had been
in my place. Tremendous applause. ]
That is his conception of the Office Of a
major-general. That is his idea OF
what a man should do, and what he
would do if he had the courage to go
where he could do it, as I have.
Cheers.
"But Mr.. Hendricks said in his
speech made against the enfranohise
ment of the black men, that he never
volunteered himself nor encoma qed
anybody else to volunteer, and there
fore he can be excused. But what
must be the depth of a mans heart
who can be little and be mean himself so
far as to utter this sort of thing? IF
sem drunken whisky-soak, some loaf
ing rascal, should say it [ could par
don him. God knows he does the best
he knows how but here is man
who lived awhile with gentlemen, a
man who has been in the Senate of the
United States, and man who, since
my administration in New Orleans,
has taken my hand in friendship, the
hand he knows to be the hand of
greed, or else he lies. Cries of HE
does lie i; of course he does. Cheers. I
81 have done with this once and
forever !; but I want to lay two or
three facts before you for the use of
your Sentinels and your Hendri cks.
They say 1 took $3,500,O00 from
the people of New Orleans. There
are my accounts at the War Depart
ment they have been examined by
every rebel and every rebel sympathizer
from that day to this, and no hole has
boap found IN tho oooouut TGroot