Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-12

man. With tears In his eyes he feelingly de-
p1cted the character of the simple-hearted
old blacksmith, as he termed him; eulogized
him for what he had accomplished in the
construction of the iron highway which
spanned the continent and welded the At
lantic to the Pacific Sea, and declared that
the committee of investigation had ad-
mitted in their report that Ames was the
only witness that had told the whole truth,
and 'tNow," said he, set is gravely proposed
to turn him out of Congress for fear that
other members may be contaminated by his
remaining among them"
Butler has either been one of the worst
traduced men that ever lived, or he has the
Spartan virtue of concealment in degree
that few men have ever possessed. Charge
after charge has been freely made against
him of
Gross Corruption and Dishonesty,
for which he always courted investigation.
He has been tried in courts and by investi-
eating committees and by newspapers and
yet no verdict, report or judgment has, 1
believe, ever been rendered against him,
and he has come out of every such conflict
without the smell of fire on his garments.
He has acquitted himself with credit in
every situation in which he has been placed;
some of them, too, of exceedingly novel and
trying character. He has grappIed with
problems that perplexed the wisest statesmen
and solved them with marvellous CELEBRITY.
While others were bothering over the
problem of the relation of slavery to the
Rebellion he solved it by the single word
"contraband. That word dispelled, as if
by magic, all the difficulties that surrounded
the subject. Slaves were property, and, as
such, contraband of war. That view of it
made all the subsequent steps to final eman-
cipation natural and easy. With equal
facility he settled all the perplexing ques-
tlons connected with the military occupa-
tion of New Orleans, whether raised by
consuls, neutrals, or traitors. His thorough
acquaintance with the principles of inter
national law, applicable to the matters there
presented for his action, was wonderful even
in man who had made the law his pro-
fession, but his knowledge of the facts was
even more marvellous, and indeed seemed to
be intuitive. In his dealings with the New
Orleans banks he showed that he knew
quite as much about their condition as their
officers and directors.
His New Orleans Correspondence.
AS Richard Grant White has well OBJ
served, General Buffers orders and official
correspondence at New Orleans, tor hitting
the nail square on the head and clinching
it with twist of humor, have never been
surpassed by any writings of their kind
By reading them the man, weary of the
grand style, or fretted with the fippancy of
the familiar, may obtain real mental re-
freshment. No better illustration of this
can be found than in his proclamation
annulling resolution of the City Councils,
rendering the freedom of the city to some
distinguished French visitors, in which he
said that ''the idea of the authorities of a
conquered city, while held in the grasp of
the conqueror, rendering its freedom to
anybody, would merit letters-patent for its
novelty, were there not great doubts about
the usefulness of the invention -
The nation owes General Butler debt of
obligation for distinguished and valuable
services, both in field and council, that
ought not to be forgotten. He will doubt
less remain for all time to come as one of
the grand figures of the last historic period,
and worthy of prominent niche In the
American Pantheon CLINTON LLOYD.