The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-01-27
EEooLLECTIONs OF BENJAMIN
BUTLER.

strong impression that Buffers bite
S-----------s------ -----,a--s It'd no
TO his sense of of humor and in part t
his methods of advertising. He did no
care so much what the multitudinou
Journals said of him, and was very con
temptuous of thousand scraps of hos
tile comment; but he would not hav,
liked it If there had been no comment a
all. If he ever ran his eye over a huRd
red papers and saw nothing about him
self, there was twinge in his self-con
seriousness ana esteem. do not NEAR
that he had a hahkering for nOtoriety
but that he was not indifferent to test
mony of importance. Perhaps no one
was ever more furious in assailing him
than Don Piatt, who cared very little
for him one way or the other; but But
Ter was so picturesque, he was an irresist-
ible temptation as a mark for a shower
Of arrows. One night, at a dinner table
in Washington, an amiable and hospita-
BILE Senator placed Butler and Piatt side
by side. The Senator knew there was
something between the men, and had
seen them often mentioned together, and
his mind was hlled with misty idea that
there was an intimacy and a mutual in
terest; and so, in sense, there was. The
solemn Senator-a regular sugar tree of
sweetness-chuckled with delight as he
put his two hands on the two backs of
his distinguished friends and guests.
When the seating took place, the persons
present seemed deeply unaware of any
thing, but only the host was innocent of
knowledge. Butler looked over his
shoulder to the right, and said in low
tone, Hello, hello!' and Piatt looked
ever his shoulder to the left and said,
swell. we'll" Pretty bad, isn't it9'
asked Don. Rather So" said Ben.
"Shall it be peace or WARP" II pass"
said Don; you make it." "Then it is
truce" said Ben; and it was relief to
the dinner party to see that Don and Ben
were having a good time, but they stiff
tsned up at each other when the dinner
was ever, and had forgotten all about
their fun over the wine when next they
met.
Ny first recollection of BenjamiA F.
Butler, of Massachusetts,, is of the Gin
Sinnati Convention of 1856, which nomi-
mated James Buchanan for President-a
job of practical politics the details of
which were managed by the Hon. Daniel
Sickles, who had been Secretary of Lega-
tion at London when Buchanan was Min
lister to England. have not the slight
g. idea of what Butler did in that con-
VentiUn, though have an impression it
must have been extensive, foi he certain
y was conspicuous. He was slender then,
and bold, and had the queer eye, but his
voice had not grown foggy; and he had
fashion of jumping into his chair and
saying, with rasping voice: "Mr. Presi
dent" There were several people who
did not seem anxious to hear him, but
h managed to be recognized, and seemed
T. be making mischief. Stephen A.
Douglass was the strong opposition can
didate to Buchanan, and mis- friends were
deeply grieved by his defeat The mem
orable scene in the convention was when
40hn &. Breckenridge undertook to with
draw his name as candidate for the
Vice Presidency, and was shouted down
BY his admirers. Thore were two other
splendid figures III the Kentucky Con-
Vention-Duke McAuliffe and Preston,
afterward. Minister to Spain, and the
Aandsomest man of his time.
When the Democratic National Con-
Vention, under the mastery but wilful
direction of, the Southern machine-and
what machine that was, actually own
ing and holding in slavery three millions
Of people (about the numerical strength
Of the political property of Tammany)-
when the convention to nominate a sue
cessor of Buchanan met in Hibernia
Hall, Charleston, April, 1901 soon
made out in the frisky Butler an old &C
quaintance, and his voice, which appear
ed to have lost its rough edge little,
and made up for it in buster, again had
distinction. He was a marvellously radi-
cal Democrat. He was more particular
zbeut the Constitution than any other
American citizens, with the exception of
Caleb Cushing, who was the constitu-
GOnal expert and the president Of the
Charleston Convention, wearing high
black cravat, and blue coat with brass
buttons. why do the Massachusetts
Democrats go on so? Why are they so
Aercely for States rightsP Why are
they more violent about the rights of the
representatives of slavery than South
Carolinap" was asked repeatedly, and the
answer was invariably: "They want to
keep the party small in their State, so
that the Federal Offices will go around"
1t was in the Charleston Convention that
Butler voted so often for Jefferson Davis.
The Massachusetts, delegation was very
nuUh split up as to candidates. Each
delegate had one-half vote, for the voting
was done according to the strength of
the States in the Electoral Colleges, and
there were twice as many delegates as
electors. Chester w. Chaplin of SPRING
field and Benjamin Butler voted for
Davis. Butler was the chairman of his
State delegation and ALWAYS closed the