The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1911-03-31
IN HONOR OF POLITICIANS.

Perhaps no saying has ever
been more misconsfrued than the
old Roman apothegm-Nil de
mor1 uis nisi BONN Say nothing
Of the dead except good. II
this was accepted as honest and
true. history would then be no
thing hut eulogium and flattery.
We would not tell of the bestial-
itics of Tiberi,is, the butchrcies
OF Nero the rawlings of lielog
balus. The record of Benedict
Arnold would mention only his
brave service IL the Canadian OK
petition. and We ~ aid drop the
~tui> OF Judas Iscariot before
the entry into Jerusal, III. The
proposition Is prepostcrOus: and.
indeed. the greatest lessons ot
history are taught by the com
parI>on Of the worthy AM tn.
unworthy, OF the patriot and the
traitor, by showing how men, like
nations, have fallen from Their
own faults, mistakes or vices.
Ii is healthy sign that pub
lie sentiment has gotten away
from what this old Roman mot
TO would teach if narrowly con
Stf1Ied, especially when the name
ola public man is presented Tor
admiration, 10 be honored by stat
MS or monument or edifice nam
cd III his honor That his faults
and misdeeds, as well ar his mer
its should be considered before
be receives the honor his friends
ask for him, is we are lad TO
say, universally recognized.
This point is now before the
country overt he effort OF some
admirers and relatives of General
Benjamin +. Butter Of New Or
leans infamy TO secure for hrn a
statue on the grounds Of the
Massachusetts State House, of
Boston. This honor is urged on
the grounds that he had distin-
guished himself during the civil
war, .....t he had been Governor
of the State, cOLspicuoUs IL pun
lie affairs, even candidate Tor
the Presidency Had the People
OF New Orleans been asked 10
give their testimony. they could
have told of the brutality and
corruption of the man who was
autocrat and tyrant here for the
many months; could have cited
the condemnation of his imam
Gus order No 10, denounced al
way throughout Europe and Am
erica as one If the greatest dis
graeas of the civil war; bttt we
were not seen nor wanted as
witness. Ii is. however, a matter
for the people of Massachusetts
alone TO settle among themseiv-
es. and we are glad to see that
the cool judgement of Massachu
setts as to its former General
and Governor is that of Louis
lana, and Of the world.
1t was cruelty to Gen. Butter.
said Major Henry l.. iIigginson,
of Boston, to bring to light his
failures and disgraces.
THE war is over and we are
extending our hands TO our Sou
fhfrn brothers. It's an insult to
our State. an insult To the inhab-
itants OF this country; it's an
insult to the old soldiers.
Mr.. Rhodes. the well-known.
war historian. read brief sum
mary of Buffers war record. IN
which he gave it as his opinion
that Gen. Butter was incompe-
tent. 'Bulter used his position
as Major General said Mr..
Rhodes, ito feather his own nest.
He charged that during his occu-
patton of New Orleans he al
lowed his brother TO carry on
trade of great profit in cotton
and salt between the North and
South. I'm 1862 he said, that
when Butter went to New Or
leans. he was worth $780, 900. In
1868 he was said To he worth
$3,OO0,OOO.
Col. Francis :. Heslin. who
served under Butter during the
war. declared that his record was
failure and defeat, and chal-
lenged anyone 10 mention bat
fle he had ever won. There was
much more of the same charac-
ter. some of which has olready
been given III The Times-Demo-
crat.
1t will be gratifying news to
New Orleans If il is decided by
Massachusetts not TO honor the
reputation of politician whose
career here was so base, to hear
the people of his State speaking
ont so clearly and openly asto
the General
The statues of Amcrica are
not to its artistic credit. Let us
not make il worse by memories
in stone or bronze or brick to
Quay, Butter, Tweed, Pinchback
or other of that tvPe.-Times
Democrat