Year: 1870

Butler ON tho Wrong Tack.


Ever since the death of Thad Stevens the
place of leader in the House has been con-
tested point. 1t has produced as many dis
sensions in the lower house as the votes of the
seven republican Senators for Andy Johnsons
acquittal did in the Senate. Butler and Schenck
last session fought with the vigor of Big Bethel
overlapped Schenck, who was driven to the
wall in such utter disorder that he has never
attempted again to come up to the scratch.
Bingham then advanced to claim the honor,
but Butler with single epithet disabled him,
and he has Of late made only very slim show
of fighting Garfield and Logan, though both
good fighters, have so far shown but little dis
position to wrestle with the champion of Essex,
and Banks has prudently refrained. Butler has
therefore confirmed his right in some degree
to the leadership, and his movement in the
Virginia bill shows that he can crack his whip
over his followers with as good effect as cold
Thad" himself ever did. This is an excellent
success for man who, eleven yeats ago, was
a bright light in the democratic party, reflect
ing the brilliant rays of ffty-two successive
votes on JEFF Davis for the Presidency, and
who, less than five years ago, was so securely
ensconced in bottle by the President, whose
party representatives he presufnes to rule, that
it was wonder he ever came out unsmothered.
1t is a brilliant showing, and proves that But
Ter has nerve, ambition and brains.


But his action of late strongly indicates that
he has not judgment. He undertakes to smooth
over the figures in Mr.. Dawes speech, arraign-
ing the economy of the administration, when, as
the supporter of the administration, Mr.. Butler
should take just the other tack. General
Grants expressed policy, anu that Of the re-
publican party, is economy and retrenchment,
and if his officials have failed in carrying out
that policy they should be called to account.
From Mr.. Dawes statement in his reply to
Mr. Butler yesterday, it would seem that the
President himself did not discountenance the
extrava&ance Of the Departments. Then he,
too, should be brought. hack to the terms
of his party policy. It will not stop
the expenditure any sooner to put the re-
sponsibility of it on Andy Johnson's shoulders,
nor will the country avoid the effects Of
the dart by having it's head hid in the sand
like an ostrich. Let the estimates be venti-
lated, and if they are too large, as Mr.. Dawes
shows them to be, let them be cut down to
agree with President Grants original policy of
retrenchment. AS the presumed leader Of the
House Butler should keep an ''eye single" to
that one policy of economy. The figures Of
Grandfather Welles, like George Washington,
cannot lie, nor can they be made to lie by
General Butler except as heavy weight on
the conscience of Secretary Robson. Itwould
be better if Butler would let Welles alone.


In addition to the true economy OF the mat
ter Butler would evince more judgment in
keeping his friends together than in slashing
right and left among them. At the present
rate he is digging out the foundations Of his
party in the House like Dutch Gap, aud if he
goes on he will probably soon blow them up
like the powder boat at Fort Fisher. And the
two exploits no doubt will have even less effect
for harm on his democratic enemy than the
Dutch Gap and Ferl Fisher s1rr!oits had. His
way Of splitting Up his own friends Is sport to
the democratic boys, but death to the repnbli-
con frogs. His leadership is yet to be con-
frmed by some wise and statesmanlike stand.
At the present rate before he comes to that
point he will either have no leadership or else
no party to lead.