e of some honest citizen, or brave soldier, who was
filling the place of postmaster or marshal, or Custom House
official, or clerk in a Department at Washington, and the
putting in his place some unscrupulous follower of the fortunes
of General Butler. The climax was reached when Butler's chief
lieutenant, Simmons, was appointed Collector of the Port of
Boston. Judge Russell, the old Collector, was an able and
very popular man. He had given Butler a sort of half-hearted
support. But he was incapable of lending himself to any base
or unworthy purpose. He was compelled to vacate the office,
much to his disgust. He accepted that of Minister to Venezuela,
an unimportant foreign mission, and William A. Simmons was
appointed in his place. The process of weeding out the Custom
House then went on with great rapidity. Colonel Moulton,
one of the bravest soldiers of the Civil War, who had been
under rebel fire in a Charleston dungeon, and Colonel A. A.
Sherman, a man with a marvellous military record, were removed
to make way for men for whom, to say the least, the public
had no respect. The order for their removal was recalled
in consequence of a direct appeal to President Grant. Mr.
Hartwell, the Treasurer, an excellent officer, who had graduated
the first scholar at Harvard, was removed. Mrs. Chenoweth,
a very accomplished lady, widow of one of the bravest officers
of the Civil War, a member of Grant's staff, who was filling
a clerical position at the Custom House, was notified of her
removal. That also was arrested by a direct appeal to Grant.
General Andrews, one of our best officers, afterwards professor
at West Point, was dropped from the office of Marshal, and
one of the adherents of Butler put in his place.

The indignation of the better class of Republicans was aroused.
Before the appointment of Simmons, Mr. Boutwell had been elected
Senator, and Mr. Richardson had succeeded him as Secretary
of the Treasury. Mr. Boutwell was a favorite with the President.
Mr. Sumner, then the senior Senator, was on the most unfriendly
relations with the President, and had opposed his reelection
to the best of his ability. It was not considered likely,
under the custom then universally prevailing and indeed prevailing
ever since, that President Grant would ever have made such
an appointment without the entire approval of the Senator
from the State interested, with whom he was on most friendly
terms and who had served in