The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-11-24
UH4T SPOON BUTLER SAYS.
How He Accounts for the Easy Triumph
OF the Republicnns--The Democratic
Party Sold Out-Thc Policy OF the New
Administration towards the South.

The following is an extract from convcrsa-
ton with General B. F. Butler, reported in the
New York Herald
Reporter-Well, General, what do you think
Of the election y?
it was intended it should by the Democratic
leaders from the beginning. 1t was what the
horse Jockeys would call - thrown race" for
no political party was ever 80 completely. 80
thoroughly sold oLt by the leaders as the De-
mocracy.
Reporter-How was that
Gen. Butler-I will tell You. The rank and
against the national debt, and against its pay
ment in gold and the high rates of interest:
The chairman of the Democratic National
Committee, MIR. Belmont, was the United States
agent for foreign bankers. There is held
abroad some SIX hundred millions OF dollars OF
the United States bonds; payment in gold
would make more shan two hun1red mil
lions difference in value. The Democratic
Convention was managed by Belmont i'll con-
junction with other New York politicians. l
have long known their tactics. 1t has always
been of more consequence to them to save the
City and State OF New York than to save the
general government election. 1t they must
lose either they always prefer the latter. There
fore they determined against Chase, Hendricks
CA,lS
mocracy would win in the nation, aud they
took ur Seymour in order to savc the State OF
New York. They made no fight for Maine, tho
result of which would have been the index OF
the contest, but sent Pendleton there, whose
notions were distasteful, at least 10 tn Repub-
licans, from whom alone they could have made
gains. They had already placed Western
man on the ticket (Blairl, who OF all men is
the most obnoxious to Western Democrats,
ba hnvtn AhOlitInulSt
lent Republican general in the Union army,
although man of acknowledged ability. They
arranged their platform so as to revive all the
issues of the war and thus overshadow entire
ly all questions OF finance and tlXat'on, on
which last issues they never got hearing du-
ring the whole campaign. Of course this
threw the vote OF every true patriot and lover
of his country against those who had ever
been opposed 10 them during the war. While
the cUutest-the only actual contest of the
campaign-was going on in Ohio, Pennsylya-
MA and Indiana, it will be observed Seymour
did not take the stump although IN the two
last named States less than G00O votes would
have changed the result. When these elcc-
tons were found uncomfortably c.osc. the
New York World and the National 1GtclIi9en-
cer one owned and the othcrpurcilascd by the
Democracy, entirely dcmor;lizod tho party by
the impossible proposition to change the can
ddates. 1t thus being made sure that the
Democrats had no chance OF carrying the gcn-
eral election, Seymour Immediately took the
stump to save New York, Mr.. Belmont issued
an address and the played for result was OBJ
tanned. New York was saved to hor politicians,
and the value of the bonds OF Belmont's foreign
clients was enhanced.
Reporter-In view of these facts, General,
what do you think Grants course will be to-
ward the Democrats?
General Butler-These same men are now
patting General Grant on the shoulder, and
endeavoring to win him to their purposes, but
General Grant is bound by every principle OF
honor that holds men in their action to carry
out the Reconstruction measures OF Congress,
and to give suffrage to the negro aud fully
protect him in its enjoyment. The very fact
that Louisiana has gone against him by 30, 00o
majority, whole parishes not giving him slr-
gle vote under the reign OF terror which exist
ed there, where thousands of Republican votes
were thrown before, will impel him and the Re-
publican party to do this. The New York and
Belmont Democrats will get some comfort from
the financial policy to which the new admins
tration is pledged. I look to see the action of
the new administration radical upon oil points
raised and settled by the war, but conservative
upon finance.
Reporter-What do you think, General. will
be dOue by Congress in relation to those States
where there have been disorders in the late
elections
General Butlcr-I cannot doubt that in every
such case prompt and vigorous measures will
be taken to correct the evil as well IN overrul-
ing what has been done as in preventing such
occurrences in the future. We are obliged to
give every State repu 'lican form Of govern
ment, and that government is neither rcpubli-
can in form nor fact where every elector can
not discuss his political opinions and cast his
vote unawed aud uncontrolled either by vio-
lence, intimidation, threats or purchase. The
conti acts ever, where made in tho South for
the employment Of negroes on the condition
that they will abstain from voting it their mas
tiers so desired, are as much purchases of men
as were the purchases from the auction block Il
few years before. No member OF Congress
elected in any district where such means wcro
used will ever be admitted to his seat by my
consent, OF any electoral vote from SUCH dis
tricts counted