New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-09-11
BUTLER'S DEFEAT.
THE ASPECT OF THE CONVENTION.

lBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRBuYEI
WORCESTER, Sept 10.-The Convention to-day has
been at once a spectacle and a study simply as a
contest of intellectual force in debate 1t has
presented features of striking interest, for the
speeches on both sides have been for the best part
bright, incisive. and able. They were full
Of sharp points quickly shaped up and well
turned, and exhibiting such mental dex-
terity and readiness, such fertility of resource
aud ingenuity of logic. would hardly DC
found in a political convention in any other state
of any other party. The responsibility, the Dlue
blood thorough breeding, pride OF ancestry, ana
Puritan traditions gentemanly tone. and character
q, the State have been wisely and ably repre-
.epted in the Convention and in the de-
bates On the other hand which was
matched against them has been the sharp
ness and versatility, the brilliant readiness, quick
comprehension of difficulties, plausible speech,
illusion, rhetoric, and fallacous reasoning of the
criminal lawyer of whom the Claimant is so perfect
and complete type. 1t has been tournament
of WITS and in that view, simply leaving out OF the
question the personal and political aspects OF the
discussion has been well worth looking at and lis
tening to. 1t was not debate into which weak
men could venture with impunity. On both sides
there we're eyes quick to discover the joints IN an
adversarys harness. and ready tongues to turn the
weakness to account. Men made good points in
their arguments, and applauded to the echo hy
their partisans only to have the points turned on
them with murderous logic blunted by some sharp
thrust or fatal analogy dd captdndam applied
by the opponent who succeeded him on the floor
All the afternoon il ran on in this way, pnre aad
simple contest of Wits upon question sorsimple as
almost to resolve ITSELF aud which atsany other
hme would have been settled in ffteea-minutes
Ak
The brilliancy Of this discussion pertained in
anal degree however TO the efforts of Mr.. Butler
himself In a few Instances he showed bis charac-
teristic hardness III turning his opponents point
back upon himself, and covering bis own weakness
bv vigorous and audacious sally; but the best and
brightest talk ON his side of the question was by
John L. Swift Supervisor Simmons, Somerby, and
Palmer of Boston each of whom made rafting onsets
upon the responsibility the other side, that gave
the latter plenty of work to take Of and repel
The Convention opened this morning with just
such performance as that of two years ago, when
Mr. Butler came into the hall and received with
impressive enthusiasm unstudied and sponta-
neOus as the speech with which Artemus Ward re-
<ponded to the unexpected serenade of the band he
had hired and paid for The ball only partially
full when the Essex statesman made his appearance
but the first sight of him the signal for loud
continued cheering. Mr.. Butler is not backward in
acknowledgment of such greetings. Stepping npon
the platform precisely as he did two years ago III
response to a similar demonstration, he leaned for
ward, his arms hanging loose and swinging with his
body. bent his head till the bright shining badness
of it fairly flashed in the faces of the audience,
shambed backward little in queer,
awkward way, recovered a little, did il
again, and then once more, and stepped
down amid the enthusiastic cheers OF his admirers.
1t is not in order perhaps to comment upon the per-
sonal appearance even of a public man, but Mr..
Butler so thrusts his aggressive and not entirely
progressing personality upon the public that
think ] may be permitted. without exceeding the
bounds of courteous comment to say that he is not
a handsome or a graceful man. His recognition and
acknowledgment of the applause of his followers
was something entirely unique in it's ungraceful-
ness as to merit the description of being simply and
absolutely funny His friends cheered with enthu-
siasm and his enemies howled with merriment at
the spectacle.
noticeable fact, however, that wherever this
man goes he makes sensation. Something either
IN his personal appearance his peculiar fame at
tracts always and everywhere q crowd and, whether
the crowd is curious OF adniring he seems to enjoy
At. he has personal greeting for everybody, and
an apparently friendly one even for his bitterest
opponents To-day, in the Convention, he sat by
the side Of Mr. Samuel Bowes of The Springfield Re
publican whotin this canvass, as i'll that of two
years ago, has been his most active and
energetic opponent; and he seemed on terms
of the most friendly intimacy with him,
exchanging with him frequent comments,
serious OF playful upon the proceedings disnter-
ested spectator would have remarked too. that the
feeling of his supporters in the Convention was
Somet thing that bordere1 fondness that they
followed him with q perfect abandon, believing
utterly if not in his sincerity, certainly in his
smartness and his ability of leadership. That he
has made his mark upon the politics of the hour,
and holds a position of influence and power in
Massachusetts, is clearly enough established by the
fact that in this Convention of LOO delegates
he divides the vote almost evenly with his opponent
coming in with so large following that he holds
the whole body for full day at arms length from
its legitimate business upon question Of prelimi-
nary organization of minor importance; and the
evidence that he is feared by his opponents was not
less clear than that he looked up to and trusted
by his followers.
This was made strkngly manifest in their recep-
ton of his first motion on the floor this morning,
when be moved to amend the motion made by Mr..
Rice of Worcester that all resolutions should be re-
ferred TO the Committee on Resolutions without
debate. Those who sat near Butler saw him clutch
nervously his chair as he proposed to rise
the mover sat down. There was apparently nothing
in il except for this slight nervousness. No one
would have supposed that In moving to amend the
rnotion by excepting the ordinary resolutions per-
tanning 10 the organization there anything more
than formahty TO make the motion conform to
established precedent and custom Mr.. Rice and the
Anti-Butler men were suspicious, however, without
knowing precisely what the Gloucester delegate had
IN view Mr. Rice objected to the phraseology of the
Ruf1 tod hot ba