New-York tribune., 1874-03-12
" chant over whose private property the law
fails to throw its protection.
rs MASSACHUSETTS IN EARNESTf

he tho hero of the Simmons victory. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether the men who lately
telegraphed from Washington, one day. their
updIminishcd faith in the President, and the
next. their saddened resolve to Keep the Re-
publican party of Massachusetts where John
A. Andrew left it, will take tho other SIDE
with vigor enough to deserve success. The old
crisis is upon them again. On every previous
occasion they have failed to come up to theirop-
portunity We hope the respecta6iilty OF Mas
sachusetts will not misunderstood the attl-
tude of the responsibility OF the country.
There are great many men outside OF Mas
sacbusetts who have convictions, and who en-
deayor TO live up to them in the discharge of
their political duties They have seen with
sorrow for a long time the prevailing ten
denotes of the dominant party, and have not
escaped derlsOn for undertaking TO correct
them. All these-lnd we may be permitted
TO say that the number of them has increased
very rapidly IN the past year-aro ready and
anxious to cooperate in any direction
and at almost any personal sacrifice for
the reform which the times 80 imperatively
demand They have not, as TIE TRIBUNE
some time ago intimated. been aroused to any
Of the affront put upon Boston and
upon Massachusetts by the appointment OF
Collector Simmons They recognize In the ap-
pointment and the influences which procured
if all the dangers and all tho evils which the
respectable Boston newspapers have presented
with so much carnestness and thorOughness
but il has not come TO them with the shock OF
sudden surprise, nor have the perSonai ana
local bearings of the appointment Appealed 10
them by the insult 20 their dignity ana the
humiliation Of their pride.
The better sentiment of the whole country,
outside of Ollice-hOiders and their dependents,
is entirely in sympathy with the Massachusetts
t,at made the fight against Butler and SIM
mons, and went under III the struggle. Inc
responsibility of the country, as well as OF
Massachusetts, had a stake in the contest, anu
could not look on it without emotion. Bat
that particular fight is over. Obviously enough
another and larger one impends. what Is IL
TO bef Personal merely, as those of the last
two or three years with the same malign IN
Auence have been2 or shah it rise to the
dignity of discussion of principles, and be-
come war, persistent and uncompromlSing, for
truth and right-fOr an imperishable idea
Allies there are, all over the country in great
numbers, waiting to sec how much Massachu-
setts means before striking hands with her III
the fight. If she means only to put down MIR.
Butler, either by destroying his influence with
the Administration or by defeating his aspira-
tions to the Chief Magistracy, the best wishes
of all good men will go with her in an enter
prise SO commendablc; but the field il too mar
tl,. Ton avalu IN
personal, to excite prOfOunder feeling or enlist
active cooperation.
It.is not Mr.. Butler or any one of his mis-
erable appointments that the people outside
Of Massachusetts desire to defeat and put
down. 1t is the principle which Mr.. Butler
and his followers represents the force IN our
politics of which he is the recognized ex-
ponent, and of which thousands of our
politicians of less prominence are the creatures.
Does Massachusetts mean simply to trim the
branches of this deadly upas which overhang
her borders, or is she ready to lay the ak at
the root of the treef 1t is not Butler but
Butler-sm that good morals and sound policy
require TO be put down. Is Massachu-
sets ready for thatt What made SIM
mons Collector was not Butler. 1t
was President Grant that nominated, and
the Senate that confirmed him. Nomina-
ton and confirmation both were not only an
insult TO Massachusetts and an affrOnt to her
representatives, but fragrant violation OF the
express pledges of the party in whose name
and under whose sanction the outrage was
consummated. 1t makes little difference
whether the appointment helps or hurts Mr..
Buffers aspirations to be Governor of Massa-
chusotts. 1t makes great difference whether
the Administration and the party adopt Mr..
Buffers standards of morals and his ideas of
public policy.
To purify the party. or in the words of the
Boston gentlemen, "keep it where John A.
Andrew left it," something more than the
suppression or expulsion of Mr.. Butler is
neces ary. Heroic treatment is demanded, and
the knife must go below-and above-Butler.
Does it seem unchartable or unkind that the
county looks on with curiosity merely, and
something perhaps of coldness, while Massa-
chusntts wrestles with her betrayer2 Remem-
Der that this Same Massachusetts, has for three
OF four years cOquetted with him in
the face and eyes of all the world. In
1871 he made his first audacious sally. She
shrieked and made as great an uproar as
IL WIS piibOipic oho NoheShuOu iolt
invited for a while the attention of the coun-
try, and threw him off And then, though he
renamed conspicuous and influential in the
party which Massachusetts, sustained, no Offense
was taken. In 1873 he made second attempt,
and the best and abest men of the Admins
tration party in the State met and foiled him.
He represented then, as always, the Adj
ministration, and the Administration lent him
it's assistance But the respectability of the
State, after making a great Outcry about him,