Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-10-04
BOSTON LETTER.

--1-'o NSe-AA AAou uc tudi ud1e oStAS
doubt Of year ability to keep the connee
ton; still you may like to know how the
bobbin is unwinding here at the Hub.
The 1st Of September is a memorable era
among the school children, as it opens TO
them new lease Of intellectual life. The
term begins full of promise as it Is hoped
that the ideas of the new Superintendent
embodied in his late report are to be car
ried out in administration; education or
development instead OF the examining pro-
cess.
The most noted late arrival IN Boston is
the celebrated Dean STANLEY, Of Westmin-
ster Abbey, who, on Sunday, attracted an
immense congregation to Trinity church.
The sermon from the text in 18th Ps.
was rePlete with interest to those who could
hear, but it should be borne in mind that
the fine churches of Boston are architee-
turally designed to crafty the eye rather
than the ear.
The Mechanics Fair Is now in progress
and at the full tide Of interest. It is far
more extensive and receives much more at
Tention this year than ever before. The
electric light adds great brilliAney to the
evening exhibitions.
But the subject of greatest interest Just
now is State politics, and ] trust l shall
be pardoned in giving the subject promin-
enee. The several parties are holding their
conventions for the Fall campaign, and it
is interesting to see with what apparent
confidence they all assert their positions.
But as the papers all, either blindly or
purpOssly mislead, you will fail to get
from them any correct idea Of the political
status Of Massachusetts, at this time.
II it will be Of any interest to you will
help you to get at the true inwardness,
though what / shall say may, l am aware
shock you, and sound queer coming from
an old line Republican. 1 will endeayor
to state the facts however as they appear
to me after careful observation, and you
may judge for yourself.
The truth is the public mind is in fear
full state Of disquiet. may say dissatis-
faction with the present condition snd fu-
ture prospects. An attitude Of almost ut
ter hopelessness of any good results out of
the old political Organizations. There is
no Disgusting this. There are many
causes for this state Of things. The most
obvious Of which doubtless are the long
continued grinding processes Of the hard
times upon the masses General depression
of all industries, and special legislation in
the interest Of capital. 1t is sufficient to
say that this feeling of dissatisfaction is
deep and widespread enough to control
the political issues of the campaign. HUI
man nature viii bear even an agony for
a while but sufferance ceases at length to
be a virtue. And, if mistake not, the
people have endured to that point when
they dare to break away from the tramels
Of party and boldly assert independeucy.
This is evident from the utter failure Of
the recent most rigorous measures Of party
discipline here, to bring back the wander
ing sheep TO the true Democratic fold. |
The more they whip in the more they jump |
out. It is said that ali history repeats it.
self, and we are strongly reminded Of that
experience when the old whig party Of |
Massachusetts, was laid out on the rack of
knownothingism.
The distrust is deeper and wider now,
extending to all parties and breaking the
cords OF party afiliation.
The recent convention Of young Repub-
licans at Worcester, to revise things, was
sufficiently ludicrous in the palpable con-
fession that the Republican party was hard /
sick, that there was no hope from the old /
doctors and that the true diagnosis Of the
weak condition of the patient indicates
necessity for radical change of treatment,
so the young doctors took to nursing the
case, but it is feared with little promise Of
success. The old lady is quite feeble with
age and the chances are that, with the
best of treatment, she will not survive the
autumn. 1t is remarkable that neither Of
these great parties dare hazard single
moral issue. -E5sl1
The Prohibition party is distracted and
utterly without power.
In this state of things what could open
a more inviting field for an adTenturer?
Is it any wonder that Butler should have
the shreWdness to see his opportunity, and
the tact to avail himself of it, Is it a
wonder that the masses, like the drowning
man in. forlorn hope, catch for succor ct
the floating straw 1t seems useless to at
tempt TO disguise existing facts. If the
people are really getting wrong-headed
what is to be gained in deceptionF Better
realize the situation with an honest endeav-
or to meet the emergency.
You may go through Massachusetts and
you will find full one-third of the voting /
population already pronounced Butler men,
and the next -one-third more strongly
bound by party ties and old associations,
are thinking hard. hoping in their secret
hearts that Butler will be elected, the most
of whom are sure for him when the day OF 4
action comes. The last class are the mon
ey lenders and old stage politicians who
will abide by the stuff until they come to
the last ditch. It was this class mostly
that your Mr.. Garfield addressed in Fan
euil Hall last week in strong speech in
tbs intesest Of hard money and resnmP-
tion.. It was doubtless easy to convince
them since they could see their 90 cents
laid up in napkin growing marvelousiy
quick TO hundred, though it might be
more difficult to convince these outsiders
who are having this hundred to pay for
the so cents worth. 1t is this last class,
so meanly selfish, that is now furnishing
Butler with his most potent arguments.
The daily press denounce him but keep him
well advertised, and what more does be
need or want to make GoVernorr It has
been said by way of reproach that he cap
tured the Democratic convention at Wor-
cester, but it comes out that he had clear
majority of the delegates, which the Dem
ocratie State Central Committee deemed |
necessary to subordinate by most extraord-
mary ruling. His friends acted only in
self-defense. Though sober thinking peO-
pie may regret the circumstances and re-
gard the occurrence as unpropitions, there
are few who cannot saa in tha Eiph-handed /