The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-07-25
GEN. BUTLER AT. NEWBURYPORT.
His Views on Greenbacks, Communism
Coaching Clubs, and other Timely
Topics.


thousand persons, who were enthusiastic
Geu. B. F. Butler delivered the principle
address. He said:
more than one hundred wears ago our
fathers found it necessary to unite to pro
test against wrong and oppression, 10 dis
enthrall themselves from the measures of
one king and his ministers. Their chill
dren met on the same anniversary to see
whether they may not disenthraI them
selves from the expressions Of thousand
kings and their ministers-tbe money kings
the most powerful monarchs in the world
to-day. Their hands are heavier upon us
than those of King George were upon our
forefathers. Why is 1t that in land where
in the East the store houses are bursting
with the products of manufacturing indus
try, and in the West ihe granaries are over
flowing with the necessaries of life, there
being perfect communication between those
sections, there are men hungry in the East
for the food that is in the West, and want
in the West for the shoes and clothes in
the East? The evil that causes this cannot
be reached by sporadic riots and violence.
The starving men who made the riot of
last summer affected no aileyiation of the
public misery Strikes are below the dig
nifty of American workingmen. They be-
long to another country and other inslitu-
tions than ours. Our remedy is the ballot.
Communist, is the word of reproach appli-
ed to the workingmen who see wrong in ex-
isting affairs, and believe in remedying
them, as 'Abolitionist' was the word of re-
proach hurled at the men who struck for
freedom in the earlier days of this genera
ton The same men who called the re-
formers of other days Abolitionists are
calling the reformers of to-day Commu
nists. Communism in Europe is the des-
perate protest of the down-trodden and op-
pressed and finds its vent in violent demon
stratious and vain endeavors. Here such
a course is unnatural. Our people have it
in theis own hand the power to mould their
condition. All they need is unity and or
ganization and they will control. The leg
islation of our land has for years been ex-
clusively in the interest of the rich and
! the few. Besides those few were rich con-
sequently powerful and united in purpose,
they send their representatives. to make the
laws by the aid of the votes of the betray ed
people. Several years ago intronuced a
bill to have the money of the country in
the hands of the government, and not in
the hands of corporations, and / was beat
en- by eight votes, if remember right in
the horse. But in the majority that beat
me there were more than sixty-ive Bank
directors and presidents, each of them vo-
ting in his own interest, all sent there by
workingmen's votes. You workingmen do
not send men to represent you"
Mr.. Butler then reviewed at length the
circumstances under which, in the hour OF
national necessity, the greenbacks came in,
to, being, and the means by which capital
lists, when it was at its lowest value, were
enabled to convert it into interest-bearine
and non taxable bonds, together with 9th
er special legislation for the benefit of the
capitalists since that time, the formation
of national banks &c., all tending to un
due initiation Of the wealth of the rich, anG
the shifting of all the burdens of taxation
upon the poor. He protested against being
called a repudiator, saying that although
the bargain with the capitalists was an in
famous one we were fools enough to senC
men to Congress who would make it, and
we should pay the penalty by making goot
their agreement.
From this he proceeded to consider thu
peculiar course of legislation in Massa
chusetts affecting her savings banks. Thel
he: added 81 hold that every man VIII
has an honest employment, in which h
gives the best thoughts of his mind, or thu
best labor OF. his hands to earn support 70
r his childred and himself, is laborn
+ man, workingman. The man who, b
the exertions of his father, or some othe
relative, has ainheri,ed wealth, sand VIII
, does not work beyond clipping cupon
from bonds to be paid by taxes levied o
workingmen call capitalist. Do 20
say there are no such men? There ar
4 plenty of them. Let me give you an illui
tralion of them: There is in New York
= club called the Tally.ho Club. It is con
!, posed of, I can hardly guess how man
members, because they never invite N
to any OF their entertainments, but-I thin
:, they have ten, six and four horse team
= cocches and they drive them on the hig
;, road between two palatial hotels, with
fne- looking man set behind the coac
= with tin horn, or in this case, l belle,
it is brass bugle, for what? And VII
are they? They are all young meu {
great wealth, of great literary culture, a
graduates of colleges-all men who have L
other employment on earth but to sper
Of the income of their inherited wealth. Ar
r all they can find to do is to play coachma
|. day by day for the fun of the thing. The
=, toll not, neither do they spin; they a
. men of class that is growing in th
'e country, and they are in my Judgement
e. class that ought to be squelched. A
r. plause1 They are men that have nothiI
~ to do on earth and do it every day. Eve
- man in this country shold have sor
20 regular, steady employment, for the go
ID of his fellow-men and the more money
ed man has the greater is his responsible
of for the proper employment of that mon
in some industrial OF other enterprise
In the good of his race; and for the men W
ty do not do that the workingmen, ought
ne vote to bring abnut law to make them
q. it. I'll had my way if had the pow
= in the city of New York as once had
sr- short time, 1 would set that class of m
ler to doing exactly what they have sho
he they are fit for-driving Broadway ON
no buses from six o'clock in the morning
n5 nine O'Clock at night, SO that they shol
he have enough of playing eoachman.
m. The geneal also reviewed at length