New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-09-21


lFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT THE rRIBUNR.l
BOsToN, Sept. 19.-General Butler complains
that the press of Massachusetts, has system
atically misrepresented the popular movement
in his favor from the very beginning. He
says that his meetings have been reported as small
when they have been large, ignorant when they
have been intelligent listless when they have
been enthusiastic, and he declares that he
has to-day the support of a majority of the
people of the State 1 think there has been q
tendency among Massachusetts, politicians and ed-
itOrs to belittle the disturbance which this free
boOter in politics has been making during the last
month II is true that General Butler is believer
in the Chinese tactics Of beating gongs and throw
ing dust into the air. but it is also true that he has
personal and political following. that is 10 say the
least respectable in numbers. Although they have
been unwilling to admit the fact, it never
| theless true that he has kept the leaders
Of both political parties in this State in
mortal terror for a month, and that even now they
have hardly recovered from their fright. The Dem.
ocratc party,as it turns out had good TO be
alarmed, for General Butler has actually captured
the best part of its following, leaving it in worse
plight than the Democracy of Maine If the Demo-
cratic Convention had met at Worcester Tues
day, nothing but the most arbitrary proceedings on
the part Of the State Central Committee could have
prevented the Butler men from nominating their
candidate and adopting their platform, precisely as
they did A hurried pulling up of stakes, and a
hasty removal of headquarters to place of safety
was all that saved the party from being entirely
gObbled up.
How does it happen that man like General But
ler whose entire political record for twenty years
has been such as to make him more cordially hated
by the Democracy than any other Republican in
the State. has, in short month. been able 10 win
to his support majority of that very party in spite
of the prOverbial effectiveness of It's disciplined
This is question that have repeatedly asked OF
men who are well informed in Massachusetts, poll
tics Why is it that the old leaders have suddenly
lost control Of the rank and file Of their fOllOwingf
A glance at the Butler Convention in Worces.
ter on Tuesday may suggest an explanation. Genera
Butler has always had a personal following among
the Irish-Americans of Massachusetts,. He never
loses an opportunity to pander to their race preu-
dces or to announce himself as the champion OK
what they believe to be their peculiar interests.
By this means, and by personal favors which
General Butler knows so well how to bestOw,
he has attached to himself few enthusiastic young
Irshmen who have considerable local influence.
and who are tireless in their efforts to
serve him. From this class of men have
been enlisted the Generals ieutenants, and
to them has been committed the manage
ment Of the details of his campaign. glance
through the reports Of the proceedings of the con-
venton will show that the whole machinery Of the
meeting was in their hands Major McCafferty was
the temporary chairman and the men who made all
the motions served on the committees and delivered
the speeches rejoced in such names as Moriarty,"
"McDavitt,o "McBIahon," "O'Reilly," Mehan,"
etc. There were in the Butler convention besides
these young Irish American leaders, few men who
appeared to be intelligent and respectable,
but they were hardly numerous enough TO
give tone TO the gathering. The great ma
iority were evidently of the class who hang about
the gin mills and beer shops of the cities and VII
lagos of the State-yOung men and old who have no
regular occupation and who sail under false colors
as q workingmen." Many of them were ragged and
uncouth in Dress not because they have been UNI
able to Obtain work, but because they belong to
that class lately so we'll described in an official
document who will not work. One man, when
he rose to make a motion, presented very
striking picture His red hair was unbrushed,
his beard a week old, and he had @
black patch over his left eye strongly suggestive
of a barroom brawl. When he rose to speak he
had briar-wood pipe in his mouth. which he did
not remove when he addressed the chair. There
were not many statesmen of this primitive charac-
ter in the convention, but the majority OF them
looked. as President Lincoln would have said, as
though they would be more at home serving as deck
hands in beer saloon than administering the affairs
of state.
These men appeared from their conversation
TO have three great grievances-the out
raoeous conduct of the Democratic State Gen.
trail Committee in attempting to keep some Of
them out of the convention, the control of the
Democratic party by Boston arstOcrats, and the
prospective early resumption of specie payments.
General Butler will unquestionably get the solid vote
Of the class have just described-the town and
ward "bummers." The Democratic party by losing
them becomes more respectable than it has been for
twenty years, but becomes SO weak IN numbers
that it loses all chance of having much influence in
Massachusetts, politics.
SAID in dispatch from Worcester that
the Butler party had very few prominent
or influential men in its ranks. 1t has
some local leaders in parts of the State where
the Creenback nonsense has brought Generalization
INTO the Democratic party. These men are the
trmmers in politics-without convictions or prin-
cples but ready to accept any theory of finance or
Government that promises TO be temporarily popu-
lar and to help them to Office The most prominent
man of this class is Mr.. Tarbox, who went into the
XIIVth Congress with great flourish of trum-
nets. but who made one of the most con-
spicuous failures in that eonspicuously weak
Congress. These hungry otfice-seekers have been
bewildered by the gong-beatng of General Butler
and his agents. and have fastened to join their for
tunes with his under the conviction that his success
was assured. Some of them never thought of break
ing away from the old Democratic organization ana
when they came to the parting of the ways at Wor-
cester on Tuesday they were in great trouble.
Finally General Butler has been assisted by the
discomfort which prevails among working
people and to a less extent among other
classes all over the State. Business of al
most every kind has been Improbable.
Property has deprecated and disappeared; the
atrnits 10 which the savings banks Of Massachusetts,