New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-12
SPEED THE pARTJNG GUEST.

"The Widow has buried the late lamented,
and commenced a new woOiDg with vigor.
At least, Widow Butler thinks the Republican
party buried. III opening his campaign in
Massachusetts,, he rendered the only service TO
the Republican party which he still has
power to render, by formally withdraw
ing from it. He asks, Now why have
eve come out of both the political partiesT'
Let us rejoice that he has come OUT and
can no longer demoralize and contaminate one
of them. Outside, what damage he can he is
welcome to do. The true reason for his
looming out appears later, when he says,
Z" Some men think there is not much in the
" Greenback party" and then predicts
that it "will bring the Government
into the hands of the people just as
SURELY as there is a God above" With men
of the Butler stamp, the people" always
means men who vote for them, and if they
find that the majority is on the other side
they curse themselves for their blunder in not
guessing chow the cat would jump" General
Butler guesses that the repudiatOrs will win.
Therefore, being Butler, he necessarily comes
out" Heartily we speed the going guest.
1t is unnecessary to say that General But
ler,s speech is an insult to the intelli-
pence and conscience of Massachusetts,. His
being in Congress has long been. such an in
suit. OF course he falsifes history; thus
he asserts that I" after $5O,O00,0OO were
LOANED" by the banks to the Treas
ury, at the beginning of the war, the
banks then suspended, and that as early
as July, 1861, the Government had to
" issue it's Treasury notes." The fact is that
the banks did not suspend until after $780,
OOO, 900 had been loaned by them 20 the
Treasury, and then suspended only because
the demand notes were thrown into circulation
in such amount rs to impair their ability to
get coin through ordinary commercial methods.
Whether the issue of legal-tendeT note was
ever necessary is a Vexed question, which it
is not now essential to discuss, but in either
case General Butler misrcpresents the facts.
Nor can there be moro gross and naked
ntruth than his assertion that as to the cur
rency "there is 10 difference between the
Democratic and Republican parties; they
"both mean one and the same thing" He
has voted often enough in Congress with
nearly solid Democracy, in favor
of repudiating measures and against
nearly solid Republican party, to know that
ne OOeS uOb ttll bAo HOI
General Butler says of resumption, "Now that
SIS exactly what don't want" But the Re-
sumption Act was passed strictly as a Repub-
hcan party measure, and as such has been
executed by every administration since,
while nine-tenths of the Democrats have
constantly opposed it. as Butler now does. He
pretends to be founding new party. In fact,
he is only giving the old Democratic party
new disguise, and taking himself over to it,
hoping thus to capture Massachusetts
The precise difference between Butler, the
Massachusetts, trickster, and Keaney, the CAL
ifonia communist, lies in the fact that Kearney
appears to be sincere. Their professions are
as like as two peas, and their modes of
argument Thus Butler saws: Protecting
''the creditors and the Nations faith That's
the way they express it. Holding mort
gage and grinding the poor man. Squeezing
property down and debts up, until debt eats
PUP all the property" Kearney utters col
umns of such stuff, in a style better, because
more forcibe. He talks as if he meant it; But
Ter talks as If he wanted votes. But the
same theory aud spirit of Communism speak
through both-the theory that property is
robbery and that rent and interest are
cruel and wicked, and the base and cowardly
spirit of hatred for system which gives
man only his own. h it really
crime to lend money on mortgage Then
three-fOurths Of the voters of Massachusetts