The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-01
BUTLER RxpUD1Ar1xo xE1sxEY.
He Thinks Kesrney's Intempernte speeches
Cost His n Great Many Votes,

Boston, Nov. 9O.-Gen. Butler, in response
to a letter received from an old political friend
OF his. T. c. Gilman. formerly OF Massachusetts
but now living In San Francisco. who wrote In
regard to the part taken by Denis Kearney In
the recent campaign In Massachus etts. says:
I know nothing OF Kearney, and had no
communication with him. directly or indirectly.
until he came into the State. ! was then In
formed that he desired TO see me upon some
questions OF law In regard to the action Of the
Constitutional Convention. OF which under
stood him to be member. In relation to the
Chinese In California. l assumed that a man
from 80 intelligent and enterprising O city as
San Francisco. who was Acknowledged to be
the successful leader OF his party there and
who had been elected to q convention TO revise
the State Constitution. as understood he had
been. by a very large majority. and who came
into my State with such an endorsement WINS q
proper person for me to show the usual cour-
tesy. II he was not n III person. AZ you eug-
gest, for me to call upon. I made tho mistake
because OF the endorsement OF the city
OF San Francisco. had no other knowledge as
to kearneys worthineee except the high letters
OF credit that he brought from San Francisco
and and California by ne action Of your people.
part In the campaign, but he informed me that
his purpose was to organize the work inRmen Of
paign. This had inauguraied upon local is.
sues alone. and in which. Of course. for want OF
RnoTIedge neither s,l he nor any other person
Informed me that his mission was TO organize
the workingmen Of Massachusetts, as part OF
and cooperation with tho worRingmen Of The
Pacific slope With that matter. OF course. | had
and could have nothing 10 do, nor did lie ask
say that he never suggested that he wished TO
receive any money from me and certainly
in any WAY or aI WS H. d
the people At his own time. at his own pleasure
In his own way. and for his own purposes
and never under any direction or intlmation
from me or mine. have no doubt that tho in
temperate utterancee which he was reported by
the newspapers to have made. and which he
alleges were untruy reported, were the cause
OF the loss OF great many votes 10 me IN the
canvass, because thoy were used as bug
ing people from voting. | doubt not that
there wore great many good men. and
more good women who might have influenced
support Of ma 10y what Mr. kenrney was re-
ported to have said and done. who. II they had
voted Tor me. would have given me tue differ
cncc Of votes that would have been required 70
have given me a plurality over Mr. Talbot. |
saw MN. think three times during the cam,
paiRn after his call upon me. Tho purpose OF
his call once was think 10 thank mo Tor tho
answers TO his questions. and at another time
TO have me contradict the report that | had
paid him any money, and 10 take leave on his
departure. After the state campaign was over.
WntH no cNllcl. l Sald thonght tnat ne hnd
better not take any part in getting up a work
ingmen's organization In the city Of Boston in
the municipal election. because thought that
was absolutely none Of his business and would
only rebound TO the benefit Of partisan Re-
publican nomination. in the interests Of the
present eNtrnvagant cabal Of officers who hold
the city Of Boston under a Republican rule. and
make II the most expensive government per
capita Of any city in the United States SO far
~ | am informed. Kearney then told me
that he should organize a laboriug mans party
in the municipal election Tor his own purposes
that he had promised to 10 ii and that he would
do II. That was the only thing that looked
like any asking Of favor from him 10y mo.
and that he refused me. Contemporancous
with that came here tho utteranccs OF his
secretary. that he had made his speeches
purposely incendiary during the State cam
paiRn with the Intention Of defeating me- That.
coupled with the fact that near tho end ~ the
| campaign keRrney was found in the offico Of
| the Boston HtrdM. my most bitter opponent re-
coiving his mail there II that paper IL TO be- be-
| lieVed and that the H,7dd published an article
| in which he was praised and taken into It's favor
and that in the municipal election he was doing
| exactly what they would wish 10 have him do
| constitute part Of the evidence which seems &c
| point TO the conclusion that he has been acting
| in the interest 81 my opponents-whether for
| pay or not they know better than do. simply
| am not and have not been responsible for him.