New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-09-14
BAY STATE POLITICS.
BTrTLER AND THE CAMPAIGN.

1 IRON OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF
Boston, pt.12.-H my diagnosis of the political
situation in Massachusetts, in two previous letters
be correct the facts are pretty we'll established,
first that another notifying discontinue awaits
General Butler in his coming campaign for the
! Goyernorshlp and next that the Democratic party
| "a threatened with serious Generalization as the
result of his experiment. The $4,000 and more sig
| natures that he claims to the invitation TO mmseH
| to be q candidate are palpable and ridiculous
fraud Not more than half of them are genuine ana
| the names of authorized voters. Nothing would
please his opponents better than to see them pub
sbed But they never viii be- Such as they aret there
are really no representative men, other than Demo-
Gratis upon this list and not great many OF them'
Some of the signatures are put there for mischief
others for fun q portion, of moro serious slgnih-
cance are given by men who don't believe in But
Ter. but have the feeling that somehow good will
come out of the shaking up no will give to politics.
What is sometimes known as Buffers popularity
comes largely from this class and there are men OF
intelligence and of reasoning capacity if not OF
deem insight in it, Buffers alliance with KeaTney
has tbinped them out extensively. Whatever OF n
sensational character may be written from TINS state
predicting the success of Buffers schemes for DIS
own Announcements 1t is safe always to assume that
no intelligent politician, either Republican OF
Democrat, takes any stock in them.
But there Is another point on which there Is not
so calm and conf lent an assurance Ihere are
many here who fear that, if Butler cart help NM
self he can iniure the Republicans aud benefit the
Democrats in portion of their ticket ms pre-
supposes that General Butler has a large personal
strength that he is able to transfer or to trade
away at will aud that as an Acknowledgements 'or
the Democratic vote to be given him for the Cover
norship he is TO make this for tho benefit OF the
Democratic candidates for Congress in several oil the
districts In order to fully appreciate affairs III TINS
point of view, 1t is well To inquire IN what TINS
Bntler vote outside the Democratic party, con-
sIss. Il does not consist largely IN the Greenback
vote There is a great deal more fuss made over
the greepback sentiment in Massachusetts, than
facts will warrant Ii Is popular with certain
portion of the Democrats, who don't know what II
means any further than that they have an indefinite
idea that it is to bring them better times and more
money: but in the Republican ranks it has gained
slight foothold. / don't think that oven its late
success in Maine will change this aspect materially
Indeed the added prominence Of the Greenback
issue would be welcomed, rather than otherwise
by the Republicans, for they would feel that It's
discussion would add to their strength. Thcro are
more hard money Democrats than there are soft
money republicans In Massachusetts, The La
Dor Reform faction is substantially the same
thing as tho Greenback, or a fraction Of the same
thing. A few leaders have directed from one to i've
thousand votes under this name-nore often the
less than the greater number. They are all swat
lowed now in the Greenback faction and five or six
thousand votes outside the Democratic party -
liberal allowance for the whole Of IT,. NcXt there Is
the ProhDlionst faction, likely to be not much' II
any larger this year, and none Of It Transferable
to the Democratic party by Bntler, even he takes
il 10 himself. which is not likely either. This
a. ~ Il sI,f.s ayalv n
addition TO carry to the Democrats. The probIbll-
ties are that whether it b. large or small In voting
for himself for G)vornor he can neither control nor
divert it for any other purpose.
But is there, then u m ~ b. asked, no danger OF
the defeat of any OF the Republican candidates Tor
Congressl There is not ths danger that many sup
pose because Buffers vote outside the Democratic
party is overrated aud because such as u Is 1t 10
not 80 easily given to the Democrats as is at first
hastily supposed. The latest indications IA write,
too are To the effect that the quarrel between Bat
Ter aud the Democratic leaders may be 80 bitter az
to make ary coalition impossible. Yet. aside from
the VITA District, which is generally conceded to
the Democrats, there are three if not FOUR districts
that are doubtful and which it will require earnest
work on tho part OF the Republicans to carry.
The first of these and the most difficult
of ALL probably, is the IlId District. his
comprises the southerly wards Of Boston. IT
WAS held so firmly by Henry l.. Pierce that
there was one year In which the Democrats did
not venture t. make a nomination against him. In
1874 however, when thOy elected Banks, TarboX,
Thompson and the rest they land plan for a sur
prise-party 20 the Republicans here also Mr. Ben
iamIn Dean, shrewd politician. was engaged IN 1t
az the Democratic candidate He reduced Mr.
Pierce's majority to about thousand votes Two
years later, after Mr. Pierce had declined to run
again, and Mr. WLlbrdgs A. Field was the Repub-
lican candidate, the same tactics wero repeated by
Mr. Dean. Not a Republican in the district doubted
of success. by 900 majority. Yet when the votes
were counted it found that Mr. Fields plural
ity was so insignificant as to afford Mr. Dean pre-
text for oontesting the seat and TO give the Demo-
cratic party courage to award IL TO HIM. IL is
assumed now shat the injustice Of the proceeding
will cause Mr.. Field TO have q support as
a candidate for re6ect on that must carry
him tnumphanty in. There Is no safety IN
resting on it. Mr.. Dean is at work already after
his former method. He cannot catch the Republi-
cans mapping again. but he will probably succeed in
uniting all the elements against that party, aud his
personal effort will be much felt in some portions
OF the district He has hand IN corporations aud
associations which will be brought to aid him, and
in one direction he employs Republican workers.
Butler will enter with a will into his canvass. and
will be able to transfer some votes here. Mr. Dean
will not be so much of a hard-mOney man as TO stand
in the way of Greenback votes being cast for him.
and he will stand out as the friend of the
workIngman all the time. On the other hand,
bis opponent Mr. Field has neitherth taste nor the
talent for employing the arts Of the canvasser He
IL gentleman of fine talent of pure character, OF
sound principles and of undoubted Republicanism.
lie viii carry the district on tins platform, or not
az all-at least, far himself Is concerned.
There Is a Republican majority IN 1t, and 10 eau DO
carried In this way but there Is safety except IN
bringing ont the last man for this purpose.
The NTH District 10 full Of Democratic enemies
a. h.sr