Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-08-23


"The irrepressible conflict is at hand, is
the cry which Mr.. Dennis Kearney's self
appointed lieutenants in Eastern Massachu-
sets have been ringing in the ears of the
people ever since the arrival of that prodigy
of eloquence, eighteen days ago. That con-
aict is not a conflict for the supremacy of
the characteristic principles of the Republi-
can party or Of the Democratic party; it is
not struggle for license. for prohibition,
nor to give women the right of suffrage.
1t is a struggle for political supremacy,
this, and nothing more. Whoever wishes
to join the new party can do so, let his sta
ton in life be what it may, let his acknow-
lodged principles of government be what
they may. Be he ''lecherous bondholder,"
daylight robber" (Which, translated means
capitalist), or one of those ''slimy imps of
hell who run the newspapers, he is well
come to the ranks of the National Green
back-Labor party. Although the new party
is supposed to be pre-eminently the
workingmen's party, not few are avail
ing themselves of the opportunity
offered who never in their lives did days
work, and who don't know what days
work means to "horny handed son OF
toll" What work. for instance, did L. NJ
Chamberlain, the chairman of the committee
appointed to receive Kearney, or dozen
other of those soft-handed men who cat on
the platform at the mass meeting held IN
Faneuil Hall, ever do? One of them rec
ognized as Texas railroad schemer. An
other smart man, who was one of the speak
ers on the evening above referred to, IS rot
quite so much Of a labor reformer as he
thought he was, and has written a letter
disayowing any sympathy with the kearney
crowd. Pray tell me, If you can, what
manual labor that horny headed beg
pardon, that horny handed son of toll"
Benjamin F. Butler, ever did to merit the
confidence of liberty-loving seekers after
Justice Yet he is by every one acknowl-
edged to be the gubernatorial candidate of
the workingmen's ticket, since he publicly
and explicitly announced his withdrawal
from the Republican party.
l do not regret the formation Of
new political party. Il seems to me
the history of our Government has proven
that a new dominant party once in
twenty or twenty-five years is public ne
cessity. Reform within party is an utter
impossibility. But We should be careful in
giving our allegiance to a new party that
we do not Jump out of the frying pan into
the fire. What fear is that mass of
humble but honest laborers will pledge their
support to the new party, and thereby be
betrayed, by one OF their own number, into
the hands of political tricksters. II party
can thrive and continue to thrive without
any distinctive principles, it will certainly
be unique. If a man is going to invest in
stocks Of corporation he wants first to
know the principles regulating that corpo-
ration in the transaction of business. Not
until he is satisfied in regard to this does he
venture his valuable ducats. Is not a mans
vote worth more than his money?
| | visited Mr.. Dennis Kearney at the house
of his widowed mother, in Brighton,
yesterday afternoon. Having arrived at the
street. "the third house on the left" said
my guide, sis hcrn." 1t was a pleasant
street. Large shade trees bordered it part of
the way. Most OF thu. houses were large and
commodious,-someo of which might be the
residences of ''lecherous bondholders, and
in front of them were spacious lawns and
elegant fower-beds. The third house on the
left proved to be two-story, French-roofed
house, painted brown. Two families live in
the house, the tenement in the west side
being occupied by Mrs. Kearney and her
four or five men-grown sons. The fence, the
| Jarh, III s.na1s. aA .hn surroundings wore
neat and free of those Objectionable features
that so often surround Irish dwellings.
Dennis was down at the brook bathing when
| arrived, but not many minutes passed be-
fore he returned and greeted me warmly. As
usual his black hair stood on end his coat
and west were removed; he wore the iden-
| teal calico shirt in which he has addressed
1000 people in Boston, Marblehead, Lynn,
Lowell and Brighton, and no one knows how
many at " the sand lot on the Pacific coast;
and in his hand be held the inevitable
black SLOUGH hat Nevertheless, let this much
be said in his favor,-he is not the vulgar
man las that adjective is now used) in pri-
vate life that he has been represented by the
| Eastern Press to be. He is clean in dress,
clean in habits and clean in speech, except
when he thinks refined language would fall
| without force on the ears OF his hardened
hearers. lie is accused of grossly insulting
the Press. But do not the provOcations that
have been heaped upon him BY seven
of the eight daily newspapers pub
iished in this city, 60 good way
to extenuate his crime, if crime it may
be called Look at column after column of
"Kearney isms'' in the Boston Herald.
Do you suppose | was surprised when he
told me that the Herald would be in its
grave in less than a year. of course, no
one expects that his prediction will hold
true, but no wonder that that Is his earnest
wish. "0," said he, II don't care any
thing about thee newspapers" But he
| does care, nevertheless. He bore with a
patient shrug the vindictiye and CALLING
slurs heaped upon him by the secular press.
But when the Pilot, the chief Catholic or
gan of New England, in a friendly tone gave
him a scathing rebuke, it panied him to the
quick. The following are its closing words;
"You have not come as an lrishman, Ger
man, Protestant, or Catholic, but plain
| ly as a citizen. That is good and now all
we ask of you is from this out to study the
real wrongs of the workingmen and propose
remedies to abandon abuse and adopt
| argument to admit that it is not crime
to grow rich by honest means to mako
friends for the workingmen, not enemies to
say something practical every time you
speak and not to speak till you have the
useful word ready; to say nothing about
General Butler, but a great deal about tho
reasons why workingmen should vote for
him in a word, to be leader by pru-
dence, foresight and common sense,
instead of BY filthy adjectiyes, riotous
illusions, absurd advice, and brass-kettle
oratory." No one at all conversant with
the manner of Kearney's speaking can fail
to sec that there is much salient advice
crowded into these words. Will he follow
this advice? In so far as in him lies. He
is neither studied nor practical in logic, nor
is his mind stored with the learning of the
schools He is an honest, earnest, self-con-
fident man, OF good natural abilities, domi-
mated by great purpose. He is man of
one idea and he will not cease to urge that
idea until his Mecca shall have been reached
or life shall have flown. His one idea is.
"Pool all issues" and this is the
only advice he has given the workingmen of
Massachusetts, in the six speeches he has
made and his Mecca is nothing less, as he
told me last night, than the amelioration of
the condition of his fellow men by reyolu-
ton in the National Government.
The prospects of success here, he says,
are fully "a rnnd as they were In the Gnld-