The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-07-15
Buffers Great Mistake.

l
called polite society. is fond Of high living,
owns yacht and fine house, and. under
ordinary circumstances, passes for gen.
tIeman. Mrs. jerks declared that he
was "just Splendid" which is high
praise. from a woman who had been
cross-eXamined 5y him. We have purpose
" nut these most attractive characteristics
OF Butler into strong light, in order TO
show how hopeless it Is for him to attempt
to lead the workingmen. BY working
men, of course, we mean that organiZa-
| fior, more or less compact, which comes
into politics with the avowed purpose OF
administering State and national affairs IN
the special interest Of men who work by
the day or week. 1t is generally conceded
that men who receive monthly wages,
and men who work on their vn account
and not for another, are not orthy to be
called workingmen. The class OF workmen
who are known as day-Iaborers, and who
have grefs OF their own, demand leader
shin. Justus Schwab is q leader, and so
is Denis Kearney. The first named OF these
sells lager beer for living. and the other
man formerly drove dray. presumed to be
another mans dray. Precisely what there
is in the vocation which entities the seller
to qualify as a workingmau does not ap-
near. 1t is enough for us to know that the
workingmen OF this region accept Justus
Schwab as a leader; nobody has any right
to 90 behind that. Kearney, by consentlng
to be supported by the WorkinSmen's
party OF California, has made himself
! salaricd official. But these little inconsist-
encies are inseparabc from the management
OF anew political party.
| General Butter is such shrewd politician
that it is surprising that he should fancy that
he might become leader Of party like that
which boasts of Schwab, Kcarncv. Maddox,
and Drury as its CHIEF spokcsmcn and expo
nents. Whatever may be said of these men
or OF their new-fangled doctrines, it mist
be admitted that their political activity has
been exclusively devoted to tile wei
fare of the organization with which they
are now connected. 1t is fair to say
that they never had any political as
| Dirations or existence outside OF the ranks
of the party which they now aim TO lead.
| They have never been professional poiitl-
clans. Butler, on the other hand, has never
been anything else. It would require Il
severe tension OF the mental powers to
think OF +. F. Butler, a blameless youth in
his native village, swapping lack-kn!yeS,
| fishing for tom-cods off the wharf, er chasing
the chpmunk to his lair. Sports like these
beeuie childhood's happy hours. 1t does not
seem possible that Benjamin I. Butler was
ever child. The American people know
! him only as man who has beer political
trader ever since lie was born. He is not
an aged man. vet there Is no period in
American political history in which Butler
was not active. The stormier the time, the
more active was Butler. And, from the
time when he voted a million times, more
or less, for jeff. Davis in convention, to the
| Impeachment trial OF Andrew Johnson, his
extraordinary powers have been devoted TO
! the advertisement and advancement OF no.
! body but Benjamin f. Butler.
The general belief is that General Butler
proposes TO capture tie votes OF the in!la-
tionists and the workingmen OF Massachll-
sets, and thus snatch the goyernor>hlp.
Outside of that State the annual campaign Of
Butler for the gubernatorial nomination
has been regarded rs 4 kind OF political
cirsus. 1t has been looked upon with cer-
tain amusement, which has been enhanced
| by the anger OF the "purest and best u
OF the Bay State. 1t is delightful to see the
mortified rage OF the high-;oned descend
ants OF the Massachusetts Silver GrayS
when Butler has cut up his pranks, in de-
tiance OF decency, precedent, and political
usage. But the Generals ambition this
wear reaches beyond Massachusetts,. Tie
would be the presidential candidate OF the
| greenbackerS and the workingmcn
With the claims of Butler upon the
greenbackcrs we have nothing now to do.
| But the absurditv OF his ever bein" cam
didatc Of the workingmen must be ap-
parent to the commences understanding. y
workingman's leader hates a politician,
and distrusts him. To the Schwab> and
Kearneys Il politician is aS pirate and 4
midnight assassin. But, worse than being
politician, Butler is rich and rcSpcca-
| blc--after fashion. He is even scholar,
Il lover OF books, and he is judge OF fine
wines and delicate cookery. If he were to
give away his ample fortune, sell his elegant
establishment, throw up his granite con-
tracts. and hire out at day wages, Butler
might advance his interests with the class
whose suffragcs lie desires. OF what avail
is it that he should plead that he has accu-
muIated his fortune by his own eXertlonS !?
He is n lawyer; Il lawyer prcyS upon socir-
ty and battens upon the diseased body poll
tic.-Ncr York. Times.