New-York tribune., 1879-10-25
BAY STATE POLITICS.
GENERAL BUrLERs RECKLESS CANVASS

| DoINGs OF THE GREENBACKERs-oLD line DEM
| oCRATs AND THETR CANVASS.
| iPRoM Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBUNE
| BpsToS, Oct. 23.-How General Butler can
| go on talking as he does would be surprise If IT
were anybody but the General He s more
reckless In his assertions and assumptions this
year than he last year. In his attempt to
| fughten everybody against circulating the little
campaign pamphlet entitled Buffers Record" IN
! his assertion that the military were used to put
down the Fall River strikers, In his declara-
ton that the Republican City Committee of
| Lynn distri buted a document wherein his
supporters Were stgmatized a "vagabond
rabbe," in his wild rad against the
| United States Judge who sentenced tie
men convicted of fraudulent voting last
year. in his assumption that operatives can live
more cheaply in the City of Lowell than in the VIII
age of North Billerica in the assertion that there
has been but cut-down of wages in his mills
during the last twenty years. IN the charge that
candidate Long supported bill dsfranchising ex-
soldiers who were obliged TO ask for State aid-in
respect to these and a dozen other important mat
tors he has shown lack of and discretion that
is simply amazing However it may chagrn other
public men, it apparently does not in the least
trouble him 10 be caught IN falsehood he either
repeats it defantlY at his next appearance on the
platform. replaces il with equally afro
cious. Last year the Republican papers devoted
a great deal of time and space to denials and ex-
plantations 1; they finally came TO that 1t was
labor wasted to attempt a refutation of what be
SAID, and so this year. for the most part. they let
him 90 talking wildly as he Will.
He has grown old considerably within the past
year. Although he took a long sea-trip IN mis- yacht
late IN the summer to be in hrst-rate trim for
the canvass he is by means active and alert as
he was year ago. and unless appearances are very
deceptive he Will be pretty badly used up by the
time the campaign closes Nor is he mentally the
man he was last year. He and truth are as far
apart as ever. but to this period OF the canvass he
has shown very little of the somewhat grim ana
grotesque humor of past seasons, and he seems
10 have absolutely lost that oil faculty
for swift and apt repartee when inter
rupted By one in the audience which
made it so easy 20 overlook his egoIsm and bragga
docio temporarily. in admiration of his cunning
and adrotness and skill in oratorical fencing. The
old man Is a little heavy this year. If the whole
truth must be told. lie shuiies and shambles and
shoulders himself along rather laboriously when
speaking. OF course there Is immense vitality IN
him Yet. there must be To endure the labor To
which he j. subiectng himself; but he has lost
great part Of what made him the amOOsin' cuss"
that ne used to be on the stump. After all, ran
not help feeling a little sad when see how he Is
breaking down and wearing ont There never was
hut one Butler-there never VIII be another No
body can take his place when he gives out finally.
Simmons has egotlsm and assurance enough. but
lacks the essential quality of brains. He has It in
him 10 make the Republicans deal of trouble some
time. He is like Butler in regarding himself as OF
more account than almost anything else in the uni
verse. and in looking upon man with whom
be comes IN contact a. possible antagonist. Con-
sequenily be does as Butler does-pigeou-holes the
documents against time when II will be handy 10
have them where they can be reached He has
been referring 90 of these papers lately. and,
being Just now in an ugly mood. j. making charges
and ius,nuations likely to produce bad blood. lie
talks about training with The Repablca next year.
and processes TO be IN sympathy with them now on
all National issues; bit / hear that it Is on
the slate to make him Mayor of Boston at the next
municipal election. and ia any event the Iepubl-
can leaders not likely to have much confidence
i'm him hereafter. Nobody questions his ability
a manager in the field of ward politics, but he has
such low and mercenary views of honor and public
morality ana is withal so wrapped mp IN his own
couceit that his enmty Is on the whole less dan
gerous than his friendship. What he Il now he of
course was when IN the custom house. but lots of
people are apparently only Just finding him ont
and the revelation he il making of himself how
ever useful and salutary II may prove to the
of higher and purer politics, is by no means
agreeable spectaclej
There is universal complaint among the faithful
that Butler does not put his money very freely
this year. One of the ludicrOus incidents of the
campaign is the disbandment of a large club down
in Essex County because he would not furnish the
funds for a headquarters flag. Last year he spent
a very comfortable fortune. 70 the great delight of
the boys and bummers. This year he is severely
virtuous and says that if he has got to buy his
costs of the half dozen men convicted of illegal
voting, amounting To about S1OO. were paid
from the treasury Of one OF his state com
mltiees: and the barl has apparently been
drawn on 10 the extent of about $1,000
within the past week or ten days for the payment
of poll-taxes IN Boston. Bui word comes from
Fall River and Lynn and Worcester and several
smaller places that the local Butler managers are
much dlsgusted because they get little
money from Boston and are so frequently admon-
ished from the Generals headquarters that useless
bills for halls and rallies aud nag-ralslugs and
thing, of that sort will not be honored a. they were
last year. Yet no doubt there Is money enough for
dong whatever Butler and hIs Chief managers
think IL worth while 10 do
The Greenback leaders and trumpeters in and
about Boston appear 10 be utterly ignorant of the
fact that their party died some time ago. Wendell
Phillips was the only man who gave them any
special strength before the people. He refused
the profered honor of the second place
| on their state ticket, and they finally gave
II 10 the regular Butler nominee. who Is
not known To have ever shown any interest IN
their cause. Last year their candidate IN OF
the Boston Districts elected to seat In the
Governors Council this year they threw him over
hoard and put up "a man who Will not come within
"A thou sand votes If al election. The convention
af which this nomination was made refused by
nearly two 10 one 10 let Mr. Phillips speak. and
the eupon he not only refused 10 appear at their
Faneu Hall ratification meeting, but also declines
in the most peremptOry manner 70 say word for
them anywhere duung the canvass. Iney have "A
sort q Headquarters back of the fremont House.
near But ers rooms, but the General and his fuge-
men treat them with nothing more than decent civ
iiitv. Indeed, some OI the rank and hle
complain that they snubbed and lnsutcd
if they call al bis headquarters and the leaders
themselves dOlefnilY admit thai they are not able