The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-08-01
BosToN. July 80, 1879.

boolON. Uuly ~, loi"'
These are the days when the native of
Maine dwelling in torrd Boston or its equally
torrid suburbs cries so, carry me back to old
Maine" 1t is hot and l mean by that more
than is commonly understood. 1t is weather
such as takes all the strength and nearly all
the life out of a human being-yes, or dumb
beast either. This is the weather which makes
glad the heart of the proprietors of our sea-
shore and mountain hotels and boarding
houses. The travel countryward has not yet
been very heavy.
People start slowly this year. The weather
has been endurable until this week. and then
again, economy is the watchword People are
now beginning to realize that they have been
running riot during the last fifteen years,
or from 1862 to 1874 at least Now they are
economizing. They have been gradually
working up to it for year or two. The re-
suit is seen in an improved state of affairs, pub
lie and private. Business may now be said to
be good, with every prospect of improvement
with the advent of cooler weather
And this leads me to remark that Butler h as
again nominated himself for Governor of Mas
sachusetts. 1t is in this instance palpable
self-nomination. He does not even ask for
petition in his own behalf. The whole scheme
to have Col. Usher write that letter to Butler
was one of Buffers own originating and was
dictated by Butler himself. But it was mis-
take to thrust the correspondence upon the
suffering public until cooler weather set in
People don't care anything about politics now
They will not enthuse. Buffers letter fell like
wet blanket. Even the newspapers with
an army of interviewers couldn't get up any
excitement. People would not talk; some of
them had not read the correspondence two
days after it appeared. Butler made similar
mistake last year. Had he let the Democratic
party alone and Kearney too, and about
month before the election jumped into the
arena with crowd of speakers, he would have
taken things by storm, and, l believe, been
IS elected. This year, however; nothing will elect
him, it seemsSto me. 1 am little curious to
: know what "the issues of the campaign" are to
be. The State reforms demanded last year
have been made. The State tax is immensely
lower than before. In the suburban city of
Salem, where live, the State tax of 1878 as
sessed was $14, 500; this year it is 81 345 or ex-
actly one half. What greater economy Butler
or his horde of bummers and scalawags can ask
for know not This cry of hard times, used
SO effectively last year, has also gone by the
board. Times are good. Never before were SO
many shoes being made in Lynn and Marble
head, Beverly and other shoe towns. Every
day we read OF increases in prices. Of course
workmen are not such fools as to go to the polls
and vote out their employers, and vote against
what their employers say enables them to in
crease wages. Ben Butler De La Matyr and
that crowd told us from a hundred platforms
that resumption could never be brought about
1t has been. Thus falls the last tissue" of last,
years campaign; now if they can present any
thing for an tissue this year, 1 should like to
know what it is. Isn't it perfectly ludicrous to
see the Democrats united with Butler Usher
Simmons, Baker and such men? Five years
ago every Democratic paper in the country was
pointing to. these men and asking the people
to condemn the Republican party for keeping
them in! office. There lies before-lrie now, a
copy OF tx argus m which these
men. ere cited among Others as sufficient to
sink any party Iagreed with the Argus then;
wonder if it will agree with me now These
men did sink the Republican party pretty low;
they brought it to defeat in 1874. believe
they will sink the Democratic party and bring
it to defeat in 1879 and $780, The Argus, see,
is greasing Ben Butler preparatory to swallow
ing him this FAN. 1t must have a strong stom-
ach, but then, what better can we expect of
people who sell their party birthright (princi-
ples) for mess of pottage as Maine Democrats
have sold out to Greenbackers? We hear bet
ter reports from Maine of late, but are not
dead sure" that you are out of the woods 1t
Will not do to rest on the oars a moment. If
the big tail and little dog are to be buried, the
honest men OF Maine must put in some solid
blows.
Travel is wonderfully cheap on boat lines
In this vicinity this season. Our harbor boats
are carrying people down along the shores and
out through the bay for % cents, and the New
YORK lines are all down to 81 for certain linn
tied tickets. well remember a few years ago
when we had only the old reliables, the Ston-
sington and Fall River lines, with fares S.
each way and MOI excursion rates. Now we
have the Stonington and Providence lines
from the Providence R. R. depot, the Fall
River and Newport lines from the Old Colony
T. r: depot, and the Norwich line from the
y. Y. and N. E. R. R. depot. The two
lines first mentioned seem to have taken
the lead this season. The old Stonington is
famous for regularity and safety. The price
there still remains at So, but on the line rum
ming from Providence the rate has been re-
duced to 81. By Stonington the Grain makes
the run OF 81 miles without a stop. 1 am not
advised as to what effect this has on the rail-
roads, but know it must be felt by them to a
considerable extent. Scorr.