The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-05-10
BEN BUTLER's VIEWS
A Suggestive and Edifying Talk About
the Crime.

olO O1Al11O.
WASHINGTON, May 9.-Gen. Benjamin +.
Butler of Massachusetts, who has been con-
spicuous for his championship OF the Irish
rights, was asked by a correspondent to ex-
press his view of the assassination of Lord
Cavendish and Mr.. Burke al Dublin.
"There is nothing to be said,' replid the
General, in extenuation even of the murder of
Lord Cavendish and Mr.. Burke, but there. is
nothing to be wondered at concerning them
They are neither strange, inexplicable nor abb
normal. In all contentious between govern
ments and dissatisfied people there are always
two classes of opponents to the government.
One class seeks to have government make
such concessions and such alleviation OF op-
pressiops and misgovernment as will restore
peace and prosperity. The other class, and
usually the smaller one, and which acts with the
first class as against the government, are those
who desire continued agitation and continual
contest for the purpose OF achieving inde-
pendence for their province or section, or be-
cause they love agitation. The latter class are
always the extremists, and whenever that por-
tion of the opposition to the. government that
represents property and some degree OF lntelE-
gence, and by opposition to the government are
trying to get an alleyiation of the measures of
government, have succeeded in some degree in
obtaining what they desire by concession from
the government the other class always seek to
prevent these concessions from being made,
and the instrument, as rule, is murder, under
ment, take power away from the conservative
class who are seeking pacihcation, and keep
open agitation.
The murder of favorites of the government
and prominent men has always been the weapon
of the extremist class to prevent conciliation.
As examples, many years ago when the very
pronounced and troublesome religious ques-
tion between the Protestants and Catholics of
France was about to be compromised the as.
sassination of the French King was at
II
trying to get some degree of autonomy for
Hungary against Austria, his extreme suppor-
ters, who wanted Hungarian independence,
finding that the Austrian Chancellor was about
to concede what they desired, did everything
to prevent him and to preclude him from car
rying out the concessions which the govern
ment had promised, and failing by any turDu-
lent acts to thwart him they resorted to the
murder of very lovely and entirely unoffend-
ing lady who was prime favorite OF his, the
Countess Batthiania, in cold blood. That act
aroused the Chancellor, and CONCESSIONS TO
Hungary were for a time made impossible.
To come nearer home President Lincoln, af-
ter the surrender of Appomattox, had been to
Richmond and promised the easiest terms to
the rebels if they would lay sdown their arms
and stop the fight, and he returned to Wash
ington to be murdered by representative of
those who did not desire the war to stop. Nor
is it for US to put upon the conservative lead
ers of tho rebellion the guilt of or any compli-
city with. President Lincoln's smurder.
So in Ireland, the Land League headed by
Mr.. Parnell, desire such concessions as shall
render Ireland comparatively happy and pros
porous under England's rule, and the troubles
are thus to be composed there But athe Fenl-
ans are agitating for the independence OF Ire
land, to bring on conflict with the English
government in which that hoped for end may
be attained. Therefore ithe historical and nor
NAL instrument of the murder of a government
official, Mr.. Burke, an apparently inoffending
and compromising gentleman, as Mr. Seward
was in our rebellion, was adopted. 1t is highly
probable that the murder of Lord Cavendish
was not contemplated, because it seems impos-
sibe to see how the murder, which was evi-
IDENTIFY planned, could be supposed to have IN
cluded Lord Cavendish, who had just come to
Ireland, and whose person was probably I'M
known to the murderers. Lord Cavendish
most probably lost his life in defending the life
of his friend or elise was killed as necessity
for self protection by the murderers to prevent
their recognition if they should be brought to
justice"
.'What will the effect be on the course of
events in ireland, General, in your judgmeHt?n
Gen. Butler-"If little time is given for
reflection, the statesmen of England will see
this to be the true position of things, and the
great body of the friends of ireland will be ae-
quilted of any completely in this most unfortu-
nate and horrible affair. But if measures are
forced at all it will probably result in the disso-
luton of the Gladstone government, and that
would mean, of necessity, further and
more stringent modes of coercion and repres-
sion, which would bring forth crop of new
murders, new irritations and new contentious.
1t is to be hoped that there is craftsmanship
enough in England to discern the purpose of
this diabolical deed, and thwart it by cool and
conservative measures. 1t is to be hoped that
time will be taken. Quite possibly, if Con
gress had been in session at the time of the
murder of President Garfield, such outgoings
would have been made, and such measures
taken as to endeavor to make party or fac
tion of party responsible for the action Of an
unbalanced fool, as if it were the direct ema-
nation of that party or faction, and it would
have been difficult, in such case, to say what
would have been the actual result.
Fortunately, time was given for everybody
to discern that Guiteau stood alone, had no nj
hilists or socialists even behind him, and GER
tainly no respectable man of any portion of the
community, and therefore our government es-
caned shock ,,