The Labor enquirer., 1883-10-06
BEN BUTLER.
Helen WiImans in the Chicago
Express Favors Him for
President.
=
She Says He Can Steal Just as
Many More Spoons as He
PleaseS,
Provided He Will Set Down On
All the Old Professional
Thieves.

The republicans of Massachusetts have
put George D. Robinson in nomination
for governor of that state. During their
convention, which harmonized on the
grand central thought-anything to beat
Butler-they gave the old "vet" particu-
lar fits, and even attacked him for ex-
posing the Tewksbury aims house affair.
1t was in reference to some of the ghOuls
who murdered children and tanned
their skins that Charles R. Goldman
said, Butler has DETAINED men and
women Of pure life, and with savage
tongue has struck those who could not
answer"
If their lives had been pure they could
have answered fast enough, and Mr.
Goldman knows it. Neither is it possible
for thousand packed republican con-
ventIons to convince the thinking citi-
zens of these states that Butler did not
do a glorious thing in rescuing the
Tewksbury aims house from the hands
of demons and in holding them up to
public execration and horror.
Anything to beat Butler. There can
be no better evidence Of Buffers
strength than his power to harmOnize
the discordant and broken republican
ranks in opposition to him.
And there can be no better augury Of
his triumph at the next election.
And now for my opinion, which is
worth az much probably as any other
woman's. If Ben Butler is elected gov
ernor of Massachusetts again, Ben But
ler will be president in 1884.
"Wouldn't you prefer better man,
Sister Wilmans?
Well, no. Under the circumstances,
Ben is good enough.
"But he stole the spoons"
He can steal just as many more as he
pleases provided he shuts down on the
other thieves. If he was a better man
than he is he might let things slide. 1t
takes a thief to catch a thief. And |
verify believe that Butler will nail every
thief in the United States.
Mind, do not admit that Ben Butler
is thief, except for argument. And if
he were show me the public man who
is not
There is NJ man more outraged by the
stealing of other people than he is. 1t
is not on record that he ever offered a
bribe that he ever bolstered himself in
position by giving away positions. He
never ground any mans ak for the sake
Of having his own ground. He has
mauled away with the same old tool as
dull as dull could be- and has planted
herculean strokes that have broken and
crushed what they could not cut.
Ben Butler has stood before the world
undisgused. There is not the first atom
of the hypocrite in him. Other men
have hidden their natural dispositions
under cloaks of lies. Old Ben never mad
cloak. The storms of the worlds hates
have beaten on an unprotected head
when they broke over him.
There is something almost pitiful il
the stern majesty of the man who fol
all these years has stood forth for simply
what he was worth, claiming nothing
denying nothing, speaking his own mine
truly, and without figuring on results.
i hope to see him president Of the
United States in 1884. For | know he
has natural abhorrence of cess pools
and feel sure that he will uncover anG
compel the cleansing of thousands anC
thousands of them in this republic. The
day Of corporate monopoly will have sci
when he becomes president. The work
ingman's opportunity will have arrived
and woman's emancipation will be AZ
good as accomplished. nope all "omer
will remember that Ben Butler is theil
friend, and the friend of fjustice; and thai
all those who labor and are heavy
laden will remember it, too.
Let us unite on this point. That Ber
Butler can steal as many spoons as he
pleases so long as he prohibits the other
thieves from stealing
In truth, we have little use for the
spoons while the boss thieves have oul
food, and | do not doubt that Butler will
restore the spoons after he has forced the
restitution that will render them neces,
sary to us.