New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-12
Uneasy BUTLFR.

tired of being Governor and wishes 10
he elected Senator All he seems 10 nave
cared about the Governorslip was the
chance it gave him to whack his poIit'
ical enemies over the head in his inaugural ad-
dress. He would much rather ridcule the re-
FIRMS attempted by others than begin any OF
his own. He has found Out that his career as
Governor is likely to be very ordinary one IN
snte of nil he can do to make it sensational,
and that he cannot accumulate much PIeslden-
tial capital in that way. His inaugural al
dress made considerable of a cOmmotion, but
it offended great many more people 'haii IL
pleased. In his desire 10 make the most OF tue
opportuaity, he overdid the sensational pa't OF
the business The dGmagogue in him over
sbadowed the statesman; he unoonsc'ousiy
showed himself to be not so much rei0rmer us
n DESTROYER. His absurd effort to placate the
women by proposing an impossible and prepos-
terons plan for arriving at their OPINION on the
suffrage IN. stion was complete failure. lie
made his dose of stAfly" so large that they have
rejected il wi it'll scorn and contempt. HencefOfth
they will be numbered among his enemies. In
fact. the chief effect of his address has been 10
make Massachusetts thoroughly mad ana
when the State gets into that wholesome con-
diion 1t is always q cold season for her
enemies.
There arc symptoms that the General suspects
something of this Kind. lie is tolerably acute
person and cannot help seeing that 1t Is going
70 be no easy task for him to make record as
a areform" Governor with nearly tile whole
nress of the State hostile TO him, and with a
majority against him in the Legislature. lie
ia willing. therefore to have his career rs Gov
eruor cut short and merged into that of Sem
ator. So RAJ I'd an advance from Que Office to
another woud attract attention and might ill.,
| nress some people with IA belief that the Gen
eral had begun the ascent and could not be
stopped till he reached the Presidential chair
Butler apparently has some such notion I'D
mind. He has carried Massachusetts, 10y storm,
and he hopes TO carry the country III the
same way. He il a candidate of the sky -rocket
fireworks order. His conviction has always
been that the ignorant and th0ughtless con-
stitute a large majority of the voting popula-
ton, and that if he can win their support no
matter by what means, all will go we'll with
| him. This is why he plays the demagogue so
| persistently This is why he said At the jack
son banquet on Monday that instead of " to the
| yictors belong the spoils," his motto was: The
| Government belongs to its friends" Thai was
a notification to the hungry Democracy that II
they made Butler their candidate Tor President
ana elected him they would have the kind OF
Civil Service Reform their hearts yearn tor.
Is there any chance for THU political Juggler
| TO get into the Senate from Massachusetts !
| We can see none. The Republicans have over
fifty majority on joint ballot, and that IN itself
ought to be an insurmountable obstacle to lis
ambition. Some of the Republicans might vote
| for him on the ground that it would be good
| thing for the State to get him out of the Gov
crnor's chair, but it is not likely that many oil
| them viii take that shOrt-sighted view. lie will
in all probability be forced to seve out his term
for Governor, and will get very tired of 1t. lie
is amusing himself now by gong to the State
House at half-past in the morning and trying
in vain to find some of the minor officials OF the
State in their Offices ut that time. This In very
cbeap Display of zeal for the welfare of the
| people. and the fact that a great reform Gov
| ernor has to resort to it is pretty good evil
| dence that he is snort of sensational material.
The General is too uneasy. He can never win
a Presidential nomination by showing such
"unconmon anxiety for it.