The Portland daily press., 1883-10-24
Unmasking a Demagogue.
Extract from Speech OF the Hon. George
D. Robinson at Barnstable, Exposing
General Buffers double-dealing con-
corning the River and Harbor Bill.


honor and with truth, out of candor and with pur-
pose of integrity, knowing full well that while Il
would be no delight to me to attempt to mislead,
such endeavor my part could only result in dis
honor to myself and defeat for the cause for which
stand Misrepresentation in politics, as in all
other matters, cannot possibly succeed before the
intelligent, thinking and reading people of Massa-
chusetts. (Applause.) Looking in your faces, and
knowing your character and your history and pur-
poses, no ran ought to dare to present to such an
audience anything but what be knows to be the so Id
and unquestioned truth. Governor Butler said in
this county only day or two since, that he believed
1t was best to hang man where he committed the
crime. 1t is my purpose to give him now the oppor-
tunty, and he shall hang tonight the scafOld Of
fact. Applause and laughter.] An attempt has
been made here by Governor Butler to prejudice
the people of this county and this locality against
The Republican candidate for governor, because he
v'ted against that river and harbor bill. Let US
meet on that ground and investigate. What was
that bill? 1t bill In substance 10 appropriate
eighteen niilion dollars out of the Treasury Of the
United States, not alone for the rivers aud harbors
of Massachusetts, and much less of this county.
Every one acknowledged without question the nee
essity of the proper improvement Of the great har
bors along the coast of Mass Achusetts. Nobody has
ever doubted the expedieny ami the of that,
but rolled into great bill with that
cerned your harbor and coast line were large and
inordinate expenditures as regarded them affect
ing other points which did not seem to me worthy
OF such an appropriation. Your honored represen-
tative. in whom no man has higher confidence than
bull as found it to be my duty TO vote against it.
There is no question at all that he regretted the
necessity of supporting many items in that bill.
Governor Butler says now that Mr. Crapo is entitled
to great credit for that vote because he voted to
represent the interests Of his eonstituen 8, while
Mr. Robinson, he says, not having haTbor iH his
istrict, voted the other way; not from any proper
motive, not to represent his constituents at all.
Why not? If the gent emeu who represent the dis
trict and all these harbors should vote for the bill
because that represents his constituents why upon
that narrow ground alone, should not every genlle
nxpbn hoo ,1w
way? don't make any such argument that is his
We all take broader view of this country aud
even even Of our own stale, than that: Lest do the
distinguished governor injustice, will bring the
exact language bofore you. The record viii show
that my vote was recorded against the bill after it
enlarged by the action of the Senate to an inor-
dinate amount. and then that it was against tbe
bill after the President had vetoed it, In address,
ing the people of his vicinity the governor made
some remarks which are worthy of consideration.
You will be kind enough to listen:-
you have in your candidate for governor, Mr..
Robinson, a representative in Congress who was
shortsighted enough to vote against any appropria-
tion to clear out the harbors OF Cape Cod Of Massa
chusetts, so as TO allow ships come into thsm OF
the draughL we have now. don't now 20 into his
motive because that might be invidious; but If he
was right every other Massachusetts representative
for tbe rr % hh J~S h Sr .ney az Focoo
Grape, your representative. But you say, General
Butler, you have come down here now to tickle our
ears about Mr.. Crapo and the river and harbor bill
Pardon me, gentlemen when ] expected Mr.. Crapo
would run against me last year as a candidate for
governor old MIN the Justice TO say, when he was
attacked by the adherents of Mr.. Bishop, that II
had been in Congress should have voted as he did;
that he ought to vote that way, because it was the
vote of his constituents"
Then he proceeds to say: ''Now, challenged him
week ago Wednesday to explain this VOTE and TO
tell the people why he voted that way" And he
says, II had been to New Bedford and never told
there why did it." These remarks were made at
Sandwich, substantially the same thing was said
here, and then again at New Bedford on the 10th of
October. You notice that the governor disclams
any purpose OF coming down here to talk 'taffy' to
the people of Massachusetts. What a relief it must
be to you that he assures you of It'll Somehow or
other he seems to have had feeling in him that
you suspect him of ''tafy. Well some other people
beside himself have memories, and the words of
men come down into cold print sometimes and ugly
things cone back TO man to torture him ofttimes
he puts before the people and offers his tafy" for
circulation. The challenge of the governor
made several days ago; it came to my netice, and,
not being inclined to pay mucn attention to chal-
lenging cared but very little about such language
as that but. knowing that was to come to the
town OF Barnstable to meet the people there very
quietly reserved what had to say to here and
talk it TO your face Iappausel not only meet him,
but to face you applaus- because there Is not any
thing worth having in this world unless we have It
ssquarely and honestly; [Applause.l You notice
OF the action of Mr.. S-apo."
See how little truth will put down his present
story You know the last year in your political can
vas General Butler was prominent then as now
The democratic platform of 1881 denounced the
wicked and reckless appropriations for extrava-
giant public and useless and wastfu river and har-
Dor bills" You probably infer that no other river
and harbor was referred to. but simply the one
passed last year. Ycu anticipate that when Gov
ernor Butler sought for a nomination on that plat
form he spoke out to the people of Massachusetts,,
that while he accepted the nomination. he pro
tested against any such denunciation of the BILL be-
cause he was in favor of improving the rivers and
harbors down in this part of Massachusetts Let Us
see. He wrote letter Of acceptance. l will not
read it ALL will read you certain portions of 1t as
suIing you that do him in the selection no injus-
uce. he says in that letter of acceptanee:-
"a bill for the improvement of rivers and harborg.
appropriatiDg specifically more than $4,000. 600,
besides providing for large expenditures for surveys
for other projected improvements which give prom
Use to the constituents of the members who based
it OF still other large future expenditures could
hardly have been passed with very considerable
unamlty over the veto of the President. except by a
Congress of which quite one-third of the senate and
all Of The house was preparing for their immediate
reelection. But how can any member excuse him.
self after his scrutiny of the character of the bill
was forcoly demanded by the veto of the President
which veto informed Congress that he would ap-
prove reasonable appropriation? Then it became
the imperative duty Of every member of the house.
and 15r much stronger reasons Of the senate to ex
anime the bill returned him. after which he voted
upon it. under the heaviest possible weight of re-
sponsibility. L have already spoken of the danger
to our country OF this tendency to lavish expendi
ture and dwell at some length upon this action of
Congress, because 1t itself is striking Illustration
OF how far peculiar interest sways the minds Of hon.
orable men,"
Reading ON in the same connection find this
Sin the fortyseeoud, forty-third, fory-fourth and
forty-nfth Congresses, in the years 1878, 1875,
there was $l9 1877 500 app opriated for rivers aud
hsrbors, in the aggregate less than $500 900 in ex-
cess OF the appropriation for the present year The
reason for making the comparison of appropriations
OF those years for that of the present year are:
First these acts were passed by the retiring MEM
bers after successors had been elected: second be-
cause one, that OF 1877, a democratic Congress
which passed no river or harbor bill at ALL and still
the country hOurished If take the river and har-
Dor appropriations passed in the other wears of those
Congresses, just before the reelection the mem
bers, as were the appropriations of this yesr, nd
the amount OF these appropriations 10 be S35,I82-
600. This shows the effect of pending elections on
river and harbor bills and usthes the criticism OF
the President. which have before quoted
Taffyl All that was in the letter of acceptance,
and much more to the same purpose. The first i'm
pulse drew him out into that patriotic and encour-
aging declaration, and you think. Of course, that
never did it fall again from his lips. But at the
opening speech in Boston, at Music Hall last year,
the same gentleman proceeded, after the usual
speech that he always ind1lges in:-
Now, my friends, let leave personalities and
see where we are The republican Congress of the
United States passed bill the President of the
United States, republican President vetoed. 1t
took $50, 10000 in single year for river and bar.
bor improvements. Eighleen millions was not so
much, but every million would have required, be-
fore those improvements were made, from three to
five millions more....
Further ON he says
And a republican President to his glory and hon.
aganee.
leApplause.] 1 read on;-
Ali those who voted against him that is the Pres
identl have been renominsted. So the question Is
whether you will stand up and help attack them
that's the plain question? 1t is of more conse-
quence tnan anything else, because this country Is
being stripped as the time goes on and IL is for you
10 speak the same day that Massachusetts speaks
upon these questions. They are the peoples ques-
tions. They belong TO no party. They belong to no
partisanship. They are questions which come to
every man of business, to every mans home, to
every mans tax bill to the welfare of his fam y to
stay this tide of corruption 1t is not OF any
quence to you sir, to me, to us who are soon to
pass Oft the stage but, to children and chill
dren's children, to the glory aud honor of our
try t. the probity of our institutions-that
should leave to those who come after us the price
less privileges received from our fathers These
are of the last momenti These are to be now
weighed in the balance of the treeman's ballot the
most potent of the weapons of defence and the lust
Measure of the hope and the right of the individual
Governor Butler spoke in this hall, October 16.
1888, using language that first quoted to you. He
made the speech in Music Hall from which l have
last quoted. october 16, 1882. [Applause.1 He
begs to have, as you notiee in the last quotation
the right action performed, not for his own sake,
but for the sake of his children and his ehildrens
children; and the other day he informed the people
here in Massachusetts, that he did desire to be Gov
last year for the sake of his children and his
children's children in order that hts reputation
might be cleared up. Let me respectfully suggest
to him that he is making great progress. Applause
What is the fair and growing price of tay in Barn
stable county? Laughter and applause1 / have
accepted the challenge and the challenged party al
ways has the right to choose the e d. have taken
up the challenge in this audience-room before
you, and my weapon is The same one that he used