The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-12
THE DEMOCRATIC MOSES.
A Talk with Ben. Butler Concerning
the Presidential Nomination.
He Claims the Republicans Spent 50, 900, 900
to Defeat Him, and eliminates that He
Is Necessary to the Democracy.

DOolON, -'OF' L. OlOD0 GnlS
publishes a lengthy interview with General
Butler The Governor begins by saying he
is happy in knowing that he had the hearts
and best wishes of very large majority of
the people of the State, although he did not
receive their votes. He then speaks of the
corruption practiced by the Republicans
charging the owners of cotton and wooden
mills with bulldozing their employees into
voting for Robinson. Following th;s, Gov
ernor Butler details at great length trivial
story concerning a conspiracy to prevent
the printing of Democratic tickets at a job
office in Boston. This the Governor char
acterizes as a great wrong; but the fact, as
near as can be ascertained, is that the man
in charge of the engine was drunk. After
devoting three-quarters of column to this
event, the presidential question was reached,
and the reporter said
"But they say your defeat has destroyed
your presidential prospects,"
Governor Butler-"I never claimed to have
had any. All the Republican newspapers
and orators have claimed that if l was elected
this year my candidature was certain and
my election more than probable. The mis-
take they made is in laying stress on the
election. 1t is the votes that are wanted in
1884 not an election in 1888. If the vote of
Mr.. Robinson and myself had been the same
as that of Bishop and myself last year,
and had been elected by 134,O00 against
10000 that would have been
hailed as a great victory. Yet any far
seeing politician would have seen that
by no means put Massachusetts in the list of
the doubtful States, because Fairfield in 1880
had "a, 600 majority, and that immense vote
lying back would have seemed to make
IL, re 60.
lcans. Now, Robinson did not get as many
as Garfield within $4,000 votes, on an in.
creased total of more than 10000 votes.
Taking into consideration the expenditure
| by Republicans of S., 900, 900, counting every
| thing, an importation of Senators, Congress
men from other States, the whole press,
with but a single exception, against
me- so far as the city was con-
cerned; the civilized bulldozing-which
our manufacturers will get heartily sick OF
| before next year, or | am mistaken-all
directed against one man leading a minority
party which was 45, 900 in the minority three
years ago, and defectons to some small ex-
tent by the men who desire to lead that par
| ty in the present as they have in the past,
keeping the number conveniently small SO
| that in case of national victory there might
be offices enough to go around, it may be
easily determined, the last vote being
cast that can be cast in Massachusetts in
1884, whether 10000 majority in 10000
votes, under the circumstances, does not
| leave Massachusetts not one of the doubtful
States, but very certain Democratic State"
| Are there any other elements which you
| think would be likely to affect the election
and give an increased Democratic vote next
| yearp'
"Oh, many others, but those which might
| be personal to myself l do not care to talk
about, but can mention two. Our Demo-
| cratic mothers, twenty odd years ago, began
| having children at the rate of about three to
| one against the Republican mothers. Chill
| dren do not flourish on Beacon street and at
| Tewksbury Those are now coming of age,
| and four out of five of them will be Democrats,
and that will put about 5 per cent. on the
| Democratic vote. On the other hand, the
| Republicans raked so the grave for
| their voters that any life-taDle will tell you
| I hat at least per cent. of their voters are
| liable to be dead within year. A vote of
| $50 900 after the canvass that has been had,
is a number that even George NJ. Stearns, of
Chicopee, respects when he has his be st
| clothes on. Even with that addition ne is at
| a loss to know how he came to know the
number of cards in pack. l am glad to
| give him this source of my knowledge From
my youth l consorted with the party of
which he is a distinguished member, and he
and l know some of the amusements of that
| party"
But you have not told me, Governor,
| anything more about your political pros
| poets than that you think you are stronger
defeated with heavy vote than you would
have been to have been elected with light
one"
"Mr. Reporter, 1 told you that 1 claimed
no political prospects, but somebody is to
| lead the Democracy to victory under some
what difficult circumstances. The Democ-
racy had in New York almost 200-
900 majority last year, but then there
was only a vote equal to what
Hancock had in 1880. That majority
has melted away to 49, 900 OH the other side.
l should not have thought that / had made
my political prospects better if such thing.
| had happened in this State, but l had last
year % 900 votes more than Hancocl, had in
| 1880, and l have so husbanded my vineyard
! that had this year 1000 more than thai
| upon an increased vote in the State of quite
10000, while New York has lost, as 1 have
before stated. Connecticut is doubtful. In,
! New Jersey the Democracy has just scraped
| through. In Pennsylvania the Democratic
| majority of last year has turned into Re-
publican one of an indefinite quantity, the
| exact amount of which no one will know
| until the counting is completed IN Philadel-
| phia. Even Maryland is shaking in the
wind. The election i'll Virginia, by the over
throw of Malone, has shown the Democracy
| that they can have a solid South; but solid
South has always had a very strong ten
dency to bring about a sold North. So we
are drifting into the old sectional lines
| of division of the war. Even with a solid
South, party may elect candidate without
hope of New York. Therefore it becomes
the Democracy to look to their resources for
present and future strength victory for
| the Democracy can only be obtained by
uniting the labor element thoroughly with
| it, where it naturally and properly belongs,
and adopting such measures and such plat
form as will satisfy that element and give us
victory"
| sas-sS~.