The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-18
GENERAL BUTLER.
Characteristic Address Before Large Crowd
at Loweville, N. Y.

a6 LoWeville, N. Y.
LowEvTLLE, n. Y, Sept 17.--An actual count
of tickets show that $4,000 were on the Lewis
county fair grounds this afternoon when GEN
eral Butler spoke, and this in spite of the attrac
tion of two other fairs III neighboring counties
General Butler passed the day at the house of
Senator O'Donnel and received and shook
hands with a great number of people, At
o'clock he was called for by procession of citi-
zens, headed by brass band and escorted
through the streets TO the fair grounds. Here
there was an unprecedented gathering The
grand stand was packed, and as many less
fortunate people could get within
hearing distance of the speakers stand, had as
sumed favorable positions long before the arrival
of the procession. Gen. Butler was received
with applause and cheers. He was introduced
by Hon. John O'Donnell, who referred to him as
a former Democratic Governor of a Republican
State, the foremost statesman of his time, and
presidential candidate The Generals rising
was the signal for another outburst of applause
He had been invited to the fair, in the language
of the invitation to speak upon whatever sub
ject or subjects he should choose, and political
speech was consequently expected. He was
listened to with close attention. and frequently
interrupted by applause. He said
Il do not take this great gathering all to myself,
bnt attribute it, first, to the interest you harein
your annual fair; second. to the interest you
have in the great political questions that are
under consideration by the American people.
The managers of your fair gave me the option to
speak on such topics as desire, or | would not
affiict the ad dress am going to upon you.
am going to speak to you of that know most
and hope you know least [ want to be Just to
all parties. | have been in them all
ov,AT all f1antrs ~N,1s.
all their faults and failings; butsSI
will say to you in all sincerity that the mass of
the people who compose all parties are honest
lovers of their country, who would do it no
wrong If they knew it, nor would suffer any
wrong to be done it. There are honest men in
all partes and as many in proportion to their
nun bers in one as IN another, and if it ever APP
pears that there are more dishonest men in one
party than in another, it is because that party is
in power under temptation. and then rascals get
found out
General Butler then talked of the Republican.
party and the Democratic party, and referred to
his own action in the recent Democratic conven-
tion in Chicago where he claimed he repre-
scnted l, 500 900 laboring men in the workshops
and in the business Of this country after
they voted down my platform in Chicago" said
he II left them, telling them. God help them,
/ would not. [Great laughter and applause. 1
had very thorough opinion of what He would
do under the circumstances.
[Uproarous applausel. The subject of railroad
elimination against the people. 1T don't cost
but half mill a mile to carry 100 pounds of
freight said he. but they charge you half
cent: remember that l want to change all this.
want to take the water out of railroad stocks
and put itinto the canal The Republican party
is the party Of monopoly. because monopoly has
gone to them. But enough monopoly has staid
in the Democratic party to make union with
the monopolists of the South. with the old slave
holders to govern it. and it is ofno consequence
which party wins-the people never
win. If the laboring men will vote
together they can elect their President; by
the number of their votes they can carry any
State in the Union. except in the South; they
cannot carry anything there, for the laboping
man cannot get his vote counted and | say it,
to the shame and disgrace of the Republican
party. that while they have freed the slaves,
there has not been honesty enough and execu-
tive ability enough in that party for twenty
years to giyc them free ballot and fair count.
OH God! for one hour of Andrew Jackson that
he might say: by the Eternal, the laws shall
be enforced, the wrongs Of the people righted
General Butler noted the criticisms of the
New York World. and concluded by saying II
received the great legacy of the rights OF the
people from my father and my grandfather, and
they taught me the platform upon which must
ever stand under whatever political denomina-
tion | might find myself-Equality of power,
| equality of burdens, equality of rights and
equality Of privileges for all men under the law.
| stood for that from my youth up, and want
to leave this as a blessed heritage to my children
and my children's children forever
| At the conclusion of the speech Senator
| O'Donnell led the crowd in three cheers for
General Butler. General Butler thought he
could do better than that. and called for three
cheers for the Peoples party, which were given
with will.