The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-01
THE BLAINE AND BUTLER CONSPIRACY
TO CAPTURE THE EMPIRE STATE.
New York Sunday Mercury,

While the politicians are naturally anxs
xiols about the results of the October
elections in Ohio and West Virginia, the
real interest of the great national contest
in November centres in the Empire state.
New York is the battlefield of 1884, as it
was of $780, and here every inch of ground
will be stoutly contested. 1t is for this
reason that Mr.. Blaine has made his adj
vent here to open his campaign in person,
where his chief antagonist, Cleveland, is
already strongly entrenched, and while
he will devote part of his attention to
other states, this will be the one impor~
tant point to which his best energies will
devoted. Here his mountebank ally, But
ler has already made his debut, amid
vast volleys of stage thunder, and in this
state his managers announce a starring
tour for the willy Massachusetts monopo-
list which will occupy most of his cleo
pioneering energies. While pretending to
be the upbuilder of peoples party, But
Ter Will do all that he can to demoraliZe
the Democratic cohorts and to conceal the
very patent fact that vote for Butler is
in effect vote for Blaine. 1t will be rare
fun for the hero of Dutch Gap to swing
around the circle in the first state in the
union. but when he comes to count up
the victims of his raid. he and his employ
ers are likely to be sadly disappointed
men. John Kelly, with all the prestige
of Tammany Hall at his back, and
strengthened as he was by strong canal
ring anti Tilden sentiment, made the same
tour In 1879, and on the day after cleo
tion counted up but 1856 votes to his
credit, of which 43, 047 votes were cast by
Tammany Hall in the City of New York.
General Butler cannot possibly hope to
cary one quarter as many votes in this
city, where Tammany Hall has declared
itself for Cleveland and Hendricks, and
he will be lucky if he polls 10000 votes
outside the city limits. True, the repub-
licans in 1879 elected their candi-
date for governor; but they were then
united where now they are badly demora-
lized. The Independent republicans,
comprising the better clements of the
party, have taken themselves out of the
camp of the corruptionists, bag and bag
gage, and the Conkling Stalwarts are bit
terly antagonizing their old foe, Mr.
Blaine. Then come the Prohibitionists,
who showed themselves capable OF cast
| ing nearly %, 600 votes for their candidate
for governor in 1882, and who now, with
so popular Presidential candidate in the
| field, will be able to command the suf-
frages of at least so, 900 voters, fivesixths
of whom will be drawn from the Repub-
lican ranks. These indisputable facts sc
clear point to the defeat OF Mr.. Blaine,
that as soon as the smoke OF the
battle in Maine had cleared away
he has come to this state in person
to see if his magnetic" influence
can make Roadway against the tide thai
threatens to overwhelm him six weeks
from next Tuesday. His efforts will fail
Public indignation against the corruptists
of whom Blaine is chief, is drawing t.
the Cleveland banner the whole body o
incorruptible patriotic voters of both par
ties, while around his colleague, Mr.
Hendricks, the entiresDemocratic part.
masses itself with burning enthusiasm tt
ayenge the electoral fraud of 1875. These
combined forces are simply irresistible
Indeed, every political sign of the da,
points to the triumph of Cleveland ant
Hendricks in this state by majorit,
i outside the city of New York.