Year: 1873

Tho Worcester Convention-Gcneral


The Massachusetts republicans, in State
Convention, meet at Worcester to-day to settle
the momentous question, Shall Governor Wash
burn or General Butler be this year the repub-
lican candidate for Governor? From the re-
ports of the Washburn delegates and the
Butler delegates elected the battle appears
to be already decided against the military
chieftain. Never since that exciting epoch Of
Puritan perfection when witches were burned
and Quakers were drowned in Salem has the
good old Bay State been so profoundly stirred
by its ancient spirit of godliness as in this
contest of orthodoxy for Washburn against
Butler, the heretic, for Governor.


We are told that State pride and State in
dignation against United States. ofice-holders
and federal interference in the purely local
concerns of Massachusetts, and in behalf of
Butler have swamped him (; that the patriotic
spirit of Bunker Hill has risen to administer
q rebuke to General Grant in the rejection of
Butler, and to vindicate the rights and liber-
ties of the sovereign people against trained
bands of federal ofice-holders and other mer-
cenaries But there would have been no COM
plants of this sort from the patriotic adversaries
of Butler had the national administration and
its ofice-holders put in their oars for Wash
burn. 1t is the old fable of your bull ana my
OK over again, SO far as State and popular
rights are involved in the interference of the
powers at Washington with the primaries for
this Worcester Convention. The clarion
voices OF the republican journals of Massa-
chusetts, which have been so widely re-echoed
for the last few days in behalf of virtue,
liberty and independence, against Butler,
would, doubtless, have remained silent had
the trained cohorts of the national govern
ment trained for Washburn.


But against this enfant terrible. this bold and
presuming Ben Butler, the Puritans had
their budget of charges and specifications,
which inspired them with the wrath of the
prophets of Israel against the followers of
Baal. Had not this Butler been an old line
Southern rights man and jeff Davis demo-
crat to boot? Had he not endorsed the green
back plan of "Old Thad Stevens for the
redemption of the national debt? Had he
not in his former campaign for Governor
identified himself with labor reformers, tenn
perance disturbers, women's rights women
and all sorts of heresies? And had he not
boldly put himself forward as the chief engi-
neer and champion of the ''back-pay grab,"
instead of keeping that business in the back
ground, as quietly and as far as possible?
And could the old whig Puritans of Massa-
chusetts consent, on any terms, to have such
q straggler from the old Southern rights de-
mocracy elevated to rule over them? Never
never And hence these active and Jealous
preparations for the swamping of Butler at
Worcester.


There will be, probably, some lively scenes
in that Convention in the course of this days
proceedings; but from present appearances
Butler will be thrown out. From this event
what next will follow we are somewhat anxious
to know; but we shall, perhaps, be sufficiently
enlightened as to the manifest destiny of
Butler with the adjournment of this mo-
mentous Worcester Convention. 1t appears
to be tempest In teapot, but it may turn
out to be something more