Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-06-11
AFFAIRS IN NEW ORLEANS.
sAYINos AND poINes oa okNERAL BuTLEl

Yankee y-sidedness is amply illustrated
bv the proceedings OF General BUTLER in New
Orleans. The experiment going in that
city Is critical one, and much will depend
on the result. Here is an instsrce in which
the commercial metropolis of the Confederacy
has been sHbjugated. and II now remains 10 be
seen how far conquest and armed occupation,
operating Immediately upon the largest centre
of population in Rebellion, may be converted
into instrumentality for the restoration of
/ the former state of things 10y the free will Of
the people. Our theories OF suppressed
Union sentiment longing for safe expression,
and OF an Overbearing military dynasty coer-
ercing reluctant communities into Secession
4 paTtisanship, are now TO be put directly to the
! test in one locality at least, aud that perhaps
( the most important
/ So TAR as he has progressed, General Bur-
/ LER appears TO have operated quite judicious-
/ ly and successfully. He has marked indi-
yiduality of character which crops out in all
/ his words and actions. 1t is certainly a novel
! sight TO see the Colonel Of Maine regiment
as Military Commanddnt OF New Orleans, and
/ The city ruled by authority derived from
Massachusetts lawyer in regimentals, with his
head-q quarters established in St. Charles Hotel.
But, really. the change appears to have been
+ an Improvement. Our last arrivals bring US
an ample budget OF the Commanding Generals
acts. He assumes the entire responsibility,
and. as brokers say, s'carrieTs' the entire city
on his shoulders. Nobody is too high or too
low for his attentions He rips open the
vaults of foreign consuls for money stolen
from the Mint. and explores the reccsseS Of
yilest gin shops Ia order o drag forth SeceS-
sion Thugs. The .sladies," who rely upon
the immunity of their TO insult our Off
GERS, he threatens with The cIiaboOse and the
wife OF Gen. BeauIegaFd, who maintains a
quiet seclusion in her own bouse, he treats
with the courtliest dignity. Now he discuss
es international Law with the British Consul,
now debates finance with the representatives
of the banks one day he suppresses, a news
paper, on the next he edits one; after compel
ling taveTnS and gambling houses TO take H.
censc, he prohibits the churches from obServ-
ing fast day Gin obedience to some suppos-
ed proclamation of one Jefferson Davls;'' he
orders the stoTekeepers to open their stores,
and feeds the poor with Confederate beef and
-four; he declares that bank notes, according
to the promise on their face, shall be redeem /
ed in coin. and at one sweep of a general or !
der, wipes out of circulation the bogus curren- 4
cy of the COnfederacy and the dirty shin plas 4
tiers of the shop-keepers. With the everlast- /
ing contrabsnd he deals in utmost summary
and practical way neither gaScOnading ike /
Phelps, nor usurping like Hunter. To the 4
former be writes, In the case OF ssa boy" who 4
had come within his lines, ..if you have any 4
for him, him; if not, is he not like 4
any other vagrant about the camp ~ and says
his subsistence is not sufficient for uunecesSa-
~ men. We cannot, however. follow the gen.
eral in all his muitifarioGs acts as Commander
OF the Calf Department, and HnancieT, a!mon-
er, and care-iaker generally Tor the munich
pality of New Orleans.
He has, Withal, very direct way OF doing
things. The Mayor OF the city grows obstrep-
eroUS, writes long ,disrespectful letter and re-
ceives for answer, the same day, only
der informing him that, as late Mayor, be is
q Tetisred from all responsibility for the peace
80 OF the city, and is suspended from the exer-
% else of any official functions and committed
Z. to Fort Jackson until further orderS.' The
City Council tenders. the, ''freedOm and hos
pitalities of the city :" to the officers of the
French trigate Calinet, but they are straight
way informed, by the Major General Com
mandiag, that sstbe offer OF the freedom OF
:. captured city by the captives. would merit
50 letters patent for It's novelty, were there not
80 doubts of its usefulness as an invention
He scampers about on horseback among the
people, and when reminded of the dangers of
assassination, tells them that if they did il. it
would only place General Phelps in COM
maBd, and If they were satisfied with that ar
rangeInent he had nothing TO say. Having
provided for feeding the destitute, he looks
after the health of all, establishes strict reg
ulaiions at the quarantine grounds, and, find
ing that neither buzzards nor contractors kept
the streets sufficiently clean, he tells the May
or and Councils that merely passing resolu-
taOAs III hOt uo-'' IL viii not 10 10 enIit tue
'' responsibility from yourselves to the Street
90 Commissions, from thence to the contractor,
sand thence TO the sub-contractor, and through
g all the grades or civic idleness and neglect
Of duty"
Trade follows in his track. Cotton is ship
ped; mails are started commerce reyiyes
express lines run I; recruiting offices are open
ed; Union candidates announce themselves
A lawyer from Washington begins to practice
law, and, as he is the clerk of the Provost
Court, will probably succeed in collecting
\ ortheTn claims. Altogether this New Or
eans movement is one OF the most curious iu
the whole history of the Its legal, po-
tical, and domestic effects will furnish mate
nal for much pleasant study, and Dixie may,
after all, sing with joy, as we'll as truth, that
Picayune BUTLER has indeed come TO town. :