Delaware State journal and statesman., 1863-01-23
The Reception of Gen. Butler in New
York

heartily for the compliment, but was unable Mt
present 10 accept the high honor which they
sought to confer. Business required his early
presence at his home In Massachusetts, and as an
additional reason for his departure frem the city
ou Friday WIS the fact that Mrs Butler had re-
ceiyed telegram announcing the death of n
nephew. Before leaving the city, however, he
should endeayor 10 hnd proper words with which
to answer the letter that mad heen presented, aud
upon his expected return from Lowell, In about
ten da2s, he would put himself directly in their
hands, 10 do with him precisely as they pleased.
The General was then Introduced to a number
OF gentlemen present, and during the colloquy
that ensued he spoke of few things respecting
his course in New Orleans, which hal heen
carped Mt and severely criticised by those who
had been accustomed TO act with him politically
in time past-not for the purpose of niuring him
but the cause of the country. With reference to
the Slavery question: his views had undergone
rndical change during his residence ia New Or
leans, and while ent, trimming peejudice against
his old political associates. who found fault with
him on that score, he would ouly say to them that
II they had gone there with the same sentiments
that he felt, they would have come away with
the same sentiments that he felt. Laughter,
He thought he might say that the principal
members of bis staff, and the prominent officers
OF his regiments, without any exception, went
out to New Orleans Hunktr Democrats of the
hunkerest sort, for 1t was but natural that he
should draw around him those whose views were
similar TO his own, and every individual of the
number had come to precisely the same belief on
the question Of Slavery as he had put forth in
his farwell address TO the people Of New Orleans.
This change came about from seeing what ull of
them saw, day by day In this war the entire
property of the South was against us, because
almost the entire property OF the South was
bound up in that institution. This was a well
known fact, probably, but he did not become
fully aware of il until he had spent some time
AT New Orleans The Sodth had SlG3 000, 00O
Of taxable property in slaves, and Sl63 600 900
in all other kinds of property. And this was the
cause why the merchants of New Orleans had
not remained loyal-e They found themselves
ruined-all their property being loaned upon
planters notes and mortgages upon plantations
and slaves, nil Of which property is reasonably
worthless Again, he had learned what he did
not know before, that this was not rebellion
against US, but simply rebellion to perpetuate
power in the hands of the sayeholders AT first
he had not believed that Slavery was the cause
of the Rebellion, but attributed 1t to Davis, Sill
dell and others, who had brought it about TO
make political triumphs by which to regain their
former ascendancy. Tie rebellion was against
the humble and poorer classea, aud there were
in the South large numbers of secret societies.
dealing IN cabaistic signs, organized for the
purpose of perpetuating the power Of the rich
over the poor. Ii was f.ared that these common
people would come into power, and that three or
four hundred thousand men could not hold
against eight millions. The first movement of
these men was to make land the basis Of political
power; and that was not enough, for land could
not be owned by many persons. Then they an
nexed land to slaves and divided the property
into moyeable and immoveable He was not
generally accused of being humantarian-at
least not by his Southern friends. Laughter.
When he saw the utter decentralization of the peo-
pie, resulting from Slavery ii struck him that it
was an institution which should be thrust out Of
the Union. lie had on reading Mre. Stoves
book-"Uucle Toms Cabinn-belieyed it to be
an over-drawn highly wrought picture Of South
cru life, but he had seen with his own eyes, and
heard with his own ears, many things which go
beyond her book as much as her book
does beyond an ordinary schoolgirls
novel lie related an instance Of the shocking
dem mornlization Of society at New Orleans. There
came into his office woman, u years Of hge,
perfectly white, who asked him in proper langu-
age If he would put her in one of her fathers
houses. Her history was this Her father had
educated her in the City Of New York, until she
was between II and Is years of age, and then
to one of the metropolitan hotels, where he kept
her as his MISTRESS Not relishing the connec
lion, and desiring to get away from him, she
went to New Orleans-he followed her, but She
refused to live with him, at which he whipped
her in the public street, and made her marry
slave. She afterward resumed the unnatural re-
lation, going to Cincinnati but was brought back
by her husband or father, with child, belonging
to somebody. Her father hed from the city at
the time Of its occupation by the United States
forces leaving her in State of destitulion. She
wanted to live in one Of her fathers houses, but
her story was not credible, and he determined to
investigate it. To hie surprise, it vas found to
be well known, aud testimony of its truth was
obtained from A, D, and Z, without difficulty.
Notwithstanding this fact widely known as it
was, this man could be elected in Louisiana, in
the City OF New Orleans, as Judge Of one Of the
Courts. On one occasion Que OF his aids brought
before him young woman almost white, who
had been brutaly whipped and turned out Of the
house Of her father. For this outrage the man
had been made TO pay a fine OF 81 900 aud give
the woman deed OF emancipation. Applause !
These were the kind Of charges which had been
brought against him. Cheers, and cries Of
"Good."1 Yes, no hgh.mluded man could be sent
to New Orleans without returning an uncondi-
tional Anti Slavery man, even though the roofs OF
the houses were not taken of aud the full extent
| of the corruption exposed. All the lower class
| of the people of New Orleans were loyal. Dur
ing the first fourteen days after the Union forces
entered the city, IA, 900 took the oath of allegi-
Ruce and, when he went on board the steamer,
on his return TO the North, at least one thousand
laboring men came down upon the levee, and
uttered no words except those OF good will 10 him
as the representative of the Government. Gen.
Butler continued by saying that the war could
only be successfully prosecuted by the destruc-
ton of Slavery, which was made the cornerstone
Of the Confederacy. This was the second time 10
the history of the world that rebellion OF pro-
perty holders against the lower classes against
the Government was ever carried on. The Hun
garian rebellion was one Of that kind, and tina
failed, as must every rebellion of men of property
against Government, and against the rights o
the many. One of the greatest arguments which
he could find against Slavery was the demoraliz
ing influences il ex rled upon the lower whit,
classes who were brought into Secession by thu
hundred because they iguoranty supposed tina
great wrong was to be done them by the LncolI
Government, as they termed II, If the North sue
; ceeded. Therefore, if you meet an old Hunke
Democrat, and send him for sixty days to New
Orleans, and he comes back bunker still, he i
inoorrigible. [Laughter.l There was one thin
about the Presidents edict Of emancipation Il
: which he would call attention. In Louisiana h
bad excepted from freedom about S7,00
slaves. These comprise oil the negroes held il
the LafouTche DISCREET who had been emancpa
ted already for some time, under the law whic
| frees slaves taken in rehelions territory by GU
armies. Others Of these negroes had been free
by the proclamation of September, which declar
cd all slaves to be free whose owners be in arm
2 on the 1st of January The slaves of Frenchme
! we're free because the code cipR expressly prohi
| bits u Frenchman holding slaves, and, by the II
o and 9Th Victoria, every Engishman holdin
slaves submitted himself to penalty OF $500 70
- each. Now, take the negroes of Secessionist.
I Frenchmen, and Englishmen, out Of the $1,000
| "a hpri ia rod In un inf nj