Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1863-01-29
GEM. BUTLER I'M NEW YORK
His Response to the New York Mer.
chants. A Great Conversion. =

On Oens DulIcI a1TlNdl III NEW IOfk
from Washington, he was waited upon by
committee OF New York Merchants. and
rendered a public dinner. Gen. Butler
declined the prohered compliments. but
addressed the committee a brief speech,
which we quote from the New York Times
a rter thsnking the committee for the in
tended honor. lie said: rT
Ifthey would allow him to be eoloqui-
al he would speak of few things respect
ing his course in New Orleans, which bad
been harped at and severely criticized by
those who had been accustomed to act with
him politically in times past--not for the
purpose of ipjuring him, bat the cause Of
the country. With reference to the slave
ry question, his views had undergone
radical change during his residence at
New Orleans, and while, entertaining no
prejudices against his old political a,soci-
ates, who found fault with him on that
score. he would only say to them. that if
they had gone there with the same senti-
ments that he felt, they would have come
away with the same entiments that he
felt, Laughter. He thought he might
say that the principal members of his staff.
and the prominent officers of his regiments.
without any exception, went ont to New
Orleans lInnker Democrats OF the Hunke,.-
est sort, for it was but natural that he sho' d
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 farewell address to
the people of New Orleans This change
came about from seeing what all of them
saw, day by day. In this war the entire
property of the South was agains: us. be-
cause almost the entire property of the
South was bound upin that Institution
I This was well known fact. probably. but
he did no. become fully aware of it until
he had spent some time at New Orleans
The South hal Sl63. 600. 900 of taxable
property in slaves, and Sl63, 600, 600 in
all other kinds of property
AMI this was the cause why the mer-
chants of New O,leans had not remained
loyal. They found themselves ruined
all their property being loaned upon plant
ers' notes and mortgages upon plantations
and slaves. all OF which property is now
reasonably worthless. Again. he had
learned what he did not know before, that
this was not rebellion against us, but
simply a rebellion to perpetuate power in
the hands of few slave holdeis. At FIRST
he had not believed that slavery was the
cause of the rebellion, but attributed it to
Davis, Slidell and others, who had brought
it apout to make political triumphs by
which to regain their former asccndancy.
The rebellion was against the humble
and poorer classes, and there were in the
South large numbers of secret societies,
dealing in cabalistic signs. organized fer
the purpose of perpetuating the power of
the rich over the poor. 1t was feared
that these common people would come
into power. and that 300, 600 or 400, 600
men could not hold against 5000. 600.
The first movement of these men was to
make land the basis of politic1l power; and
that was not enough. for land could not
be owned by many persons. Thea they
annexed land to slaves and divided the
property into movable and immovable
He was not generally accused of being a
humanitarian-at least not by his South
ern friends. Laughter. When he saw the
utter decentralization OF the people, result
ing from slavery, it struck him that it was
an institution which should be thrust out
of the Union. He hal, on reading Mrs.
Stoves book--Uncle Toms Cabin be-
lieved it to be an overdrawn, highly
wrought picture of Southern 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 bey ond an ordinary school girl nov
ell. He related an instance of the shock
/ ing decentralization of society at New Or
leans. There come into his office a wo-
man twenty seven years OF age, perfectly
white. who asked in proper language if he
would put her in one of her fathers hous-
es. Her history was this: Her father had
educated her in the city of New York un-
Ill she was between seventeen and eighteen
yeaas of age. and taken her to one OF the
metropolitan hotels. where lie kept her as
his mistress. Not relishng the connection,
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 afterwards
resumed the unnatural relation, going to
Cincinnati, but was brought back by her
husband or father with child belonging
to somebody. lie fled from the city at
the time OF its occupation by the United
States forces. leaving her in state of des-
titution. She wanted to live in one OF her
fathers houses, bnt her story was not
credible, and he determined to investigate
it. To his surprise, it was found to be
well known. and testimony of its truth
was obtained from A. u and C.. without
difficulty notwithstanding this fact.
widely known as it was. this man could
be elected in Louisiana. in the city Of New
Orleans. Judge of one Of the courts.
On one occasion one Of his aids brought
before him young woman. almost white,
who had been brulahy whipped and turned
out of the house of her father For this
outrage the man had been made to pay
fine of 8 600 and give the woman a deed
( of emancipation.s Applause. b These
were the kind of charges which had been
brought against him Cheers; and cries of
"Good!"1 Yes. no right minded man
could be sent to New Orleans without re-
turning an unconditional anti-slavcry man,
even though thcsroofs Of the houses were
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