The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1863-01-22
GEN. BUTLER OV SOUTHERN
LIFE AND SOCIETY.
Conversation with the New
York Com mltteo.

In conversation with the cOmmittc
which waited upon him yesterday 4
render him the honor Of public Dime
Gen. Butler gave q mast interestin:
account Of his administration in Nes
Orleans and the condition Of affairs ant
society he found there. We wonlt
make some extracts from a report 0
his remarks below:
Gen. Butler said: -
'.If they would allow him to be col
loqnal, lie would speak Of few thing.
respecting his course in New Orleans
which bad been carped at and severely
criticised by those who had been accus
toned to act with Rim politically in
times past-not for the purpose OF in
juring him, but ne cause "fthc country
With reference TO the slavery question
his views had undergone a radical
change during his residence at New
Orleans, and while entertaining no pre-
judiees against his Old political asso
ciates, who found fault with him on
that score, he would only say y them,
that it they had gone there with the
same sentiments that he felt. they
would have come awav with the same
sentiments that he felt. Laughter
he thought that he might saw that the
principal members Of his staff. and the
prominent officers IF his regiments.
went ont Of Mew Orleans Hunk~r D..
moc,ats Of the hunkerest sort. for il
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 sla
very as he had put forth i'll his farewell
address 10 the people of New Orleans.
This change came about from seeing
wha, all Of them saw, day by day.
I'm this war the entir. property OF
the South was against us, because al
most tie entire property OF the South
was bound up in the institution Of
Slavery. This was well known fact,
probably, but he did not become fully
aware Of it until he had spent some
time a. New Orleans. The South had
sl63, 100000 Of taxable property in
slaves and $l63 100000 in all other
kinds OF property. And this was the
cause WHY the merchants of New Or
leans had not remained loyal. They
found themselves ruinei-all their pro-
rerty being loaned npon planters notes
and mortgages upon plantations and
slaves all Of which property is row
worthless. Again, he had
learned what he did not know before,
that this was no. rebellion against us,
but simply q rebellion to perpetuate
power in the hands of few slavehO!-
ders. At first he had not believed
that slavery was the cause Of the re-
brllion, bu, attributed it to Davis, Sli
dell, and others, who had brought il
about to make political triumphs by
which to e.ain their former scanaancy.
"1he rebellion wa against the humble
and poorer classes, and there were in
the South large numbers of secret SO
cieties, dealing in cabalistic signs, or
ganized for the purpose Of perpetuating
the power Of the rich over the poor.
"When he saw the utter demorallza-
ton If the people, resulting from sla
very, it struck him that it was an in
sutton which should be thrust out Of the
Union. lie had on reading Mrs.
Stoves bock--Uncle Toms Cabin
believed it ,c be an overdrawn, highly
wrought picture IF southern life, but he
had seen with his own eyes, and heard
with his own ears many things which
90 beyond her book as much as her
book does beyond an ordinary school
girls novel. IL related an instance of
The schork,ng decentralization OF socie' Y
4, New Orleans. There came into his
office 4 woman twenty seven years of
age, perfectly white. who asked him in
proper language # he would put her
in one Of her fathers houses. Her his
tory was this !: Her father had educated
her in the city Of New York until she
was between seventeen and eighteen
years of age. and taken her to one Of
the metropolitan hotels, where he kept
her as his mistress. Not rel,shing the
connection, and desiring To get away