St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-01-29
Gen. Buffers Speech III New York.
''''' 1N' ,<'''" - = g., S,it .i,,hH
HIS VIEWS ON THE SLAVERY YQuEsT1ON.
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| w ullo III Vc" LULA, Ou 4"A~~J3 s''O
9Th inst, Con. d. F. Butler made speech
lin reply to written address submitted to
him by Committe Of leading merchants.
The f,llrwipg extracts from the Times
report Of the speech, will be found Of the
highest interest: ....
| With reference to the slavery question,
his views had undergone radical change
during his residence in New Orleans, aud
! while entertaining no prejudices against
his old political associations, who found
fault with him on that score, he would on
ly say to them, that if they had gone
there with the same sentiments that he
left, they would have come away with the
same sentiments that he left. daughter: }
He thought he mis- ght say that the prin-
cipal members of his staff, aud the prom
inent officers Of his regiments, without
any exception, went out to New Orleans
Hunker Democrats Of the hunkerest sort,
kfor il. was-bst. natural that, he. e.should. draw
around him those whose views were simi-
lar to bis own, and every individual Of the
number had come to precisely the same
belief, on the question of slavery, as he
had put forth iu 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 against us, be-
cause the entire property OF. the South
was bound up in that institution. This
was well know, fact, probably, but he
did not become fully aware Of it until he
had spent some time at New Orleans
The South had $l63, ,O0U, 900 Of taxable
property in slaves and $l63, 100000 in all
other kinds Of property. Aud this was
The cause Why the %sTshants ,53all Sf New a At
Fund themselves ruined-all their prop
er.y. being loaned upoa planters 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 y rebel
| lion to perpetuate power in the hands ot a
| lew shareholders: At first he had not be-
lieved that Slavery was the cause OF the
rebellion, but attributed it to Davis, Sill
dell and Others, who had brought it about
to: make political triumphs by which to re-
gain their former ascendency.
The retelh d vas against the humble
and poorer classes, and there were in the
South large numbers Of SECRET societies,
dealing in cabalistic signs, organized fol
the purpose Of perpetuating the power OF
the rich. over the poor: 1t was feared that
these common people would come into
power, and three or four hundred thou
sand 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 coule
not be owned by many persons. Ihel
! they annexed land to slaves and dividee
I the property into moveable and immove
liable '..' ~ $:
r He was not generally accused Of beint
4 HUMANITARIAN least not by his South
ern tfiends- =, Laughter When he saw
the utter decentralization of the people, re
|sulting from Slavery, i: struck him that il
was an institution which should .bt
thrust out of the Union. He had on read
ing Mrs. Stoves book Uncle Toms 9 b
1in-believed it to be an overdrawn, high
). iyw-rought picture of Southern life, but b.
had seen with his own eyes, and heare
with his own ears, many things which q
beyond her book as much as ber bool
faces beyond an ordinary schoolgirls nov
'Iel He related an instance Of the shock
ling decentralization Of society at New OUr Or
lesns. - There came into his office wo
man n years Of age, perfectly white, wh'
asked bin ia proper languagei if he VOC
7 put her in one Of her father s'1houses.r:
d Her histvry:was this: Her f~ther had, Sd :!
ucated her in the city of New York unit
she iw,aaaI w,aaa II or 18 years Of age, and take'
! her TO one Of the ,metropolita AMI hotels
whersshe kept her aa his mietn1ss. NO
Liking the rconnectiou and desiring to &c
lavay from him, she went to New OrIean
he followed her, bit she refused TO hv
t1thh III him, at which he whipped her in tn
s|pubi7c street and made oher9 marry . slave
lShs afterward .resamedstb tbe uapatnrsl rela
ton, going TO Cincinnati, but was brough
back by her husband OF father with
9 child belopsgsing to somebody Her fathe
fed from The city at the time of'its oocr
II fpation blythe United States forces leaHln
her in 4, state Of dsstitptien She SaHt ZAP
lied to live in, one 9f her fathers house
..tbut her story was not Credible, ana be d
9fterrmninned ID investigate 'it.E9 70 his su
r prise, twas found to be well klow..s aan
3ftsstimouy Of its. truth was obtained tro s.
A, Band Z, without difficulty. Notwlt !! q
, standing this tact, widely known g. 1t va
s. this man could be elected in Louisiana,
the City Of New Orleans, q Judge Of o.