Nebraska advertiser., 1863-04-30
Speech Of Gen. Butler.

Gen. Butler was rendered a grand re-
ception, at the New York Academy oil
Music. on Thursday evening, by the
members and friends of the Union League
of that city. The tremendous auditori-
um was densely crowded with both ladies
and gentlemen, and the greatest enlhusi-
assn and good feeling prevailed during
The evening.
After thanking Mayor Opdyke and the
members of the Union League tor the
honor conferred 10 rendering him a pub
lie reception of such magnIfcence, Gen
eral Butler began to review the history
of the rise and progress Of the rebellion
az some length
| am an old Andrew Jackson Demo
Graf Of twenty years standing. ZAP.
plause and three cheers for the old hero
of New Orleans. And SO faras ! know
l have never swerved from his teachings,
APPLAUSE Up to the time when DIS
union took place | went as far as the
farlherest in support of the constitutional
rights of the South, however bitter or
dlstasteful to me were the obligations
which my fathers assured for me in the
compromises of the Constitution. They
made them all, and i, was not for me to
reject the bitter. | took them all. AP-
plause. Fellow Democrats, took ev.
ery one because they were constituted
obligations applause and taking each
and all, | stood by the South and South
ern rights under the Constitution, until ]
advanced and looked into the pit of dis
union, and, not liking the prospect, quiet
ly withdrew. Laughter and applause.
We went apart from that hour, and we
are forever apart. You may Judge Of
this when | say that On the 2Sth of De-
cember, 1860, | shook hands on terms OF
friendship with Jefferson Davis, and on
the 2Sth of December, 1862, | had the
pleasure of reading his proclamation that
| was to be hung at sight. Laughter
and applause.
And now, my friends, if you will al
low me this line of thought a moment, as
we come up to the point Of time when
these men laid down their constitutions
obligations, | will inquire what were my
rights and what we're theirs? At thai
hour they repudiated the Constitution Of
the United States by solemn vote, under
the forms of law, in solemn convention.
And not only that, but they look arms in
their hands and undertook by force to
rend from under the Constitution what
seemed to them the fairest portion of the
heritage which my fathers had given tC
me and to my children as a rich legacy
and when they did that | concluded, from
every fact, that they had derogated and
forfeited every constitutional right, and
had relieved me of every constitutional
obligation to them. Loud and contin-
ued applause. And when | was called
upon to say what should be my action in
regard to slavery, / was left to the ma
tural instincts of my heart, as prompted
by a Christian education in New Eng
land-TApplause and l dealt with il
accordingly, for / was no longer bound
by constitutional obligations. [Applanse
! Then | undertake to claim, respectfully
but earnestly, that the same SENSE ofdu-
" to my constitutional obligations, and &c
the rights of the States, which required
me, so long as they remain loyal, 10 sup
port the system of s%lavery--that same
sense of duty and right. / say, after they
had gone out from under the Constitu-
tion, caused me to follow the dictates Of
nv W conscience, untrammeled as
had been heretofore. Applause. And
80, my friends however ~misludging ]