Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-01-14
VOL. XVII.
southeru Life and sOciety---Opinions of n
Huuker Democrat

southeru Life and sOciety---Opinions of n
HunlEer Democrat.
We have already given the opinions of
General B. F. Butler upon Slavery, as ex-
pressed in his Farewell Address. In q
familiar conversation with the committee
who waited upon him at New York to ten
der him a public dinner, General Butler
gave mOstinteresting account of the con-
ditiOn of the South, from which we quote.
General Butler said:
"If they would allow him to be colo
quial, he would speak of few things re-
specting his course in New Orleans, which
had been carped at and severely criticised
by those who had been accustomed to act
with him politically in times past-not for
the purpose of injuriag him, but the
cause Of the country. With reference to
the slavery question, his views had under
gone radical change since his residence
at New Orleans, and while entertaining M
prejudices against his old political asso-
ciates, who found fault with him on that
score, he would only say to them, that If
they had gone there with the ,sanaA- -zA-ei-
N---N - AN--I A--Ny WNAAA A1NN GQA-H
away with the same sentiments that he
felt. Laughter BE thought ha- might
say that the principal members of his
staff, and the prominent officers of his reg
iments, without any exception, went out
to New Orleans bunker democrats Of the
hunkerest sort, for it was but natural that
he should draw around him those whose
views we're similar to his own, and every
individual of the number had come to pre-
cisely 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 against us, because almost the
entire property Of the South was bound up
in the institution Of slavery. This was a
well-known fact, probably, but be did not
become fully aware Of it until he had
spent some time at New Orleans. The
South had S163, ,000, 600 Of taxable proper
ty in slaves and S163 OO0,O0O in all other
kinds of property. And this was the
cause why the merchants Of New Orleans
had not remained loyal. They found
themselves ruined-all their property be-
lux AO1nN4 uHDl HAhAADA1 hgAEn NnA AAAoA y
cages upon plantations and slaves, all of
which property is new reasonably worth
less. Again, he had learned what he did
not know before, that this was not rebel
lion against us, but simply a rebellion to
perpetuate power in the hands of few
Shareholders. At first he had not believed
that slavery was the cause of the rebellion,
but attributed it to Davis, Slidell and 9th
eFs, who had brought it about to make po-
litical triumphs by which to regain their
former ascendency.
The rebellion Wes against the humble
and poorer classes, and there we're in the
/ South large numbers Of secret societies,
dealing in cabalistic signs, organized for
the purpose of perpetuating the power Of
the rich over the poor.
When he saw the utter decentralization
Of the people, resulting from slavery, 1t
struck him thatit was an institution which
should be thrust out of the Union. He had,
on reading Mrs. Stoves bOOk-Uncle
! Toms Cabin-believed il to be an over
drawn, highly-wrought picture of South
ern 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-girPs s
novel. He related an instance of the
| shocking Generalization of society in New
/ Orleans.
"There came into his Office woman,
twenty seven years ofage, perfectly white,
who asked him in proper language if he
would put her in enc of her fathers houses
/ Her history was this: Her father had edu-
Gated 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 relishing the connec-
I ton, and desiring to get away from him.
/ she went to New 0rleans-he followed her,
but she refused to live with him, at which
be whipped her in the public street and
made her marry slave. She afterwaTd
resumed the unnatural relation, going tC
Cincinnati, but was brought back by heI
husband or father with child belonging
to somebody. Her father fed from the
city at the time Of its occupation by the
United States forces, leaving her in a state
Of destitution. She wanted to live in one
Of 'er fathers houses, but her story was
not credible, and he determined to inyes
tigate it. To his surprise it was found Il
be well known, and testimony Of its trutl
was obtained from A, and C, withou
difficulty. Notwithstanding this fact
widely known as it was, this man could b
elected in Louisiana, in the city of New
Orleans, judge of one of the courts.
"0n one occasion, one Of his aids
brought before him young woman, al
most white, who had been brutally whip
ped and turned out Of the house Of he
father. For this outrage the man bat
been made 10 pay fne Of $1,000, an
give the woman 8 deed Of emancipation
APPLAUSE These were the kind 0
charges which had been brought agains
him. Cheers, and cries Of "GoOd II
Yes, no right-minded man could be sent
New Orleans without returning an uneon
ditiOnsl anti-slavery man, even though tn
roofs of the houses were not taken off an
the full extent Of the corruption exposed.