Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-01-12
GEN. Butler in New YOrk-His Views on
Slavery.

Gen. Butler arrived in New York on Thurs
day, on his way home to Lowell, and was
waited on in the evening by a committee OF
the chamber of commerce, who, through their
chairman, presented him a letter rendering
him public dinner, congratulating him on
the manner in which he had performed the
duties of very difficult situation, and COM
plimenting him on the success which had at
tended his management of affairs in New Or
leans. A sketch of Gen. Buffers reply to the
deputation is given in the New York Times.
After expressing his qualification at the flat
tering terms of the invitation, and his inabili-
ty at present to acceptit, he said -
eff they should allow him to be coloquial
he would speak Of few things respecting 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 injuring
him, but the cause of the country. With ref
erence to the slavery question, his views had
undergone radical change during his resi-
dence at New Orleans, and while entertaining
no prejudiees 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 same sentiments that
he felt, they would have come away with the
same sentiments that he felt. Daughter
He thought he might say that the principal
members of his staff, and the prominent Off
GERS of his regiments, without any exception,
went out to New Orleans bunker democrats
cf the hunkerest sort, for it was but natural
that he should draw around him those whose
views were similar to his own, and every in
diyidual 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. The 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
that institution. This was a well known fact,
probably, but he did not become fully aware
of it until he had spent some time at New Or
leans.
The south had $I69, 100000 of taxable
property in slaves, and $I63, 900 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 being loaned upon
planters notes and mortgages upon planta-
tons 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 rebel
hon to perpetuate power in the hands of a few
shareholders. AT first he had not believed
that slavery was the cause of the rebellion,
but attributed 1t to Davis, Slidell and others,
who had brought it about to make political
triumphs by which to gain their former ascen-
dancy.
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 for the purpose OF
perpetuating the power of the rich over the
poor 1t was feared that these common peo-
pie would come into power, and that three OF