Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-09-16
From Harrer's Weekly.
Gen. Butler upon Reconstruction

! SSH- Dutler upon hecOuSLIucLlOu
At the late loyal meeting at Concord
New Hampshire. when the Postmaster
General Blair made very foolish speech
Maicr-General Butler made very wise
one. 1t was concise and conclusive re
view of the situation: and throughout re-
markable for that trenchant common
sense which annihilates sOphistry and
seizes the heart of the matter charuc
teristic which made Louisiana slavehOl-
der and Unionist who until afew days since
was never upon free soil, say that if Gen
eral Butler had been left in command at
New Orleans. louisiana would already
hove returned to the Union as free State
result which the gentleman consider
/ Ell speedy, inevitable, and of great faith
IN the willingness of colored men to work
| without the lash, 1t was clear, he said,
/ that If the Union meant to restore itself,
| the war meant emancipation. And the
views of this gentleman are quite as val
liable a. those of Mr.. Cottman and his
two friends, who recently asked the Pres
| ident to re-establish slavery iii Louisiana.
1t Is refreshing TO hear the earnest ex-
preston OF the earnest loyalists from reb-
el States, and General Butler exactly rep
resents them and their views. We ex-
tract a few passages from his Concord
speech. First, as to Democracy :"
IF there is a Democrat here-and
thousands doubt not there are-to him
| say, am democrat after the strictest
sect of that political religion have lived
a Pharisee. And when we point to the
past for a record say it here, in this
bright sunlight-there is no better Dem
On H., l.,
claims better let him show it"
Then as to slavery:
And now let me tell you here, as my
deliberate judgment, founded on observa
ton and experience, that the question of
negro slavery to-day is rs much dead is
sue of the past as the United States Bank
That thing i ended. Whatever may be
the future uf This country that thing Is
ended, and no man except those who go
back to pick up that which is behind need
trouble himself about that issue"
Finally, as to settlement:
First, drive out the military power
that now holds the States, the five hun
dred thousand men there. Drive out the
leaders, send them 10 Mexico, if you
choose, to make proportion of Louis
Napoleon's army; send them any where;
get rid of them. Ny friends, there are
too many to hang; we have a right to
hang them, but many things that are right
are not eXpedient. Send them away; get
rid OF them; extinguish them so far as
the land is concerned. IL must be so, be-
cause we could not live with them in
peace when they were friends, and can we
live with them as enemies? And when
that is done, and loyal men ask TO come
into the Union TO become a portion of
this great empire, we can admit them pre-
cisely as we have admitted Western Vir-
glnla, and as | hope we shall soon do Lou
lslana. Having got rid of those men who
assume to be leaders, we can reconstruct
the Union; and, my word forit, my friends
bear with me or against me, as the case
may be in the future, in that way only is
there to be any reconstruction of the IN
ion. And when the nation is reconstruct
ed, when its laws are extended over all
the great territory again; when, instead |
Of having our attention diverted and driv- /
en- now as it Is to the question of war, We
;an bring the whole energy of the public
mind, and the whole talent of the public .
statesmen of the country to this question
hen will be the time when we can deal
With and settle in the providence of God.
% our satisfaction and to His, this great
question of what is to be done with the
African race. Before that time, in my
it is of little consequence to
peculate upon the negro question in any
shape. Drive Lee and his myrmidOns
way from the gates of the capital, and
hen look after the African. You see |
I'm ending as l began-end the rebellion,
md get rid of suspension of habeas cor
,us; end the rebellion, and get rid of mil
tary arrests; end the rebellion, and get
id of military power; end the rebellion,
md become reunited; end the rebellion
md then settle the question of the Afri-
AN. [Applause,l Let me be understood
and | think it is best-if it is the best
vay to use the African for the purpose of
,etting rid of the rebels use him. Zap
'lause. But deal with him not as the
nd, but as the means, not as result,
ut as an instrument in our hands, placed
here by God, for the protection of his
ountrY in this hour of her peril" Con
lnued applause