The Portland daily press., 1863-01-15
Thursday Morning, January Is. 1863.
Gen. Butler at Lowell.

A vast multitude was in waiting Monday
afternoon to welcome Gen. Butler home to
Lowell. The reception was at Huntingdon
Hall and when, soon after three o'clock, Gen.
Butler and his suite entered the hall accompa-
MED by Mayor Horsford and the Committee of
Arrangements, thousands had already turned
away, unable to gain admittance. The Myaor
introduced the Hon. John A. Goodwin, who
spoke few words of cordial welcome to the
distinguished guest, in behalf of his fellow c-
tizens. Gen. Buffers reply goes straight to
the root Of the controversy, which now en-
dangers the Republic. He has spoken many
true, forcible words but none truer nor more
forcible than those thus uttered among his
friends and neighbors at home. We quote
from the report in the Boston Journal. After
few words of kindly greeting, Gen. Butler
said,-
/ have heard, but cannot believe it, that
some are faltering in this hour of their eoun-
try's peril that the faith of some in the ma
tion's triumph in this unhappy war has for
moment given way. Do you believe that there
is a just God? Whoever believes in him, must
believe that the cause of right and justice and
truth must necessarily triumph. Upon that
may have to peril more treasure, to lose
more sons and brothers in the cause of the
country, but ultimate success is sure. To
doubt this is, in my judgment, atheism of the
worst sort.
have heard it said my friends, that have
changed in some of my ideas and thoughts
on political questions since left you. have
changed in some of my ideas, grant you, be-
cause have learned something, (great ap-
plause,) but that have in single principle,
deny. stand before you the same Democrat,
who for so many years battled for the rights
of the people at the North, and now battle for
the same rights in the South. / have found
that this rebellion is rebellion against the
working classes, without distinction of color;
and have stood upon that question where l
have ever stood, and where ask you to stand
as know you will. The rebellion was be-
gun, and is carried on for the purpose of crea-
ting a landed aristocracy, which shall give to
four hundred thousand the government of
eight millions of whites and four millions of
blacks. 1t Is for that that JEFF. Davis and his
confederates have undertaken rebellion
which they claim is to secure the rights of the
people. Do you think, if it was rebellion of
the people, it would be necessary to resort to
conscription to raise their armies? Did our
fathers have TO conscript men? Did not our
fathers go willingly forth? At this time, /
may say that more than one-half the army of
at the point of the bayonet. Did anything Of
this kind ever succeed before, aud will it sue
ceed now? No; unless the laws Of nature are
entirely reversed.
Now let us look directly at your interests
and your duties; for am speaking now, hav-
ing just come from the cotton regions, where
interests and duties for once go hand in hand.
Would you wish to be at the command of
these masters at the South, who could make
you do as they said by cutting off the supply
of cotton? 1t is for your freedom from those
masters that we are fighting to-day; that the
people of the South may not claim to be
our masters, but our brothers; that we may
place ourselves where they will feel us to be,
as we know we are, their equals, not their in
feriors. 1t is to correct this idea, that the
Northern man, with red blood, blue eyes, light
hair, and all that God gives to this image Of
himself, is not equal to the slave-drivers with
their thin lips and pallid brows-it is to cor
rect this idea, say, that we are engaged in
this momentous struggle. That is the ques-
ton before us; and he who does not side with
us on that question says that he desires to kiss
the feet of those masters. went to Louisa-
ma desiring TO do everything to restore it as it
was; to see If by any possibility might bring
the principles, the laws and the institutions
which govern that state into harmony with
the Union; but found there no disposition to
have that DONE / found that the aristocracy
lOOkcu upon us rs lIelr enemies, ara IOunQ
that the working and middling classes looked
upon us as friends. Within the first month
14,000 OF those who compose the bone and
sinew of New Orleans had taken the oath of
allegiance, not by lip service only, but from
their hearts; and from that day | found no
man owning slaves who would take the oath of
allegiance, except for the purpose of saving his
property. That was the rule: there were some
exceptions. / found the working men true
to the Union, and found the saveowners false
to the Union. dealt kindly with the working
men, and dealt harshly with the slavehold-
ers. loud applause.) | recognized my
friends and my enemies, and made as wide
difference between the one and the other as
there was between Dives and Lazarus. fAp-
plause.) / understand that you have sent
forth your sons and brothers, not for the pur
pose of making peace, but war, wherever they
found enemies. / believe that you sent ont
your sons and brothers for the purpose of in
sisting that the flag of the United States should
wave everywhere in sympathy with the powers
OF the United States; and upon that thesis l
have acted. Encouraged the laboring men. A
thousand were employed every day by the
United States; thirty-four thousand were fed
every day by the United States, and over sew
enteen thousand of these were foreigners,
whose Consuls assumed to represent them, but