The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-01-14
Gen. Butler on National Afairs.

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, because
have learned something, great applause,) but
that have changed in single principle deny.
] stand before you the same Democrat who for
so many years battled for the rights of the people
1T the North, and now battle for the same rights
in the South. have fou1d that this rebellion is
rebellion against the working classes, without dis
tinction of color and | have stood upon that
question where | have ever stood, and where
shall ask you to stand--as know you will. The
rebellion was Begun and is carried on for the pur
pose of creating landed aristocracy, which shall
give to four hundred thousand the government OF
sight millions of whites and four millions of blacks
1t is for that that Jeff. Davis and his conederates
have undertaken rebellion which they claim ls
to secure the rights Of the people. Do you think
IL it was rebellion of the people, it would be
necessary to resort to CONSUMPTION to raise their
armies Did our fathers have to conscript men |.
Did not our fathers go forth wngyi At this
time, | muy say that more than one-half the
array of the South is composed Of men driven
into it at the point Of the bayonet. Did any
thing of this kinG ever succeed before, and will
it succeed new ? No; unless the laws of nature
are entirely reversed.
Now let US look directly at your interests and
ysur duties, for l am speaking now, having lust
come from the cotton regions, where interests and
duties for once 60 hand in hand. Would you
wish to be at the command of those 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, we know we are, their equals, and not their
interiors. 1t is to correct this idea that the North
ern man with red blood blue eyes, light hair, and
all that God gives to this image of himself, is not
equal to the >lave-drvers with their thin lips and
paid brows-it is to correct this idea, say, that
we are engaged in this momentous struggle This
is the question before us, and he who does not
side with Us on that question says that he desires
10 kiss the feet of these masters
| went TO Louisiana desiring to do everything !
10 restore it as it was; to see by any possibility
might bring the principles, the laws and the in
sttutions which govern that State into harmony
with the Union; but found there no disposition
to have that done. | found that the aristocracy
looked upon US as their enemies and found
that the working and middling classes looked
upon US as friends. Within the first month H.
600 Of these 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 rnie there were some exceptions. | found
the working men true to the Union. ard found
the slave owners false to the Union. Idealt kind
" with the working men, and dealt harsh!y with
the shareholders. cloud applause.) | recog-
nized my friends and my enemies, and made as
wide difference between the one and the other
as thereswas between Dives and Lazarus. Gap
plause) understand that you have sent forth
your sons and brothers, not for the purpose of '
making peace, but war, wherever they found enc /
mics. | believe that GU sent out your sons and =
brothers for the purpose Of insisting that the flag
Of the United States should wave everywhere 10 |
sympathy with the powers Of the United States I
and upon that thesis have acted. / encouraged a
the laboring men. A thousand were employed =
every day by the United States thirty-four thou
sand were fed every day by the United States,
md over seventeen thousand of these were for I
signers, whose Consu!s assumed to represent
hem, but who did not represent them truly, be- J.
.ause the Consuls represent commerce and prop
r:y, not Len. Thrty-four thousand, as | have I
ait, were leu every uays anu PiGCNeIy lue eaDe y
ction was taken toward men who needed this as a
istance as would be taken here. But those men :;
ad no voice in the newspapers abroad or at home. .
nd the consequence was, their thanks and their
pplause were never heard, while the complaints 6
the property men, who felt that when they 4
ere struck, slavery was struck, flowed all over -
Europe and the North and every misrepresenta
on that the malice of enemies and traitors could c
eyise was resorted TO, in order TO embarlass, and
possible defeat, my plans. But there is one II
i ng have a right to say-and thank you, sir, ii
adverting to it and that u.s. that from the first