The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-02-03
i DuTLER At IOwELls-A GOOD NOTICE ron
GRANT. THE BUTCHER.

j BUTLER At LOwELrs-A GOOD NOTICE ron
GRANT, THE BUTCHER.
Butler arrived at Lowell on Saturday.
and that evening addressed his FELLOW
citizens" at public hall. He rchcarsod
his services to the United States since
the beginning Of his Infamous career, and
tried to clear up the Wilmington failure
by laying the fault on Farrsgut. As for
what he did, he would do it over again
under the same circumstances. He said :
He was here on letter from tho Lieu
tenants General to the President; but no
word of Fort Fisher, no word Of VIII
mington, was assigned as the reason for
his presence. What the true reason was,
he had not received permission to divulge.
lie had been called by some the hero of
Big Bethel and Fort Fisher. He &C
copied the honor. The General then
spoke Of the explosion Of the Dutch Gap
canal. 1t did not make, perhaps, so large
hole as the mine at Petersburg, bit lie
had not filled 1t qoith american deud
untI 1t ran blood. lie desired to have
II ;..snrihed on his tombstone III tnas nv
tie enclosure W1Ivr. his remains would
one day be laid, Here lies the General
who saved the lives of his soldiers at Fort
Fisher and Big Bethel" He had criti-
ciscd no man, no army man, but he had
criticised, somewhat sharply, the froth
which is always the accompaniment of
lively porter. General Butler then pro-
ceedcd to discuss the prospects Of tho
national cause. lie said that he was pre-
pared for more endurance, more strife in
the service of the country. If at any
time in the future the country needed his
services, it would be freely rendered, as it
had been in the past Whatever mis-
takes may have been committed by men
at the head Of .affairs, We should not
spare our efforts.
DO not, he said, be carried away by
any dclusiyc ideas of peace The time
for peace has not come, and to talk Of
peace until the army Of Lee is either
captured or tehipped is enin. Sec that
the Union armies arc kept filled up, that
| recruiting goes on. OF our ultimate sue
cess there could be no doubt. A lasting
peace would be finally established, pro
vided we dealt fairly and justly with all
men, black and white 4; but on no other
terms. Do everything you can to sus-
tain the Government, and the President
at the head of tho Government. lie is
honest, patriotic and capable, and nc will
do all that he can. General Butler said
he would have them, however, as far as
possible, by voice and vote, oppose the
method of filling up our armies by means
| OF large bount,es Large bounties did
not get the best men, and they were
putting great burden of taxation upon
the laboring men, besides being in other
respects measure Of questionable utility.
The General next referred to the pro
position which he made just after the
soldiers of the Army ofahc James had
said to the mob Of New York "Pcace,
be STILL" That proposition was one OF
unconditional pardon to the rebels If
they would submit to the laws. 1t was
objected to that this made no provision
for the freedom Of the negro. Why not
He regarded the emancipation proclama~
| ton of President Lincoln as the law OF
the land. If the rebels would not &C
cept that proposition, he proposed, in
filling up the Union armies for con
tinucd contest, to substitute for the
large bountics now paid possession OF
Southern soil, taking it from those who
made it a curse to the country instead OF
the blessing it was intended to be. In
conclusion, General Butler apologized for
speaking at such length. He was or
dered to report at Lowell, and he had
now reported in full They had right
to Know if their welcome was worthily
bestowed. He referred to tie apparent
prosperity of the people, and said that
General Terry would send them that
from Wilmington which would make all
their spindlcs turn with the hum of in
dustry.