The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-06-14
GEN. SHERMAN.
HE GIVES HIS VIEWS AS TO THE
WAR AND THE NEGROES.

The interest, in Chicago, to see Gen. Sher
man and hear him speak, continues unabat-
cd. At every step, almost. his path is
blocked by thousands who cheer him, and
insist on shaking hands with him and hear
ing word or two from him. He grati6es
them all as we'll as he can, aud after a hard
days work at hand shaking and little speech
making, retires to rest,-but they generally
call him up, at midnight, by a serenade, and
make him show himself and say something
more.
On Friday night, about II or l o'clock, a
splendid serenade was given him by Battery
A, of the Chicago Light Artillery, and, in
response. the Chicago papers report him as
saying
1t afforded him much pleasure to meet the
members of Battery A, tor he was well aware
of the services they had rendered to the
country. He was really glad to meet them,
and he did not think he could occupy their
| time better to night, then by telling them of
the many secrets and thoughts whiah had
occuied their minds, when they occupied
| their camps. The great question with them,
as doubtless it was with thousands of others,
was, why was this war, which We have
Just concluded, and what was the occasion of
it?" He said he thought he could
tell them. But in order that they might I'M
derstand him, he would require to refer to
the time previous to the revolution. lie then
alluded to the introduction of slavery into
the colonies, owing to the high price of labor
and the scarcity of laborers. He adyerted to
the fact that, while Georgia was q free colo
ny, slaves were held in New York and Mas
sachusetts. After abiding to the dividing
line between the north and the south, he
spoke Of the trouble in Kansas and Califor-
MIA, which he considered not as a struggle to
make them slave states, but to secure the
senatorial votes of these states and the power
accompanying their votes. He attributed
the war to the workings of the politicians
of the SOUTH with whom 1T was simply a
question of dollars and cents.
He then complimented the members of Bat
terry A. and the other young men who had
rushed to the defense of their country, in the
first hour of danger He considered them
the saviours OF the country, and would al
ways consider them to be So They were the
true saviOurs of the country, as he we'll knew
their motive for entering the army, which
was the welfare of their country.
AdVerting to the negroes, who had been
made free, he said that the government would
| require TO institute some system OF labor, IN
order that the lands of the south might be
cultivated. Applause. He wanted those
who had been In the south, to bear testimony
| to the condition of these freed negroes. His
own personal opinion was, that they were
not fitted for the exercise of the franchise
Loud cheers. He wanted them to get a
fair price tor their labor-to own and Guilt
vate the lands but he did not think they
were fitted to take part in the legislation of
the country. Renewed cheering
Gen. Sherman then said he would always
watch the career of those before him, now
that they had returned TO private life. He
had watched their career Us soldiers. and
could bear testimony to the valuable services
they had rendered. Applause. If he had
ever done any thing to Battery A, that they
thought harsh, or severe, he had only to say,
81 beg your pardon" Loud cheering, amid
which the general resumed his seat
After short speeches by Maj. Willard and
others, the proceedings terminated.