Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-09-19
THE PRESIDENTS POLICY. q
The Speech Of the Campaign,
DELIVERED BY
GEN. BENZ. F. BUTLER,
At Gloucester, Mass,
On Saturday, August IS, 1866.
Mr.. CHGlRxAN, MY FRIENDS AND NEIGH.

Mr.. CHAIRMAN, NY FRIENDS AND MICH
BoRs:
Allow me, in the first place, to thank
you for the opportunity which you have
so courteously afforded me of speaking
upon the issues of the day. They are
very simple, they are unchanged, they
are the same now that they were in 1861;
they are, perhaps, being followed out in
a different field, but they are to complete
the issues then left unfinished.
In 1861, the representatives in Congress
of the present eleven insurgent States,
aided by some others, left their seats in
the Congress of the United States, for the
purpose of destroying this Government.
And anu one of those who believe that
they desire now to return to their seats
for like purpose. Let us calmly, candid
", Justly reason together upon this mat
ter, and if, upon the whole, we are con-
vinced that the issue is such as have in
dicated, then the plain duty of every 10y
al man, of every true lover of his country,
is seen in the coming political contest, as
it was seen in the great contest of armies
which has just been concluded.
We remember, and we have by far too
many reminders to forget, that for the
purpose of making great slave empire
and for the purpose of. holding political
power, which the great growth of indust-
~ and enterprise of the North was tax
ing away from them, with a wickedness
unparalleled, without any possible cause
except the constitutional election of a
President-the choice of the great body
of the people-these eleven insurgent
States of the Union, went out of the
Union. Now, let no man misunderstood
me. When 1 use the term event out OF
the Union" do not mean that by their
acts they altered the governmental right
of the United States. All remain, in
spite of secession, in spite of rebellion, in
spite of treason; all remain under the
government of the United States, subject
to its laws, amenable to its tribunals,
and holding it by the power of its arms.
But these insurgents going forward, Or
ganized themselves into communities
bound by the old boundaries of the State.
They passed ordinances of secession,
made themselves constitution, repudia-
ted all their constitutional obligations,
elected for themselves a general and diff
ferent form of government, making the
cornerstone from slavery, and declared
themselves forever free from all political
obligations to the United States, or any
rights under its Constitution or any amen
tiles to its laws. They enacted laws for
themselves; they raised armies, and went
forward to an extent and with an audac-
ity unparalleled; and, summing it up in
q word, they fought for four years with a
determination and bravery which, in a
good cause, would have been worthy the
admiration of the world, and with feroc-
ity and cruelty to their opponents and
prisoners of war whom they captured
from the United States, unparalleled in the
history of war. These men were subjects
of the United States, but no less subjects
because they were traitors, and no less
traitors because they were enemies
With varied fortune, at some time SEEM
ing so dark, that convention assembled
at Chicago and declared the war fail
ure, at some time SO dark that even good
and loyal men, putting their trust in the
good God, who had guided their fathers
and would protect their sons. doubted
the existence of controlling power; but
by the bravery of our soldiers, by the
patriotism of our people, and by the sta
bility Of our institutions, we in the sprin G
of 1865 were enabled to conquer and cap
ture every foot of territory, and every
army of the rebellion.
My friends, what did we capture, with
the exception of men? What were these
men in the judgment and unanimous
opinion of the Supreme Court of the Uni
ted States? They were public enemies,
captured in war, surrendered by the sur
render of the armies which they had
raised to uploot the Government of the
United States, and when we captured
them we captured every thing they had.
We captured men and property, their
slaves, their rights, constitutional and
otherwise. All were conquered-and in
deed one General of the United States
had occasion to define what rights were
left to captured rebels. and that definition
never has been disputed, and need not
say that in the judgment of one General
can not be disputed-that the only right
left to captured rebels was the right to
hang. (Applause.) If they received any
thing else it was from clemency and mer-
cy and not from justice. Loud APP
plause.
At the moment when the conquering
armies of the United States were sweep
luB over IQe lAQu lffoslfllUlg, anu nnoA
the power of the Confederacy was being
fractured, and when their President was
fleeing and pursued by the cavalry of the
United States, at that moment, in the
spirit that starved our prisoners in Libby,
Belle Isle and Andersonville, they raised
the assassin hand of Booth against the
great and good Lincoln, the last crown
ing infamy Of the war. And they raised
the Vice President of these United States
into power, and while propose to deal
with all his acts and opinions with thai
respect due to any man in high Office, il
will yet be necessary to examine those
acts and opinions.
He then declared that treason should
be made odious, and traitors should be
punished. That declaration was made Il
every committee from every State thai
visited him, and need not tell this aud
ienee how that declaration thrilled every
loyal heart. Every man said, "Wel i
We have lost Lincoln, We have got John
son, and the rebels will fare worse with
him than with Lincoln" He issued hi
proclamation for a reward for the princi
pal conspirators. He refused to sanction
/ the terms of surrender bv Sherman Il