Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-04-14
Speech Of Beast Butler at Harrisburg.

speech OF beast butler At HARRISBURG.
Ex.General Butler addressed the Pennsylvania
Legislature at Harrisburg on Wednesday, and said,
in substance that we might at least rejoice over the
cessation of armed hostilites, but had great cause
for sorrow in reviewing the political events of the
present hour, which convinced US we had not yet
gained all that for which we fought. When the
Rebel forces surrendered and their great leader
captured, the position of affairs at the South was
such that our impressions OF loyalty would have
been retained
If the President and Congress had then punished
Davis who deserted his seat in the Senate, and Lee,
who deserted his flag, and then, without shedding
more blood, had ordered those who left the army
and Congress- and those who served in the Rebel
Congress- to leave the country in sixty days and Tor
felt their property; and that those who had taken
an active part in the rebellion should not have pot-
cal power for at least long period as an unnatu
rallied foreigner, then peace, quietness and loyalty
would have regned in every Southern state.
The question now was simply whether these South
ern men, who deserted us once, shall be admitted 10
Congress without any guarantee that they VIII not
leave us again? If States can 60 out whenever they
please, why cannot they come back whenever they
please But the truth is, they never did go out.
Only some of the members of Congress, with the
sanction of their communities drew their salaries,
left their seats and went South. The same commu-
mites cannot expect to send other members to take
the place of those who absconded without the as
sent of Congress.
cided that the war was public and civil war, and
that those on the opposing soil were public enemies
Has there been anything to change these Southern
ers from this condition of public enemies? We
captured them entire-bodies, property and consti-
tuition and every other right, except that of being
hanged. The terms of Grant and Sherman gave no
political rights TO those who have opposed us. So
ciety in the rebellious States was disorganized.
How shall it be organized? Simply by extending
justice to all, and by acknowledging that every
man, whether white or black, has the right to be
equal with every other man.
On this principle the Union party must stand, if it
expects in this world smiles in the next
But il was said, why not extend this same principle
of equality to Pennsylvania and the Northern States!
The answer was, that the rights of Pennsylvania had
not been captured, and they had not been in rebel
lion. The Southerners were entitled to only what
we choose to give them, and beggars proyerbially
should not be choosers.
Ii would be but human nature if the Southern
members were admitted to Congress for them to re-
pudiate the debt incurred in whipping them, and if
a sufficient number were admitted to combine with
Northern Democrats, the majority thus created
would be preudicial to the interests of the country
General Butler dwelt at length upon this point
and alluded to the possibility of this majority of
disunionists in the future actually forming new
Congress- The remedy against this was to sustain
the present loyal men in Congress in their positions
In regard to the President he would cheerfuy
welcome his return back to the principles of those
who elected him, and would be glad to see him re-
deem his promise of making traitors odious, although
the only way he had yet suggested of doing this
was by admitting them to Congress-
We Our able contemporary of the Char
lottesville Chronicle whom we thought inclined last
fall and winter, to take over-hopeful views of the
condition and prospects of the South from the re-
suit of the war, now says:
We confess we never dreamed that the defeat of
the South by the North would pierce as deep as it
has done. We always anticipated, and felt con-
vinced that it would be bad enough for as highspir
tied people to have to submit on any conditions,
and to see their form of civilization wrested from
them by force and another form mo matter how
good or how bad) imposed upon them against their
will 1t was bad enough to contemplate the idea Of
the traditions and sentiments of Virginia. violently
tramped out by cOnquerors and strangers from Mas
sachusetts and New York-tO see our distinctive
life slowly whitening under influences planted and
sustained among us by the sword We had never
bent our necks to any yoke, and it was keen hui
initiation to have one imposed upon us however
light, or softly lined, or festooned with flowers
Not from any antipathy to the Union-but from the
pride that revolted against the holding of the South
by the North we amented the issue of the late war;
We supposed that apart from this sense of having
been Inundated, the restoration of the Union would
be tolerable enough. Of the material advantages
of the Union to the South we had always been
strongly convinced. We had never cherished in
ourselves or encouraged in Others any spirit of Sec
tionasm. We had loved the whole Union-and
had implicitly adopted the maxim; Liberty and
UniOn-one and inseparabe."
We thought that this loss of the distinctive indi-
vduality of the South, and the painful memory of
the naughty independence which she had formerly
asserted would be all that was involved in adopt
ing once more the flag of the Union. Slavery, of
course we accepted as destroyed by the war-and
had no regrets for it.
But we find that going back into the Union is no
child's play. We were badgered before the Union
was dissolved we were scOurged after the Union
was dissolved and We are tOrmented now that it is
restored. We are in the hands of cruel mob, who
hate us, and who having overpowered us and dis
armed us, are like the Phstines with Samson.
We supposed they would have treated us kindly.
We strangely fancied that they respect us, and
wanted to be friends with us on their own terms,
and that they would attempt to win our good will,
and reconcile us to being conquered.
We had Heuer looked into the heart Of ThGddeuS
SteUeRS. We had not reflected that the habits Of
life at the North tend to make men thoroughly sell
fish and to indurate the feelings. We had not well
studied that cold and ptess eye. We had not fully
apprehended the temper of the age, the fury of
We had failed to remember that
there is 4 strong resemblance between the Northern
people and Rome and that Rome sought her ag
without regard to human suffering,
and never 1elt sentiment OF maBnanlmlty.
Philip II. sought to assmilate the Netherlands to
Spain, and the rack and the gbbet and the inqui-
sition were eXered for half century to make them
The great moral job which the Northern mob pro-
poses to ITSELF and with as many sanctmonious pro
LESSONS as Philip, is to compel the Southern peo-
Pile to associate on equal terms with negroes-their
late slaves. Philip, however, maintained the Cath
olc religion in Spain; the Northern mob do not
practice negro equality at the North.
Because we are refractOry-they call to us" You
you become loyal, the gate of the Union stands
open to receive you-and it is very easy to show
your loyalty by allowing the negroes to vote-you
miserable trators'
They are doing all they can to embitter the whites
ut the South against the blacks. They are not ben
eftting the latter, and they are nursing hate on
The part of the former that may prove dangerous
some day. however it may be despsed now. 1t is
never well to make men desperate.