Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-10-05


the speeches Of these gentlemen. They are
not worth the trouble. They we're both OPP
posed to President Johnson's plan OF re-
storing the Union they accused him ofa
usurpation oil power, and were both In favor
Of negro suffrage. One of them (Mr
Stokes) declared that the "loyal" men in
the Tennessee Legislature would, before
next Christmas, give negroes the right to
vote in that's State. i,.tA y
LII. Critchfeld, of this city, Vice-P Presi-
dent of the Radical Club, spoke or iead a
piece, being sort of biographical sketch
of Gen. Butler. Itwas rather a dull per-
formance. At the close, he complimented
the General very highly, and then intro
duced him to the audience.
GENERAL BUTLER's SPEECH.
p. The speech of Gen. Butler was neither
OF that order. of rhetoric or of logic, which
we had been led TO expect would come from
leader of his reputation among the Radi-
Gals. 1t was far from being eloquent, and
its augmentation was feeble and incon-
elusive. Very little applause was elected
during its delivery.
After some introductory remarks, Gen.
Butler referred to the ordinances of Sc
cession passed by eleven States, and said
that after the firing upon Fort Sumter, the
Northern States were released from all OBJ
legation to stand by or protect the seeded
ones. The rebellion, he alleged, to have
been owing to the fact that the Republic
can party, which had succeeded in electinga
President, was a sectional party, and op-
posed to slavery in the territories. -.
But he ayerred that after the war broke
out, and the eleven States had gone out of
the Union, that same Republican party
ceased to be sectional one, and became,
bya sort of magic transformation, nation
al one. And it was now the great mis-
sionary party Of freedom and reform to
which all nations should look. 1t was the
great teacher of freedom, justice and equal
ity to all, without distinction of race or
color. ... ...
Referring to the cessation of the war;
Gen. Butler said the great danger now was
that we should have an unquiet country,
unless the rebels should be made to repent,
and do works meet for repentance. The
people of the Southern States, he said,
might be received back under the Govern
ment, but not to take part in the Govern
ment. ....r.. ..r -.
He objected to receiving those people
back into the Union on an equality with
the people of other States. 1t had been
said that a State could not die. But he
wanted to know what would become of
the State of Rhode Island, for example, if
all the people of that State should die, or
should emigrate out of the State, or should
abjure their allegiance to the United States,
and swear fealty to another power, which
he declared the Southern States had done.
This the General thought clincher, prov
ing that State might die, and of course
establishing the Radical doctrine of dead
States. .... '.. .l.
He said that when belligerent rights
were, during the war, conceded to the reb-
els, they became armed public enemies,
and when they laid down their arms and
they became disarmed public
enemies; they were then paroled prisoners
of war, and the whole South became moth
ing but one vast camp of paroled pris-
oners. They surrendered, too, all their
rights except the right to be hanged. They
had forfeited all their rights, but had lost
none of their obligations. The General
did not say that they were even entitled to
a fair trial, but carried the idea that they
ought to be treated as outlaws, to be put to
death without judge or jury.
1t was said no State could secede. The
General seemed to be of different opinion;
1t any rate, he argued that a State could
commit suicide, as any individual person
,ould. A State, he urged, could lose all
It's rights, and this would be death.
1t was the province of Congress to die
tate terms of restoration. 1t was said. the
President had proposed conditions which
he South had acceded to. If so, he Gen.
b. was for standing to the bargain, though
t might be bad one.
These conditions were the abolition of
slavery, repeal of the ordinances of seces-
lion and reputation of the rebel war debt.
The General did not deny that the South
lad accepted these conditions, butts that
he two first had been forced upon the
south by our armies, and disposed of the
hird by the flippant remark that the
even before the war, would
lot pay their honest debts, and there was
10 danger that they would ever pay their
var debts. .t-,.rft..... ..r u..I......
Returning to his former position, that
he Southern people were merely paroled
,risoners of war, or as he called them,
Tohnson's pets, Gen. B. said the loyal men,
he Radicals of the North, might be will
ng to take them back into the Union-at |
east, said he, "we will think of IT,
when they shall be willing to receive and |
Welcome with open arms men from the
Worth promulgating Radical ideas, and
aides from the North to teach the black |
nd white children of the South. m brr.lI
General Butler was not satisfied with the
proposed Constitutional amendment which
those rebels who had borne
rms from holding Office under the U. S.
1t did not go far enough.
Ie would deprive them OF the elective
ranchise altogether. He would not dis
uss what should be done with the leaders
{ the rebellion. 1t would not do to vio-