New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-15
prJrgER ON THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY.

We COPY the 1OliOWmS SpecIdl ulSptNscH
from the st. Louis Democrat:
New York, November 9.--The Tribune
will publish tomorrow an important letter
rom Lowell, Massachusetts, which, it says
ed;toriallv, is from an entirely anthem
stance that General Butler, in q recent
conversation, said that he intended to
make a speech at an early day upon what
he holds to be the policy the adInmlstra-
ton ought to pursue in order to keep the
Republican party together and give 1t new
yigor and such a hold upon the pubic con-
fidence as to insure its triumph in the next
Presidential election and he gave an out
line of the opinions he intended to present.
: The Republican party he said is not row
united upon q single question OF public
policy. Upon the tariff question it is split
in two by the backbone Of the Alleghenes;
upon ali financial issues the provision is
almost as marked. The party has no Longer
any coherent force, and recognizes nC
leadership. 1t gives no support to the adj
ministration, it has chosen which was not
able at the last session of Congress TO carry
o single one of the measures it proposed
The San Domingo treaty failed il he
Senate, in spite of all the influences Tie
President could bring to bear.
CresswelFs one idea OF abolishing Ike
ranking privilege, was lost.
The Secretary of the Navy did not get
the appropriations he asked for to carry on
his department. The army was reduced.
notwithstanding the protests Of the war de
partment. The Attorney Generals Office
was knocked into pie. Boutwells financial
measures were badly cut mp. There was
never an administration possessing so Itttc
influence with a Congress OF its own party
The Republican party, General Bnt er
thinks, has been kept above water 1or he
p:rst two years solely by the unwilhn5ness
of the people to intrust power 10 a party
which sided with the country's enemies dur
ing the war. These memories viii not last
much longer, however, and can not ne
counted upon to furnish political capital for
the presidential struggle two years hence.
By that time the Democrats will have f,lil =
accepted the results of the war; reconstruc-
tion, suffrage and all the domestic issues
growing out it will have been fully settled
and finally disposed of. and will furnish no
possible foundation for the Republican
party to construct a platform.
There is one question of the war, how
ever, that Is not settled, and that is the for
eign question. The wounds received by
our national honor at the hands o. Great
Britain are not healed, and the duty and
true policy OF the administration, according
to General Butler, is to at once demand and
enforce the settlement of the Alabama
President can lead the Republican party
and unite it in his support.
A vigorous prosecution of the claims to a
satisfactory settlement within the next year
would make the reelection of Grant ineyi-
table. The people would rally to his sup
port with enthusiasm, and the Republican
party would be given immense strength,
and new lease of life. In reply to dues-
ton as to the nature of the settlement he
would have proposed to England. and the
way of bringing it about, General Butler
said that special agent or ambassador eX-
traOrdinary should be sent Immediately to
London and instructed to put the case to
Earl Granville somewhat in this way:
We have waited long enough for a settle
ment of these claims, my lord, and we pro
Dose TO wait no longer. They are constant
cause of irritation between our government
and yours, and between our people and
yours, and no good can come of longer delay
Besides, it has become a question OF political
policy with us at home. and we are deter
mined to have q settlement, amicably ii pos
siblc, and if not, by other means; as between
your government and ours these claims are
very heavy. The damage to our commerce
ny your pirate was enormous, and the pro
aongation of the war caused by your course
an incalcnlable injury to us.
No amount of money which You are ab.<
to pay would make full reparation for tho
wrong you did u.s. still as between our gov
eminent and our own citizens these claims
are not large. Many ship owners who LOST
vessels were insured. We would not have
to pay them nor the insurance companies
who were compensated for their losses b.
the war risks they changed in their pre-
miuns nor would it be practicable to return
TO ship owners the extra premiums they
paid, nor make good the actual losses in the
great loss sustained by our commerce in Z
general way by the destruction otiour ocean
carrying trade. We should only have tt
pay our citizens who actually lost ships OF
merchandise, and were not insured This
fact, however, does not lessen the magnitude
of the claim we have, as Il nation, -ainSt
Great Britain. but enables us to offer you
liberal terms of settlement. Now these are
the terms we offer YOU We will assume the
claims and settle with our people, and We
viii take from you all your provinces north
of us--thcy are only burden to you and
must sooner or later gravitate to Us.
We want them now to get rid OF the ey-
pensc and annoyance of keeping custom
houses on a frontier Of five thousand miles
and to settle the trouble about the from
tiers.
We do not propose, however, that you
should barter them away, nor abondon them
in any dshOnorable manner. We viii have
aplebiscitum, and will agree to take only
such provinces as shall freely elect to join
The United States, but the vote must be
taken for provinces, for we will have
nothing to do with your Dominion, which
you have put up to make an untl1cndly
power on our northern border, when YOU
thought we should have q powerful enemy
at the south in the successful Confederate
States
When the vote was taken, which must be
done without any influence of your govern
n1ent agents, we will give you receipt in
full of all claims we have against YOU, and
take only such provinces as vote aye on the
question. This we consider q very liberal
offer on our part, and it is our uli;matum.
Ii you do hot accept ii we propose TO ti"ht.
With such q course on the part OF the
administration General Butler is confident
would electrify the whole country and
bring such n powerful public sentiment o
the support of the President that his re-
election would he sure to follow. England.
b thinks, would come to our e ms at once,
when she saw we were in earnest and deter
mined to enforce them there would be 10
war, for England does not go to war With
any first-elass power.
The provinces would vote to Join rs or if
only one of them should have got in, Tie
entire wedge OF the dominion would have
been split in power, and the other provinces
would be sure to come to us in a year or two
With few millions we could pay the
people whose property was actually dc
stroyed by the British pirate, and We would
more than get it back again by our in
creased revenue FROM our enlarged domain
End our increased commerce.
1t is understood that General Rutlor has
Urged these views upon the administration
& Pinciky Traveller.
We copy the following from the Meriden