Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-10-04
GeHeral Buffers Reply TO Greeley's
Pittsburgh Speech.

NVNOhhi butieT's hepiy 10 Ureeley'b
Pittsburgh Speech.
AN immense Republican demonstration
occurred at Cincinnati few evenings
ago, at which General Butler was one of
the. principal orators. He more particu-
larly addressed himself to Mr.. Greeley's
Pittsburgh speech. He said
Mr.. Greeley told the citizens of Pitts
burgh, after the great meeting OF the sol
diers Of the war, where there was not
werd of hate, not word of unkindness, not
single word OF harshness directed against
the rebels, that that meeting was for the pur.
pose of raising hate. He goes further and
says that the disloyal and rebel States have
done all that loyal men asked of them. He
says 1--WE demanded Of our adversaries In
the civil war that they surrender their arms
and go to their homes, and they surrendered
them" Let us see how that was. We de-
manded that they should surrender in 1861,
and they fought till 1865, and did not give
up their arms till they were struck from their
hands, and they went home in preference to
being hanged for their crimes. Now, what
candidate, who tells us OF our great civil
war, which cost us 800 900 lives In battle, and
$500 starved to death at Andersonville,
that we demanded that they should sur.
render their arms and go home. and they sur
rendered them 2 What further does Mr..
Greeley say 1--WE demanded that they
should enfranchlse the blacks, and the blacks
are enfranchised.n Who ever used words
so calculated to deceiveP Show me the vote
OF any State Of the South where Southern
men had control when they voted to enfran-
chize single negro, and will vote for
Horace Greeley, and that 10 the worst pun
ishment you could put upon me. What else
does he say 1--WE demanded that the
emaneipated slaves should not be paid for,
and that the rebel debt should nevor be paid
lAs.Nra .saN 49, as4l AIRNg
assented.h Now undertake to say there Is
not one word OF truth In that Not one.
What Is the fact The Fourteenth Amend.
ment was passed by a Republican Congress,
against the votes of every Democrat In that
Congress. 1t was then put before the people
as an amendment. Now that Fourteenth
Amendment provided
l. That every man should have the right to
vote.
2. That the slaves should not be paid for.
.. That the rebel debt should not be paid.
Ihat amendment was sent to the States.
Those that had Republican Legislatures vot-
ed to adopt it, but the States which did not
vote for 1t were; Kentucky, the only State
about here that Greeley has any hope of.
Next was the State of Mississippi, which was
then under Andrew Johnson's rule, and q
terrible ruler he was. Next we're the States
of Texas and Virginia, both of which were in
the hands of rebel governments.
But will come to a little nearer home.
The States Of Ohio and New Jersey did vote
to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, but
the next year the Democrats of Ohio got into
power, and then the Democratic Legislature
withdrew that ratification. The Democl attic
party of Ohio did not assent Virginia did
not assent. Kentucky did not assent. Texas
did not assent. Mississippi did not assent
What Southern State did assent? Georgia
did not assent until after the Constitutional
Amendment became a law of the land by
the vote of three-fourths of the States, and
then, when we had reconstructed Georgia
over again and put in new set Of loyal leg
1slators, and turned out everybody that
would not take the oath of loyalty to the
Government-then and not till then, did we
get the ratification of Georgia by the rebels
Georgia did not assent. Arkansas was il
the hands of the colored men and they die
assent. Florida was in the hands of the col
ored men and they assented North Caroline
turned the cold shoulder to Greeley the othei
day. She asse1ted; South Carolina, where
Alabama, where there is a majority of color
ed men in the Legislature, assuntod.
Now, then, we see that no Democrati,
congressman voted for the Fourteenth
Amendment, that no Democratic Legislator,
ratified and that no Southern rebel ever vet
agreed to it.
1--WE demanded" says Mr. Greeley, 'that
the emancipated slaves should not be paid
for, that the rebel debt should not be paid
and they assented." Who, 1 ask, is the
my iiS was spcdhlllE Oh inc reDelS, O
those new friends of his. They are Tho
they" have shown you the statement i:
wholly incorrect.
He goes on, $50 far as l can see, every de
mand made on the part of the loyal States oil
loyal people has been complied with on the
part OF those lately in rebellion. EVERYTHING
has been done that has been asked to be
done" To that | answer nothing has ever
been done that has been asked to be done by
the rebel States. Now what shall we say OF
man who asks to be President and who
knows the record because l took it out OF
the Tribune almanac (and don't suppose he
reads anything else), who makes such state
ments as these when he knows the contrary
to be the case? You know and the country
knows.
General Butler concluded with an elo
quent appeal for the preservation intact
OF alfthe rights of the colored citizens
secured by the amendments, wildly por
traying their devotion to the country tried
on hard fought fields, and earnestly pro
testing against turning the Administra
ton over to those in whose hands the
rights of colored men would not be re-
spected.
While the General was speaking it be
gan to rain and he stopped. Shouts of
GO on" filled the air, and he said "I car
stand it you can, " and put on his hat
and concluded his speech, the vast assem-
blage standing in the rain to hear him
through, and at last he had to beg off.
SO forcible, earnest and eloquent was
his speech that it seemed the thousands
listening would have stayed to listen fol
hours longer, though it rained all the
while.