New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-08-13
General Butler on Daniel O'Couuel..

4
Quincy. which occurred On the eve Of tn
centennial celebration Of the birthday c
DAME! O'Conneu, General B. F. Butler re
sponded to the toast "The Cn:ted States.
and spoke as follows:
Mr. Presidens-First, as In iu.v bound
thanking you and the gent lemen here fo
the kind impression toward myself. | TAX
pleasure in responding tc what believs t
be the sentiment OF the people of the Unitet
Staee. toward him whose memory we ar,
here this night TO keep green, and towar,
the nation whose champion he was. We O
the United States had peculiar birth
Our fathers were Of different national;ties
different creeds. different modes of thought
almost in every regard different, excep,
they were all animated by a common love
OF liberty. They all had one watch hword-
liberty and freedom. and equality of rights
to all. Much has been SAID OF Plymouth
Rock. You will allow me to say, in ths
words of another, without ofense to Irish
men. that Plymouth Rock is the blarpsv
stone OF America. You. sweet woman
poet. Mrs. Hemans, has said that GU.
fathers sought and the,e they found
freedom 10 worship God. Oh, NO. that
i. exactly what they didn': seek
They sough: FOR freedom to worship
God as they desired. and for the
right 20 prevent anybody else from wer-
shipping God in any other way. And they
whipped the Quakers, drove out the Bap-
lists, and made the Episeopaiia1s take back
seats, because they ieit that :hey were 60
ing straight 20 hell fire and eternal damaa.
tioa. And in that. ny :rienGs. they were
logically correct. because believing that
theC. the puri.ans, were right, and that
everybody else was wrong. and that every
body that did not worship God in precisely
the manner tina: they worshiped God was
sure % eternal fire and birthstone. why
should not they do all that they could IN
th;s world to prevent others from suffering
hell through all eternity They came here
from Holland, not because they were then
oppressed. but because they had too much
religious freedom; and. in the language of
ele of their chief leaders. they came here
because the religious freedom Of Holland
allowed their young men and maiders to
stray into other churches. where God was
not wOrshiped according to the We've thew
held. And we have had some of that even
to this day. I remember. sir. a long time
ago-more than, thank God, most Of this
assembly can remember. for they have be.
tore them that long life Of usefu ness, honor
and endeavOr for the country of their adop.
ton which is fast passing from my grasp
can remember when on the ne!ghboring
hill l saw the flames Of the burning pile in
religious community. because ;n opposi.
tion to the spirit of our Puritan fathers
! can remember. sir, that while we claimed
that here was freedom for ali men. that
here every man could follow the dictates
OF his own conscience as he pleased, that
still some portions OF our country. against
the spirit Of our institutions. against the
spirit OF our laws. against that spirit for
vrhi oh, <otl, IoL
Hill and Lexington, at Concord and on all
the bloody battle fields Of the Revolution
men were prosecuted for not only religious
opinions. but because OF their IT, .o,lality
and the land Of their birth.
: I remember, sir. when on yonder eommon
a band Of young men. organized iu military
array. learning the art OF war. in order that
they might defend t5e interests of the
country which they had made their own,
and they were driven from it. from the line
o. the military command. with stones and
ieers. and SCOTS and gibes. simply because
they were not born on American soil. I re.
again, sir, in lS5, and 1856, when
the cry went out, "Put none but Americans
in command" and when men were ostra-
cized because they felt that these men that
led from oppression in Europe. who had
come here searching for liberty and free.
dom, were fit to be citizens Of free repub-
lie. That day, thank God. has passed away,
and now on this soil there is no persecution
agains: men for the place of their birth.
And what has led to this great change,
Let me go back a moment. In 1898. there
was on the green isle Of the ocean happy,
prosperous people. Manufac.
lures iourished. and industry. peculiar to
he country. had made everything flourish.
and riches and honor and prosperity unex-
,mpied seemed to belong to that people.
But the expressions OF tie government,
which has not yet raised its hands from
hem. the exactiOns of the bonded land
ords soon reduced that 5000, 600 Of people
lowa TO 4,0O0.000, and that 1000, 900 came
% America. and the Jacksons and the John.
ons and the Folks of North Carolina, and
hose That gathered around Carroll. in
Maryland. laid here the deep foundation of
eligious. political, national liberty. and. as
have before recalled to your mind, still
here fingered a PREF j1dice among those
Who were here before them. That
'fejudice descended from father to
on with the results I have named,
tut the spirit of OConneli animated the
,osoms OF men like Garrison and Phillips.
hey looked abroad in this land and saw
here was an oppressed race here, and, with
he same devotion to liberty and right tha:
)Conneu had. they insisted that that race
hOlid bs tree. That conflict Of opinion !
rought on tine war, and IN that war brother |
vas arrayeG against brother, lnen were ar.
aged in deadly strifs against eacf, other
pom an idea, and that idea vas of socia! |
nd political equality Of all men. and in |!
efense Of that idea thousands o. lrishmen |
prang to arms and stood shoulder to shoul. !
er. fighting the battles Of the country |
'hieh they had adopted. and which had |
n tfG,n y ~ ~ 10
their fathers, home Of iioe.tT ard free. |
ON to all men, and Antietata, tho Wilder. !
ess. and the battles OF the war settled the !
uestloL that lrishmen il this coUntry we're
10 true defenders OF Iibest; and equality |
rights OF all men.
And what has been the result All pre;u.
ICE OF nationality is gone. but Que still re-
AIMS. A certain religious pref udice, which |
always the most difficult of eradication.
70 are not quite willing that every man
lall worship God exactly in accord with
s own conscience. We insist upon setting
. our conviction Of right, bu: that is the
st vestige OF prejudice or Of wrong that
mains 10 the United States. and that,
aok God. IS fast passing away. There /
g now nearly as many Irish men and
omen IN this country as in the Old World.
here is the largest Irish city in the world
this country--the city of New York. And
ere are more frishmen in the good city of
'ston than in any city of Ireland, save
ublin. iou and your tathers-stop a
lnute-we and our fathers have brought
this city that ideal Irish opinion of tree.
M and of equality of right, of that power
aich belongs to every man to carve out |
3 own fortune ia his own way. that EN-
81 dreamed of, Wolf sought and labored |
r. Grattan thundered his e!oquence for.
d OConneI laid down his life for: for he
ed OF broken heart because of British
preston on his countrymsn and the fail.
g Of his great effort to redeem them from |
preston at home; and that oppression |
Owe them here. And as not very re-
'te son of Ireland, LOOK forward 10 the !
ne when Ireland shall govern New Eng
Id. and New England govern the United |