Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-03-01
AN INTERVIEW WITH GEN. BUTLER.
HIS Views upon she Political Situa-
ton. and the Questions Of the Day.


in the passage OF what is known as the Force
bill by the House of Representatives late
Saturday night, a STAR reporter visited Gen.
Butler at his residence, and finding him in
very good humor talked nearly an hour with
him. The reporter took notes and figures in
order that no senteEtiOus phrase of his might
be distorted, and that no one of his positions
in whole or part might be misrepresented i'm
the subjects touched upon. The following is
a detailed report of the conversations:
q. General, what do you think of the action
of Congress in the last few days in passing the
civil rights bill and the bill which is called
ABOUT 1.-THE FORCE BILL"
A. don't recognize the latter bin by that
name. When Jackson was Obliged to stop
the notification proceedings in South Car
DINA, Webster drew a bill for that pu pose
by which the revenues might be collected,
and the secessionists of that day denomi
mated IL " force bill" and ii received by n
democratic Congress the same term OF de-
rision that is now applied by the
NEw-FAsHIONED DEMOCRATS OF TO-DAY
to the bill which the House passed Saturday
night. / hope the bill will go through the
Senate, as the civil rights bill has DONE The
two will supplement the measures OF the re-
publican party 10 finish their work, and will
be an evidence To the country OF the return
ing vitality of the party. We have FILTERED
a~sy Tn eac Sst Two years OF our power In Con
y
better than the other, and in Investigations,
fruitful only in the result which is stated In
the Nation newspaper, that the people re-
qulre proof OF the innocence of the average
Congressman of corruption. An examina-
tion of the yoies will show that the party in
the House have nObly broken away from its
leaders in doing this.
WHAT GEN. BUTLER THINKS ABOUT THE
REPUBLICAN LEADERS OF THE HOUSE.
None of those who claim to be the leaders
or organs of the House are found voting with
the republican majority, but with the demo
cratic minority. The situation and manner
in when this bin passed are precisely similar
TO those in 1871, when the kukluX bill was
Pc sSed. That was not done except as against
the protest of the official leaders of the House;
and yet such was its benifcent effects upon
the country that IL was claimed by those
same leaders on the stump in 1872 as having
been the browning glory OF republican legiS-
lation, and endorsed by the people precisely
cliHed 10 believe that its good effects will be
seen in the coming elections in New Hamp-
shire and Connecticut. II not so, 10 will be
because the members from Connecticut, with
one notable exception, voted against it.
There is another coincidence quite as re-
markable. The kukluX law was passed
against the opinion of the leading republican
newspapers, precisely as this enforcement bill
has been.
IS AFRAID THE BILL WILL NOT GET
THROUGH THE SENATE.
am afraid, so much time has been allowed
to be wasted in its consideration, that there
will not be opportunity TO pass 1t through
the Senate against what possibly may be
the factious opposition OF minority talking
against time But even II IL fails in the Sem
ate the declaration by the republican major
ity OF the House will largely strengthen the
hands of the President in using all the power
that is confided TO him under the original
ku-klux law 10 prevent the disorders and
crimes in some of the southern states which
have been so fully demonstrated beyond
n m m T.
tees upon the state of affairs in Alabama,
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. In
deed, In my judgment il IL much better that
the deficiency and even the sundry civil APP
preparation bill should fail than that this
measure should not be adopted to strengthen
the hands OF the Executive, so that the peace
OF the country may be preserved, and we may
not
DRIFT INTO ANOTHER WAR,
which without il seems not only possible but
imminent. Not that ! believe that war is
desired by the older, clearer-headed ana
thinking men of the South, especially ll,~
who took part in the field in the "a 70 6ne bnf
neither was war desirc.,i nor Thought OF by
the same ci..s,s IN 1860; but the hof- bloodei
ufeisy, and thoughtess, backed by the
southern press, which was as violent then as
now, drove that portion of the county into
the war against the better judgment OF sober.
wiser men and It's thinking statesmen
q. General, they hammered you great
deal III this matter, but you appear 10 be
happy under it?
y. If / am not happy, it is not because of
the hammering of my opponents, either
inside or outside OF the party. 1 was very
glad To receive any abuse, either personal or
ether, in so good a cause, and should have
felt disappointed If had not got it.
SADNESS OF GEN. BUTLER.
But | am sad in view of the future To
melville / hope / am not needlessly
alaTmed-there has been no darker day since
left Washington in December, 1850, TO go
home TO Massachusetts and advise Governor
Andrew in view of the immediate future. 10
put the militia of Massachusetts, at once on a
war footing, as then did.
GEN. BUTLER ON THE NEXT WAR.
/ saw the danger then from seeing the
temper of the southern men, not Of southern
statesmen. ! see il now through the same
medium. Domestic wars are never planned.
Allhistory shows that nations drift into them
against the better Judgment of the sober and
right thinking men of both contending fac
ruling Providence in favor OF the destiny of
this country that gives me substantial hope
now. And yet nope. above all things. that
my loTebodings are unfounded and unsuo-
stantial.
ABOUT THE WHEELER COMPROMISES.
z. Do you think the Wheeler compromise
will BRING the entire peace that j. claimed i
Will for Louisiana?
a. BY no means. No enforced compromise
ever brought peace. Louisiana never has
ton. / was told when was there that, on
the morning after the Presidential vote al
Buchanans election, there were nineteen
dead bodies found i'm the streets of New
Orleans, and they have not improved since.
Louisiana has never had her Presidential
vote weigh in a contest since 1860. A I'D this
* one of the changes in the immediate future
which troubles me. In the Presidential con-
test in lS16
THE PEOPLE WILL NEVER SUBMIT
10 have President elected by the votes OF
the southern states, controlled by ku-kux
and white raiders, by intimidation and force
! Whichever party prevalS-and a. believe
that force in elections is the ruling power
there and not the peaceful ballot Il fear the
connection which may arise out OF the very
counting of the vote. The means of doing IL
in a convention of the two Houses are so
feeble and so cumbrous, that in any counting
of votes where there is a substantial contest
there will be only anarchy and confusion.
TROUBLE ANTICIPATED IN THE NEXT
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
The contest between Burr and Jefferson
was final, because IL was an election in the
House of Representatives, which has itself a
casting vote. The counting of the votes OF
electoral colleges, the honesty and propriety
of whose election are in dispute by the House
and Senate. may be very different thing;
and the only hope of peace may be that at