New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-04
RINGING WORDS FROM GENERAL
BUTLER.

On the thirtieth of May, at Music Hall,
Boston, General B. F. Butler addressed the
Grand Army Posts of that city. The fol
lowing is the concluding portion of his ad
drees, end is specially pertinent to the stu
alton of affairs in the reconstructed South:
Whole communities are never wrong in
intention, howeve: mucn they may err in
action. 1t il automatic in government, that
Iodies of men never sacrifice their lives
willingly in support of injustice and sin.
They may sometimes DO it at the command
of an ambitious and wicked ruler, but never
can only nationally account for the fact
that to-day, while with the slow foot of
sorrow We approach the last resting places
of our comrades, whose lives were taken by
those who had rebelled against law, order,
constitutional right, yea, the eternal prin-
ciples Of justice themselves, to decorate the
graves of our loved ones so lost, We
do it with scarcely feeling of bitterness
toward those by whose hands they fell. In
deed, do We forget all injuries OF the past;
but we do ask those who slew our comrades
not to permit the dishonor Of their meme
RES and cause it to be demonstrated that
their great sacrifices were in vain, that their
suffsrinRs were q Mockery, their deaths use
less, and SO redOuble oar griefs by allowing
on the part Of the Southern people persist
ent enGeavers to overturn and trample
under foot the principles of equality and
right which we believed we had established
the sufferings and privation of 90 many
campaigns, BY the hundreds of thousands
slain on 90 many battlefelds or dying be-
cause of privatiOns and starvation IN pris
0ns, BY the 0rphsnage of myriads of chill
dren ct home, by the widowhood Of 90
many happy wives. by the desolation of 80
many hearthstones, by the grief OF 80 many
sons and brothers, agonies of so many
mothers, by the helpleseness of 30 many
fathers who now in their old age t0tter to
their graves uacared tor and unsupported
by l0et sons.
Those who raised the standard of re-
beliion, and fought for its success, whether
in the belief they were in the right or
wrong, submitted the questions between
the sections to the dread and final srbiter
of al disputes between naiions-the trial
by battle. The North has won; the South
has lost. They know for what we fought.
tegrity and solidarity of our people rs
one nation. They know we fought to estab-
lish the right Of every American citizen to
be protected by the nations power and the
nations justice, in his life and liberty and
pursuit of happiness, on every foot Of
American soil. Thai we fought to give
equality of right, equality Of burden and
equality of power to every man who had
right to claim the privileges and iEmunities
of an American citizen. They know that
even as We fought We embodied in the con-
stltutiUD of our country, as guarantee that
it should remain forever, American citizen
chip 10 every man born on our soil. This
b-ing the issue made up between the con-
tending parties, fully and completely un.
derstood and won by US by the judgment
of the very tribunal whose decision they
Invoked by the opening gun fired upon the
flag at Sumter. shall we not call upon them
ought they not to ans ~er that call, that
they shall abide the result. and if not will
lingly. yet scrupnlously, observe with more
jealous care than Ii they did so willingly,
every right thus acquired. every power
thus conferred upon every citizen of the
United States. however humble and l,wly,
and the more jealousy and the more
scrupulously toward the most humble and
unprotected!
Having spent millions OF treasure, rivers
Of blood, fountains OF tears and sgOnies,
che means of which were as tie murmurs
Of the ocean, that We might have law main
tanned, order preserved, quiet restored,
rights respected, SO that the numblest cabin
should be castle of protection to it's still
more humble occupant, may we not, nay,
snail We not, must We not, insist that this
go great price shall not have been given in
vain, and all results from it lost! Is there
a Utter time to insist on this, our clear and
uaquestioned right, than at this very time
when we bear flowers, accompanied by the
widowed mother and the waiting orphans,
and lay them as tribute on the graves of
those whose invaluable lives were portion
OF this price that was paid! Ii we have
gained all this, then our sorrows may
cease, and the grave we hallow becomes
but reminder of pleasant memories of its
occupant, in contemplating how great q
boon he that sleeps there has aided in Civ
ing to the nation and to mankind
Not remembering the past, willing to !
bury in perpetual oblivion it's misguided
acts, eager never again to have them re-
called to US, washing out all that is gone BY |
with the very waves Of the Lethe of forget
fulness, ought We not hereafter to hold him |
q friend who faithfully and conscientiously |
shows that he has accepted the final results |
OF the issues OF the war by becoming a law
abiding, orderly and quiet citizen, giving |
his best aid to preserve order and maintain |
peace, atstaining from ringement of the
Just rights Of another, and, az far as he |
may, protecting him in the enjoyment of |
those rights. And shall we rot hold as our |
enemy, the enemy of the country, and still |
more. the enemy of these our dead com.
rades, whose sacred memories we cherish |
forever, whoever shall use either superior.
lty OF race, organization learned in war
against US, political power however OBJ |
Sained, to maltreat, Cypress or injure the |
humb!est citizen of the land, even if once |
he were the oppressors slave? Shall we |
not say, "As ye do to the meanest of these, |
30 also ye DO unto Ne; and yet further, that /
ye do it unto those who died that We mioht |
I've in peace, protected under the flag Of |
our country with An equal right to seek /
b happiness sheltered by iss poweri
desire to accuse no man wrolgfully. II