New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-23
THE MASSACHUSETTS CAMPAIGN


The MASSACHUSETTS CAMFAlGN
Gcu'9 81 ---- -----s-.-- 49, s4fAa..
GEN. DUTIEnas AccEPTANc1
THE CAMP FIRES RgL1eHTED
In sceepting the nomination to Congress
rendered him by the Republicans of, the
seventh Massachusetts district, General b
+. Butler has written the following state
ment of the political situatien: r.
l should be dead to every emotion o1
the pomjna Ehioh tha. delegates chosen,
after most thorough canvase, by the pe0.
pie Of this district, have 20 greatly honOred
me. Under the food of calumny and vi.
tuperarion poured upon me for daring,
even, to seek place 50 honorable, in which
to do what may by earnest labor for the
public good, this result Of the expressed
opinion of those of my neighbors and
friends with whom / have lived, man and
boy, for nearly fifty years, Of their appre.
ciatiOn Of my wish and capacity to serve
them as their Representative in Congress, /
shall ever. cherish ss the fullest honor of
my life. : - ra.. e-,r-.. .,H
/ accept your nomination as . Repub-
licsn. Standing on the platform of princi
pies by which Republicans are governed in
their action as Republicans, the platform
upon which Sumner, Wilson, Andrew and
Lincoln stood and battled for the equal
rights of all men before the laws, the unity
of the country and the natiOn's hfe.
Nor is it less grateful to the heart thst
within the borders of this district the con-
test thus far has been 60 conducted - not
to leave q trace of bite rness or feeling Of
uDkindess in my heart toward any individ-
ual. / accord to those of you who have diff
fered with me the same honesty of purpO 20,
the Same desire for the welfare of the cOun-
try, the same love of it's institutions. the
Same hope for their perpetuation, the same
desire to do the right - you zee the right.
as claim for those who have supported
me, and for myself. Therefore, II your 90.
lection shall be followed by IN election BY
the votes Of tho people, l can we'll repre-.
sent oil ths people Of tho district without
Q thought seve to act for the best interests
of each and al. fF
And especially am bou.d to say that
from my political opponents in the Democ-
racy in the district have received 90 much
Of courtesy md kindnoes and expressions Of
personal esteem, while they differed with
me in political vieWs, that am almost In
dasger Of being biased in my action in
Congress up0n topics ON which they differ
from me, BY the obligations under which
they have placed me, Of personal gratitude.
Nor do believe upon the great subject
which in my opinion forms the distinguish.
ing feature of difference between the two
parties, that the right feeling and patriotic
Democrats Of the North, and especially Of
this section, are IN major part so far re-
moved from Us of the Republican party.
Indeed We oil desire one ana tho same
thing in relation to the affAirs Of the several
States lately in rebellion-that they should
be peaceful, quiet, prosperous, progressive,
living under laws 90 executed as to secure
the amplest personal liberty and personal
rights Of each and all. Wherein We do differ
may be attained. Certain am that if
Northern Democratic believed as believe,
as to the actual condition of political and
social affairs in the South, and the laws
and the execution Of them there, the same
patriotism which impelled 90 many Dem-
ocrats to take part with us to subdue and
crush out the spirit of treason and rebellion
which, in 1861, caused the Democracy of
the South TO attempt to overrurn the gov.
ernment and set up an empire for them
selves, the corner stone of which shOuld be
slavery, in breach of every constitutional
obligation 6nd in violation of the rights Of
every State in the Union NOT cOneentiBg TO
The wrong, that each and every one of them
would 20 with me as tar as / would go, to
secure the results of the war, and that re-
cognition of equality of right and equality
of power in all men living under our gov.
ernment, and that fullness of protec ion in
their rights, for which We ell together
fought.
1t will be my endeavor, therefore, in the
coming canvass, when I meet my fellow
citizens, to convince them of what they,
many of them, do not now believe, that
the same state of feeling, the came disre.
gard of the constitutional rights Of others.
the Same lawleesness, and the same terror
ism for the same uDjusti6sble purposes ex-
ist in the South nov as then. Nor is evi-
minded man of this if the truth and the
fact can b brought homo to the minds snd
consciences of the people.
You will permit me, know, to detaln you
hero and now, while deduce some most
Dertinent and convincing pieees Of evidence
to show that it 10 the present purpose of tho
Confederate leaders Of the south to accom-
plish BY fraud and force through the ballot
box that Which they failed TO do BY arns-
beyond tho power of the gOveramoat of the
United States to protect lts citizens in their
rights:
With but three dissenting votes the pres
ent House of Representatives, with Dem.
ocratic majority of two-thirds, passed .
resolution cOndemning intimidstion, force
and fraud in elections. That resolution
was passed after widespread charges, the
truth OF which had been fully authenti-
Gated that in several of the Southern
States, if not in all of them, elections had
been carried by such lawless means. The
passage of that resolution was everywhere
by the Southern press, and by their orators
in the canvass, condemned, aud the sever
est structures made upon their r presents
tives who voted for it. Following Doth its
letter and its spirit, President Grant,
through his Secretary of War, issued an
order to the General of the army to make
such disposition of the United States forces
in the s luth a. would give that resolution
practical effect and insure quiet and peace
during the election, and its preliminaries Of
registration and canvassiBg, which all
acknowledge to be the just right Of the
citizens. ...-
No words were too vile, no epithets too
brutal; no blsckguardism too coarse, to be
poured out by the entire Southern press
upon the President of the United States for
the issuance of that order, justified by the
action of the House of Representatives and
the admitted facts of fraud and violence
heretofore used. As the order was only
aimed to give to every man perfect free;
dom to vote as he chooses, il there had
been no expectation, desire or hope on tho
part of the Confederates of carrying the
election by force and fraud, what possible
objection could the Southern people have
to it9 Why was the President assailsd for
making il!
There was but one possible ground upon
which even plausible objection could be
made to 1t. As it was an order to the Gen.
eral of the army, a. to the dispose ion of the
military forces Of the United States, it
might be speciously claimed that the order
put the military above the civil power, al