Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-01-02
General Butler on the Southern
Policy.

OhhtSs
At the dinner of the Banks Club in Boston, last
Saturday evening, General Butler made quite a
long speech in which he spoke of the Southern
Policy as follows:
| remember one leading paper said it would be
z lad if ] would sketch wherein | thought the re-
publican administration might he improved. Tha,
is putting burden upon me that does not be long
to me, because am not to receive any CORE lative
benefit The people did not elect me President
of the United States, therefore | am not called
upon to shape the republican policy. and if do,
ought to have the emouments of Office but
think, without offence to anybody, | NAV say
wherein | think | could have made the policy a
little different with regard to the Southern ques-
ton. The first point OF divergence with me is
this not that | would or would not have with
drawn the troops from the South not that would
or would not have tried to conciliate the South
that is not the point of my divergence. If had
it in my power as Chief Executive of the nation,
| would conciliate every true, honest well lnten.
toned aw-abiding citizen Of the South. | would
have used the same power TO punish every muir
derous scoundrel, and protect the unofendng cit
liens TO the full extent of the power given me.
Applause Now, what object to is this, and
speak with all bodness and freedom: Life, prop
erty and liberty are not safe to-day in the South.
Murder goes Oh unavenged and unprosecuted, and
citizens of the South are to-day unprotected.
Would Andrew jackson have allowed the CHS
Otu nd5shCIt 10 sUuc ny uul0VestlghIeu, ana tne
man who headed the mob, Mr. Gully, TO be elected
Sheriff of the very county within whose Jail he
murdered Chisolm and Mcclellan, the Young girl
and the young boy But, it is said, we have
sporadic crimes up here. So we do, and we pun
ish them with more or less severity. No, gentle
men, there has never been a word said against it.
Remember, Mr. President, if you please, that
when this first took place all the newspapers told
us that Mr.. Evarts was going to write strong
letter 10 Governor Stone of Mississippi, giving
his opinion upon the state of affairs down there
in Mississippi, where United States citizens were
being murdered. Have any of you read that let
ter Applause. Has it been pubshedi If
Governor stone has received any letter he has
kept it to himself with a marvellous degree of
conceslment | don't think the intiiction of such
a letter upon Governor Stone would have been
full fepafation for the murders committed there !;
but it would at least have shown the temper of the
administration toward that crime.
There is but the family Of one man who was
murdered there that, as we are situated to-day,
can ever get reparaiOp. There was a Scotchman
there, Mcclellan, British subject who was told
to stand guard over Chisolm, and he thought it
meant something, and he was killed in his tracks,
and because he Is British subject his family may
get reparaton through his government. Great
Britain, and the United states will have to pay the
penalty 10 precisely the same manner that our
government exacted damages Of Spain in the case
Of the men of the Virginius.
Nothing has been done so far toward detecting
the perpetrators of that murder. Again, another
thing would have done if had framed the re-
publican policy, | would have found out whether
L was truly elected President of the United States
Finding that to be so, | would have sustained
every man that was elected on the same ticket
with me, and would sustain them with every man
and every dollar could comma nd. IApplaus !
l have no respect for man who dishonors hi
mothers marriage certificate. Tremendous ap-
plause.
| insist that it was duly OF the republican par
ty that elected Mr.. Hayes, it was the duty OF the
republican party, the members of which stood by
Mr. Hayes in the contest North and South, for
him to sustain those that sustained him. If he
believes that there was the least wrong or any
fraud down there of any description, that justified
him in abandoning the men who stood by him
through thick and thin, he ought to have told us
and let us abandon his election, and by so doing
wash our hands of the whole matter. We were
told and led TO believe there was no fraud we
stood by him with all frmLess; we stood by the
replhli an party; stood by it with all the energy
with which we were possessed. during that event
ful period, from the 9TH OF November unit the
9TH of March, and, in my Judgment, it was his
duty to stand by us, and to say, "These men they
were voted for and returned by the same Return
Jog Board that was, and who had more votes
than did the members Of the Electoral College
from Louisiana, these men shall have the power OF
the United States behind them, sustaining aud
supporting them everywhere"
Ii he found out that his election was rot Just
lad true why did he not say so If he himself
was elected, so Mr.. Packard, and if Mr..
Packard was elected, so was the legislature that
was with him. and the Senate of the United States
by seating Kellogg, has given judgment to the
world that the leg stature was legal legislature,
and if such was the case the other was an armed
mob, sustained by armed men. 1t was domes'
tic instruction, for there cannot be two legal
legislatures at the same time. He ought in
my Judgment, to have sustained it. lie
has failed 10 sustain it, and has left you
and l. and all Of us, with the unpleas-
ant thought in our minds that the reason
be failed 70 sustain it was that he found
some flaw in the title, and if he did. that same
flaw iuyalldstes bis own title. do not mean to