The age-herald., 1899-01-27
BUTLER DEFENDS THE CONFEDERACY SOutherneFO Were Not Traitors to Their
 Country.
ACTED IN SELF DEFENSE
North Carolina Senator Offers His
 Amendment to the Pension Bill.
PREC'"'TaTED WARM DISCUSSION

~~ndlly WltnufeW Amenument S o-tus Appealed to Colleagues 2 S lot to Reopen War Issues. es
 | N<s--Sshington, January 26.-As the senate ingy was about to conclude consid- , ~Iion of the pension appropriation bill | late this afternoon MT. Butler (pop) of | North Carolina offered his amendment pro- viding for the pensioning of ex-confederate
 soldiers. Upon this he took the floor and
 delivered speech, which, as he proceeded,
 developed into most unexpected utterance,
 While his colleagues on both sides of tho
 chamber listened with interest, Mr. Butler
 | defended the position taken by the south
 during the great civil conflict of a third of | century ago. He declared that the south was right and that history would SO | record; and that every shot fired by south- l ern soldier was fired in defense of the righ.s of his state, conferred by the constitution, i in self-defense and defense of his home and l fiTeside.
 | MT. Bate (dem.) of Tennessee, himself | distinguished confederate officer, declared | that while the south believed it was right, l the occasion was not opportune for the
 | proposition which MT. Butler had made, | and that the southern soldiers body did
 not desire pensions from the general gov
 | ernment and he expressed his satisfaction 1 that Mr. Butler had withdrawn his amend
 1 ment.
 | Mallory Against Expansion Earlier in the session, MT. Mallory of Florida delivered constitutional argument l n SuDnort of inc Vest resolution | MT Mason of Illinois announced that to- | resolution declaring it to be the policy of l the United States not to govern the people 1 of any other country without the consent | of the people themselves.
 | Al the conclusion of MT. Mallory's speech,
 | on motion of MT. Davis, chairman of tho
 | committee on foreign relations, at 2:90 p.
 | m. the senate went into executive session.
 | At 4:0 the senate resumed business in open
 | session. The pension appropriation bill was
 | taken up at the instance of MT. Perkins,
 | in charge of the measure, and 1t was read.
 | The bill appropriates s145, ,233 .S30. l MT. Sullivan of Mississippi, offered an I amendment providing that no such pension l would be paid to any person as depend- l ent pensioner under the act of June 1890, l who has an income of $750 annually and l further that dependent pensioner must 1 affirmatively establish the fact that he | has not an income of $750 before he can | draw penson | MT. Gallinger, of New Hampshire, chair | man of the pensions committete, said that | at first blush he was inclined to favor the | amendment He believed congress might | well place some restriction upon the grant | ing of pensions to applicants. | Had Not Considered His committee had not considered the | proposition presented and was not quite | prepared to say that it ought to be adopted.
 | He pointed out that widow having an in-
 1 come of $96 was not eligible under the act
 | of 1890 to obtain pension.
 1 MT. Perkins made the point of order | against the amendment that 1t was new | legislation. The point of order was sus- | tained.
 1 MT. Butler, of North Carolina, offered his | amendment providing for the payment of
 | pensions to confederate as well as to union | soldiers. He delivered speech in support | of it.
 MT. Buffers speech developed, as he pro- | ceeded, into quite remarkable utterance 1 After presenting an analysis of the com | pact of 17S7 he declared that mot a single | southern soldier was a rebel or a traitor." | He maintained that the great fratricidal | conflict was forced upon the south and 1 that the people of the south simply defend- l ed their personal and constitutional rights. | Under the compact of 17S7 the southern | states undoubtedly, in Mir Buffers opinion, | had a right to withdraw from the un on. | He was inclined to think the compact was | not right but it was a compact and ought | to be and ought to have been respected. The Right to Leave Union Mir Butler said that his own state Of | North Carolina, fully and completely recog- | nized the right of South Carolina to with l draw from the union, but decided herself | not to withdraw. It was not until forced 1 to defend herself did North Carolina vote | to withdraw together with her sister south ern states.
 This, MT. Butler said, was true of a ma jority of the southern states. They had been forced by the northern states to take up arms in self-defense.
 "Every gun fired by a southern soldier.'' 1 declared MT. Butler, twas fired in self-de- l fense of the constitutional rights of the southern states and in defense of his home and fireside"
 Further along Mir. Butler said, speaking | of the war of the rebelion:
 Tt was a most unnecessary war The southern states did not desire the war. They asked only to be allowed to exercise their constitutional right and withdraw peace | fully from the union. The south was right and history will so record. The south knew l she was right at the time and she knows it now. It is the duty of the southern people not to permit a prejudced historian to brand their fathers and brothers as rebels and traitors"
 Transforming of Ex-Confcderates He believed that the states whose sol- diers were being pensoned would not ob- ject to the pensioning of the ex-confeder- ate soldiers.
 Interrupting Mir Butler MT Chandler said he had no doubt the ex-solders of the north would be perfectly willing ta set on foot any reasonable testimonial of regard and re- spect, but he did not how the govern ment of the United States could recognize C-xxo lx..1 L. had taken up arms against the union. MT. Butler protested against the language Continred on Sixth Page.)