Year: 1861

"oSni"S s""f anu feoRohuS~ - sns ioAon-
ing speech;


FELLOW C1rIzsNs:-Your cheers for the
old Commonwealth of Massachusetts, are
rightly bestowed. Foremost in the ranks
of those who fought for the liberty of the
country in the Revolution, were the men of
Massachusetts,. 1t is historical fact, to
which take pride in now referring, that in
the Revolution, Massachusetts, sent more
men south of Mason and Dixon's line to
fight for the cause of the country, than all
the Southern Colonies put together; and in
this second war, II war must come, to pro-
claim the Declaration ofIndependence Of anew,
and as necessary consequence establish
the Union and Constitution, Massachusetts
will give, if necessary, every man in her
borders-aye, and woman. I trust I may
be excused for speaking thus of Massachu-
setts; but l am confident that there are
many within the sound of my voice whose
hearts beat with proud memories of the
old Commonwealth There is this differ
ence, l will say, between our Southern
brothers and ourselves: that while we love
our State with the true love of son,
we love the Union and the country with an
equal devotion. We place no tStatesrights'
before, above, or beyond the Union. To
US our country is first, because it is our
country, and our State is next and second;
because she is part of our country and
our State. Our oath of allegiance to our
county, and our oath of allegiance to our
State, are interwreathed harmoniously, and
never come in conflict nor clash. He who
does his duty to the Union does his duty TO
the State; and he who does his duty to the
Union-"one and inseparable, now and for
ever" As look upon this demonstration
of yours, | believe it to be prompted by
love of the common cause, and our COM
mon country-a country SO great and good,
a Government SO kind, so benifcient, that
the hand. from which we have only felt
kindness is now for the first time raised in
c5astisement Many things in mans life
may be worse than death. So to Govern
mept there may be many things, such as
dishouor and dsintegration, worse than the
shedding of blood, and by the bright heay-
ems above, we will not part with them
without first paying the original debt and
the interest to this datei We have in our
thA fhof had
have the same power of endurance, the
same love ofliberty and law. We will hold
rs a brother him who stands BY the Union;
we will hold as an enemy him who would
strike from its constellation single star.
But hear some one say, "Shall we carry
on this fratricidal war; Shall we shed our
brothers blood, and meet in arms our
brothers of the South7n would say, "As
our fathers did not hesitate to strike the
the mother country in the defense of our
right:, so We should not hesitate to meet
the brother as they did the mother If
this unholy, this fratricidal war is to be
forced upon us, say, "Woe, woe, to them
who have made the necessity. Our hands
are clean, our hearts are pure; but the
Union must be preseryed!'


[Gen. Butler was interrupted here by an
intense cheering. When silence was res
tored, he continued:]


At all hazard of money, and, if need be,
of every life this side the Arctic regions
If the $4,000 Northern soldiers who are
here are cut of, in six weeks $4,000 will
take their place; and if they die by fever,
pestiience, or the sword, q quarter of a
million will take their place, till our army
of reserve will be women with their broom
sticks, to drive the enemy in the Gulf.
haze neither fear nor donbt of the issue
I feel only horror and d,smay for those who
have made the war. God help them! we
are here for our rights, our country, and
our flag. Our faces are set South, and
there shall be NJ foc:step backward. He
is mistaken who suppo,es we can be intimi-
dated by threats or cajoled by compromise.
The day of compromise is past


The Government must be sustained, and
when it is sustained, we shall give every
body in the Union their rights under the
Constitutions we always have, and every
body outside of the Union, the steel of the
Union. till they shall come under the
Union. 1t is impossible for me to 60 on
speech making; but if you will go home to
your beds, and the Government will let me,
| will go South fighting for the Union and
you will follow me.