Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-27

lie
sovs that II the above statement is true or
N any degree approximating to the TRUTH
the conduct af the rebel authorities Is bar
barous, horrible, cowardly and inexcusa-
BILE, and there are no terms which Ihe
Tribune can use in demdhciation of such
treatment too severe for us to indorse.
Having delivered a categorical answer to
the question OF THE Tribune, we should be
pleased TO see and respectfully ask 1he
Tribune to give us its opinion upon a few
questions connected with the same subject
Who is to blame for the continued i'm
prisonment of these unhappy men at An
dersonville; and why are they not exchang-
edp The rebel authorities. are not innocent
Of participation in this fault, it is true; but
are the Washington authorities, sustained py
The Tribune guiltless? Does not The Trio
une know that the exchange of prisoners
was deliberately estopped by the Federal
Secretary of War, because the rebels re-
fused to exchange negroes? Is it not true
that in order to compel the rebel govern
ment into fancied recognition of the
equality of three or four hundred niggers,
Secretary STANTON wantonly consigns thir-
ty-fiye thousand white men to the horrors
depicted In the memorial quoted abovcs
Does 1t not appear that acknowledgement
rights" of few hundred worthless niggers
are OF more consequence in the eyes OF the
Secretary of War, and the Administration,
of which he is a part, than the tires OF
thirty-fve thousand white soldiers?
The answer to these questions will fix the
responsibility for the sufferings ofthe Union
prisoners at Andersonville where 1t be-
longs, and ABAHAM LINCOLN, and his afro
cious and barbarous policy, will share with
the rebel authorities the infamy which abb
olition organs endeavor to fix upon the lat
ter alone, In order to stigmatize the "bru-
talizing effect of slavery" ~
We do not know what the bill of fare is
at Johnson's Island or at the prisons named
by The Tribune, and we do not know wheth-
er prisoners suffer for want Of proper food
or not. If rebel prisoners are treated well
by us, and our prisoners are treated inhu-
manly by the rebels 1t Is another and pow
erful argument against LINCOLN s admins
tration, for refusing to exchange prisoners
when it is manifestly to our advantage to
do SO. The rebel government can anord
to have its soldiers fed and fattened in the
North-but no civilized or humane govern
ment can afford to have its soldiers starved
as It is averred ours are starved at the South,
for the paltry satisfaction of compelling the
rebels to recognize fanatical idea OF negro
equality. n4g
But while upon this subject, we may as
well add fact of the truthfulness of which
there is no room to doubt. The Tribune
asks "who will contend that twelve ounces
of bread with two of meat per day afford
sufficient nourishment for man?' In
prison in Wheeling, West Virginia. there
are hundreds of risoners-including three
editors, incarcerated by order of Gen. Hun
TER, for no other offense than publish
ing news paragraph Objectionable TO
HUNTER personally-whose daily ratlons
are less than the amount mention
ed by The Tribnne. They do not get
twelve ounces of bread and two OF
meat, unless they are able to purchase it OF
the prison sutler who is the representative
and partner of the comm apdant OF the
prison. VIII the New York Tribune, which
effects to be peculiarly the advocate OF LID
erty and right, and which is recognized
throughout the world as the peculiar friend
of human freedom, stoop for moment in
its lofty career to consider the case OF the
Wheeling prisoners we have mentioned!-
And instead of berating the rebel authori-
ties, over whom it has no influence, Will it
devote moment of its time to ameliorating
the condition of Union men in Union ter
ritory, oppressed and abused by the Fed
eral authorities over whom The Tribune, it is
acknowledged, has the most powerful in
fiuence?