Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-08-23
IFrOn the Chicago Republican, Aug. I5.1
General Lee.

So long a. General Leo remains Ia
this country, and Is allowed not only to
GO about without punishment, but TO
proclaim disloyal and obnoxious opin-
ions, such as he fought for against the
United States, there will always be
feeling Of classification among the
loyal citizens. There 10 something in
tensely CALLING in the fact that the arti-
cles Of convention between him and
Grant we're SO loosely worded as to
afford loop-hole for ths escape of such
. traitor from the clutches of the law.
Nothing could have hesn more unfortu-
nate than this clerical lapsus. II tar
nishes what would otherwise have been
the spotless glory of the surrender, on
the part Of our great General. A little
lawyer cunning, a Lass magnanimity and
generosity toward cruel unacrupulous
foe whom he had already vanquished,
whose armies were at his mercy, out.
generalled and beaten at every point,
would have left the rebel chief, who vas
the intellect and heart of the feroeioua
war waged against as, to be dealt with
according to the forms and ussges Of
Law.
As the case now stands, Gen. Grant,
whose presence in the feld 10 inspira.
ton, and whose battles are conquests,
suffered himself to be drawn into an
eFums6I, Always 7HEfihis that our Gov
even at the sxpsnse--on memorable oc-
casions--of justice and self-preserva-
tion, Jealous Of it's honor and its broken
word, even though long experience had
proved the rebels themselves to be utter
Iy devoid Of ell faith, the result, we say,
| ia, that the Government decides to accept
the literal reading of the convention,
aud to permit that arch-traitor to the
Union to go at large, without Arrest or
trouble.
Far be il from as to impugn the wis
dom or the legality of this decision with
any view 70 oppose or embarrass the
Government. It is certainly magnAni-
nous proceeding But who is this man2
What has he done to entitle him to this
matchless immunity? What qualities
| of humanity has he displayed during
the war to justify this forbearance and
mercy2 We do not call TO mind q single
public sction of his which does not sink
him below the rest of mankind Where
was be ever known to extend the small
est civility to prisoner in his charge7
When was his voice urged in remon-
STRANGE against the cruel treatment of 9
Unioa soldier in the prisons Of Rich.
| mond2 Is there man in all our armies
who knows or has ever heard of one
good deed, one act OF charity or mercy,
one look of compassion, one word of
consolation as proceeding from him in
ell his connection with our men during
the war7 On the contrary was be not
one of that coneIave which projected
the cold-blooded murder by starvation,
of our poor, poor brothers at Anderson
ville7 By whose orders we're our men
and officers shot like beasts, for the crime
of showing themselves too near the win
dows Of the Libby Prison7 Who order
dared the same fate TO the martyrs Of
Andersonvills If they obtruded so much
as foot or an arm beyond the dead
line, in that awful and appalling sham
bles7
A single word from this arch-rebel at
} Richmond would have put q stop 70
these horrible buteheries; would have
mitigatsd the condition of the sick and
wounded; would have given breadl to
|. the famished, hroken-hezrted, hopeless,
utterly crushed soldiers there; wonld
have provided food, and shelteg, and
: clothing for them, and have spared
them 9 little, If only q very Ettls, oi
torture on their way to blessed death.
Did he utter that word7 Did he try to
I aid any one OF eur unhappy brothers
Let their OWE commission of inquiry
} into the prison discipline answer Il il
8 there written that all this horrid pro.
/, gr&mme of murder by inches, this an
D speakabls Internal system of shooting
] our helpless soldiers in prison, vas de-
= liberately conceived and autkorized hJ
D the Richmond suthoFities, of whom JEFF
9 ferson Davis and General Lee we're ths
chiefs. With an inconceivable daring
they put n climax upon these worse thar
: barbarian deeds by solsmnly defending
: the whole damnabls policy as part o
e the legitimate functions Of warI II wal
il there proposed. they said, to cripple and
o destroy our armies. They had righ
9, to do 80, according to all warlik,
: usAges; Rs good right to starve ol
= poison them 90 to kill them on the Geld
n The report of our own commission
y upon this most sl,rroWfnl subject, enter
b into the details of these murders Thos'
o gaunt, ghAstiy, withered bodies of oncI
's proud and muscular men-those grin
and horrid skeletons, without hsst, helt
: togsther By tsndons, and covered by
y yellow skin; those shrrnk frames an
e muscIetssa legs, with the heads of giant
J, and the limbs of dwarfs; those liylnl
. men, starved and frost bitten, make
70 also, who awoke in the keen, biting al
as from bed Of ieicles, and found thai
1T fest had fallen from their legs, and stoo
20 before them On the hard ground hlAe
d and shspeless, as IL they had bssr ol
0. cast-of bootsl These are the kind {
d things which lie At Lees door. he an