Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-01-25
1fr Wlsou. Of Abe 1filitarv COMMITTEE


: mAnd, captured in Georgia, and asking
that the committee be discharged. It was
50 ordered.
Mr.. McDoueal offered bill to re-estab.
lish the mail steamship service between
the United States and China. Referred tc
the Committee on Post Offices and Post
Roads.
Mr.. Wilson offered resolution instruct
, ing the Committee on Finance to examine
the system Of checks in the Office Of the
Registry of the Treasury, and to report u
any legislation Is needed for the safety Of
the public funds In that Office; also, if any
) Losses have occurred there and TO what
cause they may be attributed 1t was
adopted.
On motion of Mr.. Sherman, the House
bill to provide fer Acting-Assistant Tres-
surers or depositoriss Of the United States
il certain cases, was passed. s-
Mr.. Henderson called up the bill to re-
imburse Missouri for expenses in calling
out equiPping and feeding the militia Of
that State.
Mr.. Brown moved that it be made
special order for Tuesday next. It was
adopted.
Mr.. Powell offered resolution calling
upon the Secretary Of War to inform the
Senate why be had not appointed COM
nitsion to compensate loyal owners Of
colored volunteers, as required by the act
approved on the 24th Of February, 1884.
Mr.. Wilson opposed the passage Of s
resolution like which censured the Secre-
tary Of War.
Mr.. Powell, at the request Of Nr. Wade,
withdrew his resolution TO allow Mr..
Wade to call up the special order, which
was the resolution in relation to retaliation
upon the rebels for the cruel treatment of
Northern prisoners.
Mr.. Sumner offered the following as q
substitute for the resolution before the
Senate;
Resolved, That retaliation is harsh al
ways, even In the simplest cases, and is
permissible only when, In the first plskesl
It msy reasonably be expected to efess
its object, and when, In the second place,
1t Is consistent with the ussges of civilized
society, and that in the absence of these
essential conditions, it Is useless and bar
barous, having no other end than ven
geance, which Is forbidden alike 10 nations !
and 10 men.
RGsoIrsd, That the treatment of our Of |
6cers and soldiers in rebel prisons is cruel, !
savage, and heartrendiDg beyond al prece- |
dent; that It Is shocking to morals; thatit |
Is an offence against human nature itself; |
that 1t adds new guilt TO the great crime OF
rebellion, and constitutes an example from |
which history will turn with sorrow and
disgust
RSsoIssd, That any attempted imitation |
of rebel barbarian in the treatment of pris- !
hn y,1a in1r nfia OT1I
account of its inconsistency with the SEN
timents Of humanity; that it would be in
furious at home, for 1t would bRrbarize the |
whole community; that it would be utterly
useless, for Il could not affect the cruel au-
thorS Of the revoiting conduct which we
seek to overcome: that It would be immoral
because 1t proceeded from vengeance alone;
that 1t could have no other result than to
degrade the national character and the na-
tional name, and to bring down upon our
country the reputation Of history, and that
being thus imprsetiosbls, useless, immoral
and degrading, it must be rejected as 3
measure Of retaliation precisely as the bar
bsrism Of roasting and eating prisoners, is
always rejected BY civilized powers,
Resolved, That the United States, filed
with grief and the deepest sympathy for
those cherished citizens who, a. officers and
soldiers, have become the victims Of Heaven
defying outrsges, hereby declare their SOL
emn determination TO put an end to this
great iniquity by putting an end TO the TO
bellion, Of which Il Is the natural fruit;
that 70 secure this humane and righteous
consummatiOD, they pledge anew the best
energies and all the resources of the whole
people, and they call upon sll to bear wit
ness tnst in this necessary war with bar
bariIm, they relounce sll vengeance, and
every evil exampls, and plant themselves
firmly on the sacred landmArks of Chris
tisn civilization, under the protection of
that God who is present with every pris-
oner, and enables heroic souls TO suffer for
their country.
Mr.. Snmusr spoke In advocacy of the
sbOvs resolutions, quoting from General
Washington, Chancellor Kent General
HAlleck Vattel, and other authorities,
against inhumsn retaliation which, be
said, never reached the guilty parties.
Mr. Wsde hoped that the amendment Of
Mr.. Sumner would not be adopted. Re
tAliation had been practissd by all civlliE-
ed nations in all wars.
Mr.. Cowsn believed retaliation was
4
Of The proposition to retsliate il kind upon
the rebels. He did not think it right to
starye the rebels because the rebels starved
our men. II, as had been said, the law Of
nations authorized retaliation, there was
ne necessity for passing another law. This
wsS question for the executive to con
sider. 1t was the duty of the President
to see that our officers and soldiers
were not inhumsnly treated, and TO take
proper steps to secure Justice for them.
Mr.. Howard spoke In defence of the
before the Senate. The OBJ
ject of the resolution was not TO initiate
the barbsrities of the rebels, 1t was simply
TO secure humane treatment for our plis-
oners in rebel hands.
The report Of the Committee Of the
Sanitary Commission gave fearful picture
Of the atrocities committed by the rebels
upon our prisoners at Belle Isle and An
dersonville. The effect of that treatment
has deferred thousands Of young nen from
entering the army.
The barbarities committed upon our
men at Andersonville we're not 70 be de-
scribed In language. Out of $4,000 who
were there six months ago not more than
one half that number ore alVe now. This /
treatment was resorted to by the rebels
to strike terror into the northern people |
and to diminish our forces In the field.
The resolution before the Senate did not |
propose to retaiste upon the soldiers of
the rebsl army, but only upon the officers
and the fact seemed 70 have been over
looked by the Senator from Pennsyl-
vania-
Mr.. Wilson offered, IS an amendment TO
Mr.. Summers proposition, to strike out all
after the enacting clause, and insert, after
preamble declaring that our prisoners
have been inhumanly treated, ga, reso-
luton instruc:ing the President to appoint
Commissioners TO confer with the rebel
authorities with view to devise some