Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-01-31

aHf q gel - his ccn1ucft Ne Cshnof. a. general thing.
follow ard retort u9on his subjects, BY treating th-m
IN ike manner We cannot 60 beyond the Azl1 pre-
@ribed by International Law 70 The rfghts OF 0elhger-
est-. Thus the conduct q Great Britain toward Den
marx IN 1907, in cordemLiug Danish vessels a. droiis d
admiralty, thereby exercising an extreme right 81 wa,
justified DeDnsIs IN resoFiing 70 the eorrssPonding ex-
Danish subjects. SO, also, the seqgestration Of English
debts BY Franc., IN 1898, justified EnglAnd IN IeiAiating
o55,ssan.sos o. French -,..sela by Great Ertsin. n
1909, Vas an exercise Of an ancient and severe rule Of
var for which Napoleon retallAied by the exercise Of
another and stil more extrems right, also contrary 70
the rules Of modern usage, By seizisg al; English travel
ers found In French tsrritoJ."
ask the attention of senstors to this quali6
cation Of the rule.
"But suppose an enemy should massacre all prisoners
for tho opposing belligerent to DO The same. suppose
our enemy should use poisoned weapons, or poison
spsiags and focp, the rule OF reciprocity wOult notjus-
tdy Is N resort.ng 70 The sane means OF retaliation. A
savage enemy might XIII alike old men, women aud
children, but no civilized power would resort 70 stmi-
lar means Of cruelty And bsrbarism under abe plea inst
they we're justified by the law Of etaliation-Ha'leck's
Intern atieBal Law, page 4+5-
If there IL any authority directly against the
senator from Michigan IN supporting this propo
sition, il is the authority OF the presidents chief
Of staff to-day. IL il not enough Tor the senator
to read a pamphlet here that can have no effect
upon the judgment of the country except to ex-
cite and Increase passions which ought to be Qui
y IdlUCi lunn ctltthlntr0s LIZ "A onOW sAt
Senate of the United States. l take IL. that &C
coTding 10 the laws OF nations as between bellig-
erents. We have a right TO DO this. certainly ater-
rible thing that he proposes. 1t is well enough.
! pei haps, to read the pamphlet If he wishes TO
have a political effect upon the country but TO
inform the judgment Of the Senate as 10 our
rights as n belIigerent in a great war. | take il
that a pamphlet which does not come authentl
| Gated to this body il not very high authority.
NJ. IIr~arI The topar.hla oopafnp fr,ps
Indiana will allow me TO ask him one single
question ?
Mr.. Hendricks Certainly.
Mr.. Howard. | ask the senator whether he is
in favor Of any retaliation with a view TO compel
the rebels to treat our prisoners With more kind
ness and humsnity7
Mr. Hendricks. | am in favor of carrying on
this war upon our part as a civilized and christian
people. am in favor OF compelling the south
ern people to carry on the war upon their part "a
q christian aud ciyilised people, and II they refuse
to DO il, 4 am in favor of retaliatiDg for the pro
| lection of our people and soldiers just So far "a
the nsages of civilized nations will Justify, and
Just SO far, as a civilized and christian people, We
ought to 90, and no further.
Now. sir, the only authority that | have read
condemns what the Senator proposes. He has
not given us a citation OF a single authority OF
force and responsibility in this body justifying
the high measure which he proposes. | expect
ed to hear it. He is the champion OF the mea-
! sure : he reports il 70 the body but instead of
referring TO accredited authority upon the sub
iect, he g~ratifies the Senate by reading from r
pamphlet containing a report OF a committee sp
pointed by the sanitary commission who so down
and say they take testimony | have much ties
tinonv within my own knowledge on this sub
ioct. ] believe there is much exaggeTation upon
il. as get the facts from men who were in the
very prison that the senator read about. / dare
say most senators recollect the case of Capt
Finn, an officer in Libby prison, a cap
tain from the town in which i live
a captain who had commanded in battle
as a brave and gallant man. He was selected
by lotto be shot in retaliation for two southern
officers that we're shot out in Kentucky under
the command OF General Burnside. I took IA
great deal of interest in his case. lie was my
personal friend. He wrote to me that he thought
an exchange could be secured. | saw the presi
dent at once, and the president, a kind hearted
man, made the order on the part of his govern
ment. and Captain Finn was exchanged, and
when he returned TO his neighbors he told them
that the prisoners were a well provided As the
men who guarded them. | take his word on
that subject while ne was there as equal TO the
word of anv man. 1t NAV have been worse at
terward. but 1 do not know how the fact was.
Mr. Howard. Do | understand the senator
from Indiana To assert upon this floor that the
Union prisoners in the hands of the rebels were
as well provided for as the rebel soldiers or AS
the rebel prisoners in the hands of the Unionists?
i'll he assert that principle upon this floor?
Mr.. Hendricks | 90 not understand that that
is a principle: ii is a question of fact.
Dir Howard. Well, the fact?
Mr.. Hendricks. The senator asks whether he
understands that l have said that our own pris
ouers were treated as well as their guards. l did
not say SO. He has read testimony here taken by
= commission in respect to Libby prison. / have
given the statement of an honest man who was a
| prisoner there for months, a part of the time in a
dungeon. selected by lot to be shot. When he
came hons he made this statement TO his neigh
bors. have no doubt that there have been
cruelties inflicted on the Union prisoners in
southern prisons. and that is one reason why |
want them brought home; but l DO not believe
that il has gone to the extent reported in the
country. | do not believe, upon the information
| have on the subject, that it is at all to the ex
tent etated in the pamphlet from which the sena-
tor read to-day. HNs Hsf
Mr.. Brown. Will the senator permit me TO ask
why, if that is the case, does he object so siren
| uously TO their prisoners being put in exactly the
same position?
Mr.. Hendricks. There is no force In the .ena-
tors question: there il ingenuity in il. / say so
with entire respect. The committee, in the pre-
smble TO this resolution. have undertaken to say
precisely what has been the treatment of our
prisoners. and the resolution declares that CORE
spending treatment shall be inflicted upon rebel
prisoners in our hands. The committee has un-
dertaken in this preamble to foreclose any inQui.
nv on the part OF the president: the committee
has not left the president to Judge how our pris
oners have been treated; but the committee saws
to the president. in this resolution Sir. our
prisoners have been starved, our prisoners when
they have laid down their arms have been assas-
sinated in cold blood; our prisoners in southern
prisons have had disease brought upon them by.
being allowed only unwholeSome food; and. sir.
We, the Senate of the United States, expect you,
Mr. President, to administer unwholesome food.
that disease may crawl into tho system of rebel
prisoners in the north.
We. the Senate of the United States, expect
you. Mr.. President, to see that when the south
erner lays down his arms and Acknowledges him
self a captive. he shall be assAssinated IN cold
blood The Senate OF the United States expect
YOU, Mr.. President, because we have recited the
fact of similar treatment in the south, to so re
strict the food that shall be given TO rebel pris
oners In our hands. that they shall die. minute
after minute, hour after hour day after day.
month after moath. IN the language of the SEN
stor from Michigan. So he question of the ser
aior from Missouri Is apsw cred by the commit
tee. Ii the senator from Missouri thinks il right
To do this thing, 20 90 a thing unheard Of for
hundreds OF years, TO DO q thing that has nn'
daTkened The page Of the history Of our race since.
the days Of Le Edwards. 10 DO a thin. that i
/, Il. lnnA this sfla of uo-tar, a.: =, - -,