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

the opspio, Of congress .sueh retaliation ought
70 Be ineicted upot the insergens officers nov In
oUr h.nis. CT hereafter TO full into our hands. ~
prisooers: that such officers ought 70 be subjected
20 ike Treatment ~practced toward our officers or
soldiers IL the hzDds Of The insurgeuu. 10 respect
90 cssnatJ ard quality Of food, ~cloihing. fuel.
rneiicins, medical attendance, pesonal expo
sure. or other mode Of dealing with them"
Il IS very general resolution. Ny. col
fesgse ! tsink IS under the impression that il
does not include the soldiers a. vell as the Off
GERS whom nc hold as prisoners. | ash TO call
his attention. then. 20 the residra Of the resolu-
ton:
That. with svis~ 70 the sazs end, the insurrsnis.
pt cners N our hsnts. eusht 90 be pfscec uDder the
control ard keeping ~ofoficers ard men who have thee
selves been prisoners In the hands Of The Insurgents,
and have thss acquired q knowledge o their mode Of
treating union prissners; that implicit instructions
qusht % be given 20 lhs .osce. having tie charge &c
stentss uigsut pritorers. r. qririDg fhsn 90 carry out
strictly and pronptiy the prtseipis, Of he resolution in
every case.
an sorry tina; the committee reporting this
resolution has dignifed a policy such as this
With the tern 'principle"-s principle to s,arve
ncn 20 death Bus ! wish my colleague TO OBJ
serve the language Of the resolution. Ii applies
not alone TO officers who may have been in fault
In some time past, but il applies to the c~onscript
Of the souih, who has fallen under = misfortune
even heavier than our own soldiers; the conscript
Who against bis will has been compelled 10 go
into the southern army. and has been taken pris-
oner and brought up here; constrained 20 serve
sgsinst biz will. against bis wish, against the
sentiments OF hIs heart toward this government;
and now We propose to starve him TO death
That we shall treat them as they have tre sted
our prisoners is claimed 10 be the right. How
does the senator from Michigan in the preamble
say our soldiers have been treated by the south
ern officers and srmyf Let us zee. We are to
do TO them as they have done TO Us, for that is
the language OF the resolution; 'or other mode
of dealing With them" Is the general phrase. !
will read the whole preamble:
whereas. IL has come 10 the knowledge Of Congress
prisoners OF war into the hands Of the insurgents, have
b en- subjected 10 treatment unexsmpled tor cruelty in
the history of civilized war, and finding its parallels only
ia the conduct Of savage tribes
Now. | ask he attention Of senators TO The fol-
lowing
The slow but designed process Of starvation, and by NOR
tai diseases cccaSoned ny insufficient and unhealthy
food, by wanton exposure Of their persons TO the inclen-
euey CT the weather, and by deliberate assassination OF
innocent snd unonending men, and the murder In cold
blood Of pn Soners after surrender.
This is the charge which the senator from
Michigan, in the preamble, brings against the
southern officers and soldiers in their conduct to
wards our soldiers aud officers. He says. then,
in the resolution. that We must do likewise. Do
whatf Assassinate q captive after be has surren-
deredf After he has laid Town his arms at your
feet. sssassinate him in cold bloodf That is one
OF the charges brought in the preamble: and We
must do likewise, must wei Deliberate sssas-
sinstionl Not only that, but we must expose
them to the iuclemeney of the weather. Not
only that, but ne must give them unhealthy food
that disease NAV come upon them and they may
die with horrible diseased Not only that. but We
shall deny 10 them food. that they may die by
stsrvarioni
IL it possible that, according to the usages o
civilized society in this century. We may retaliats
in kind when these charges are brought against
the insurgents, that We in Ike manner shall trear
their prisoners in our hands I deny the right
I am not sure hut that the senator from Massa
chusetts Mr.. Sumner in his exhaustive argu
ment on this subject, quoted the authority tC
which / am now going to refer. When he wa
reading from Halleck my attention was calleC
away. and il is very likely that he read the yer,
section TO which | now wish to call the attention
| of the Senate
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