The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1865-10-21
STANTON THE REAL BUTCHER.

Junius Henri Browne, of the New
York Tribune, and one of the war cor
respondents of that paper captured and
held prisoner by the rebels, publishes the
following statement, which shows that
Secretary Stanton is really the wanton
butcher Of the Federal soldiers who per-
ished in Southern prisons. Mr.. Browne
says:
Lately Mr.. Charles A. Dana, abiding,
in the journal of which he is the editor
in chief, to a statement in my recently
published volume Four Years il Sc
cessia"-that Edwin NJ. Stanton is re-
sponsible for the failure to exchange the
thousands of prisoners of war held in the
South, avoided the question at issue, and
entered into an elaborate explanation to
show that the twenty months detention
in captivity of my confrere, Mr.. Albert
ID. Richardson, and myself, was in no man.
ner attributable to the Secretary of War.
Neither of the correspondents of the Tri-
bune has ever made any complaint, pri-
vately or publicly, of his long captivity !;
and should be deeply mortified to up
pose that any one would think that, after
we had escaped, we were so lacking in
good sense and humanity as to maunder
or make accusations against an officer of
the Government from mere personal feel
ing, when tens of thousands of c~aptiyes
were perishing by systematic cruelty in
the rebel prisons of the South. Mr..
Dana, as | have said, does not undertake
to meet the main and only important
question beyond the general and Incl
dental declaration that not one of the
prisoners in the South could make Mr..
Stanton responsible. for the tortures he
suffered in the South. This is simply
not true. as all who had any acquaintane
with the administration of affairs in
Washington during two years previous IL
the close of the war must, | should think
have been aware.
Mr.. Richardson and myselfspentnearly
a week in the National Capital after GU
escape, e~ndeaVoring to do all. that wa
possible for the release of the brave men
in the hands of the enemy and every
one We met there told the same story
that the Secretary Of Har scas the obsta.
Gle IN the ray Of the resumption of The
erchange.
Moreover, Gen. Butler in his speech al
Lowell, Massachusetts,, stated positively
that he had been ordered Gy Mr. Stan
ton to put forWard the negro question to
compiicate and prerent the exchange.
Col. A. B. Straight, of indianapolis, In
diana, a fellow-prisoner with us in the
Libby, told Mr.. Richardson, after our re-
turn to freedom, that, in an interview be
tween the Secretary and himself, the
former declared to him the Government
could not afford to exchange abfe-bodied
men for skeletons. Other officers and
civilians, whose names | cannot now re
member. have assured me that he hac
used to them the same language in effect
and there is no doubt whatever that tina
was his policy and his determination
until the clamors of the people compelled
him to retire from his barbarous position
Every one is aware that, when the ex
change did take place, not the slightes
alteration had occurred in the question
and that our prisoners might as ueHh au,
been released tWelpe or eighteen month
before as at the resumption of the cartel
which would have saved to the Republi,
, at least twelve or fifteen thousand heroi
lives. That they were not saved is du,
alone to Mr.. Edwin NJ. Stanton's pecul
! lar policy and logged obstinacy !; and a
III have remarked before, he is unqaes
tionably the digger Of the unnamed Craze
that crowd the vicinity of every South
ern prison with historic and never to b.
!, forgotten horrors.
regret the revival of the painful sub
liect, but the gratuitous effort of Mr.
Dana to relieve the Secretary of Wa
, from a responsibility he seems willing t
g bear, and which merely as a question 0
/ policy, independent of all consideration
of humanity, must be regarded as a grea
s weight, has compelled ne to vindicat
; myself from the charge of making grav,
statements without due consideration.
Once for all, let me declare that | hav,
never found fault with any one because
: was detained in prison, for / am wei
aware that that was a matter in which n
E one but myself, and possibly a few per
/ sonal friends, could feel any interest
a that my sole motive for impeaching tn
) Secretary of War was that the people 0
: the loyal North might know to whom
J, they were indebted for the cold-bloode,
E and needless sacrifice of their fathers an,
brothers, their husbands and their sons.
D JUNIUs HENRI BROWNE.
New York, August 8, 1865.