Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-28

the duties they are required to perform. think that
is the general feeling. Q. Do you think it would be
practicable to convict man in Virginia of trea son
tor having taken part in this rebellion against the
Government by Virginia jury, without packing it
that point have no knowledge, and do not know
what they would consider treason against the Gov
ernment-lfyo mean past acts.
Mr.. Howard-Yes, sir.
Gen. Lee-I have no knowledge as to what their
views on that subject in the past are. O. You under
stand my question. Suppose Jury was einpappclIad
in yeur own neighborhooi, taken by lot would it be
pracdcaole TO convict, for instance Jefferson Davis,
ior having levied war on the United States and thus
halng committed the crime of treason? A. | think
1t would be very probable that they would not con
slder ne bad committed treason. | do not know
Court 10 convict the offender. O. They DO NOT gem
orally suppose that it treason against the Gov
SO consider it. So far as know tbev S ao II rney yb 9o
actl4n OF a ot?te N WithGraYIng from the Govern
that the state was responsible for the act and not
the Individual. am now referring to the past
q State if you please land if you are disirclined
you need not answer the question: what your own
personal views on that question were? A. That was
my yieW-that the act of Virginia in Withdrawing
Of Virginia, and that her laws and her acts were
tfcation in taking the course you did? A. Yet sir
" nave been told General, that you have remarked
to some of your friends in conversation, that you
were rather wheedled cheated into that course by
remark, LIDO not think ever made it.
Y; Ii tncrG be any other matter about which you
NlSn 10 SPEAK, 40 so freely: A Only IN reference to
that last question you put to Ice; may have said
ana may have believed, that the position of the two
sections which they held to each other was brought
about by the politicians of the country; that the
great masses of the peoele, if they understood the
real question, woLiG hRve avoided it; but not that
had been Individually wheedled by the politicians
But dld believe at the time that 1t was an unneces
sary condition OF affairs, and might have been avoid
ca II torbearnnce and wisdom had been practiced on
noth SIDES. Gen. Lee then closed his evidence in
sang I'm reply to queStiOnS) that the people of the
South would not like the proposed Constitutional
amendment; that he was not aware of any crueties
10 Federal prisoners az Belle Isle though aware that
they suffered many privations lie had no control or
command whatever over the prisoners depots and
dld not know who commanded ut Andersouyille un-
Ill he saw it in the papers,
General Terry and other officers testify that.sit
would DO unsafe to freedmen and Unonists to re-
move the troops from Virginia The change of feel
ing Is described by these witnesses due Pres-
dent JQhnson's liberal policy. John Minor Bolts
and Colonel owls testify to remarkable statement
that Mr.. Lincoln made to Bolts and Baldwin, in
April! 1851, that he would evacuate Fort Sumter if
the Virginia Convention would adjourn sine die.
MIR. Bolts was asked tho following question: Are
you perfectly sure, according to your best rccolec-
ton, that Mr. Lincoln told you that he had made
that proposition to Mr.. Baldwin to evacuate Fort
Sumter on this condition? A. know it rs vol as
L know you are standing before me, and that am
anSWerlng your question. Mr. Bots goes on to say
tnat II Mr.. Baldwin had fulfilled his duty the Vr-
gnla Convention would have adjourned and that
the ordinance of secession would not have been passed