The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-05-31
Who Il Responssh1e.

the reports concerning the health OF
Mr.. Davis, we perceive the Northern
press is, considerably agitated as to
whose door the charge of unneces-
sary harshness in the Imprisonment
Of that distinguished prisoner is to
be laid.
The New York 1I'ib,.ac lays the
| whole blame upon tho President, and
tacitly admits that DIR. Cooper's re-
port reveals a course of tre&tcaent
towards Mr.. Davis rs almost amounts
to national shame. The World is
disposed to place the blame on Secre-
tary Stanton's shoulders, or Mt least
on those of some of his subordinates.
That paper says:
Jefferson Davis, once arrested and
incarcerated in r national fortress,
passed under the direct immediate
control of the Secretary of War. So
long as the President thought fit to
permit Mr. Edwin NJ. Stanton to sit
ut the council-board of his Cabinet.
he was bound to presume the Minis
ter whom he honored with his conf
dence, incapable, at least, os dis
graclnS the national escutcheon by
acts Of mean and barbaric brutality
inflicted upon q captive. Now that
upon the highest and most unim-
peachahle testimony, it is known that
such acts have been done, the worst
enemies of Edwin NJ. Stanton would
have been slow to charge the respon-
slblll;y of them upon him. 1t did
lot need the American civil war, nor
the trial Of Wirz, nor the exposure Of
the tortures inflicted upon North
Carolina negroes hy New England
clerical agents of the Freedmens 5
Bureau, to remind candid and we'll
Informed men how easy a thing it is
for ignorant and cruel subordinates
. blacken the name Of their supe-
rlors by conduct which it must often
be impossible for those superiors.
overwhelmed with multitudinous
cares, effectually to supervise. Re
memberlng this, we forbore, in call
ing public attention to Surgeon
Cooper's most sickening disclosures,
to express any opinion whatever as
to the guilty authorship of this ma
tional shame. Seeing that the War
Secretary, the sole and only high
public functionary directly involved,
| belongs to the EXTREMIST class Of the
radical philanthropists who shout
with Thaddeus Stevens for superhu-
man vengeance upon the defeated
South, we esteemed it just and con-
siderate to afford Mr.. Stanton and
Mr.. Stanton's friends the opportunity
of applying to the case that Congress
sional microscope in the virtue of
which they have heretofore shown so
large and catholic faith.
The Tribune now rushcs i'm where
we forebore to tread, and by its pre-
mature out-cry that the President
must be held resposible for all acts
done under the authority of Edwin
Nj. Stanton, compels both the Presi-
dent and the public to look in one
direction. and i'll one direction only,
for the origin OF Il crime which, we
will do 1t the justice to say. it is not
so base rs to excuse, and faltcrs upon
the attempt even feebly to extern
uate.
There lsa very simple way of get
ting rid of the whole matter. Let
President johnson issue his procla-
nation, declaring Il general amnesty,
and thus throw open the prison doors
0. jefferson Davis. BY such grace
ful act. he would earn still even in Il
higher degree than he now possesses
it the cordial and enduring gratitude,
not only Of the people of the South,
but of the true and good men in every
section Of the country
THE MONETARY Panic IN ENGLAND.