The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1868-09-29

made, wrote to General Hitchcock, the
commissioner at Washington, that the
rebels were ready to exchange man for
man, all the prisoners held by them, as
l had proposed in December. Under
the instructions of the Lieutenant Gen
eral, l wrote to Mr.. Ould letter, which
has been published, saying: ''Do you
mean to give up all your action, and re-
woke all your laws about black men en-
ployed as soldiers - These questions
were therein argued justly, as / think,
not automatically, obtrusively, NOT FOR
THE PURPOSE OF FURTHERING EXCHANGE
OF PRISONERS, But FOR THE PURPOSE OF
PREVENTING AND STOPPING THE EXCHANGE
AND FURNISHING A GROUND ON WHICH WE
COULD FAIRLY STAND. am now at liber,
ty to state these facts, because they ap-
pear in the correspondence on the sub
ject of exchange now on the public files
of Congress, furnished by the War De
partment upon resolution. Lam not at
liberty to state my opinions as to the
correctness and propriety of this
course of action Of the Lieutenant Gen
eral in relation to exchanges, because,
as it is not proper to utter a word of
condemnation Of any act of my supe-
riors, l may not even applaud where l
think them right, lest not applauding in
other instances, such acts as | may men-
ton would imply censure / only de-
sire that the responsibility of stopping
exchanges of prisoners, be it wise or
mwise, should rest upon the Lieuten-
ant General commanding, and not upon
me. / have carried the weight of so
grave matter for nine months, and now
propose, as the facts are laid before Con-
gress and the country, not to carry any
longer any more of it than belongs to
me. Since / wrote my farwell address
to the Army of the James, / have re-
ceived letters from the far west saying
"Why do you claim that you have not
uselessly sacrificed the lives of your
men when you have left thousands of
our brothers and sons to starve and rot
in Southern prisons" In answer to all
such appeals | am allowed only to re-
peat have not uselessly sacrificed the
lives Of the soldiers of the Union their
blood does not stain my garments. This
is not criticism upon the acts of any
body, but only the enunciation of a fact,
in explanation of which the response
bilities of my position will not allow
me to say more.
The astounding recital by General
Butler unmasked one of the most re-
markable examples on record of cold
hearted atrocity, studied deceit and cruel
imposition on the public. These dis
creditable transactions are a hideous
blot upon General Grants character; a
blot which his whitewashing eulogists
can never efface nor cover Butler, by
his own showing, was, to some extent,
the accomplice and tool of Grant in a
business revolving to humanity. BY his
own account he gave his aid, he lent the
resources of his lawyer-like cunning, in
writing piece of chicancry deliberate
ly Intended to place the whole subject in
Il false light Itwas a fixed and fore
gone conclusion that no prisoners should
be eXchanged-a conclusion foregone
and fixed by the relentless disposition
and despotic will of General Grant
But Butler was base enough, and heart
less enough, to prostitute his talents in
the preparation of document setting
fourth false reasons for an act of mon
strous inhumanity to the Union pris-
oners. He knew when he wrote that
letter to Mr.. Ould, that the reasons
stated in it were sham reasons; that
while affecting anxiety for an exchange,
no exchange was either desired or would
be perm, ,;tted; that, to use General But
ler's own language, it was mot for the
purpose of .furthering an exchange of
prisoners, but lor the purpose of pre-
venting the exchange"
Still, we must give even Butler his
due; and admit that he was not respon-
sible for keeping the Union prisoners In
bondage-that was stretch OF cruelty
beyond even his bad nature--but only
for his completely in furnishing hollow
and insincere reasons to justify General
Grants heartless atrocity.
What have General Grants apologists
to say to this part of his record?
Fathers, Mothers, Brothers and Sis
ters? MOORE, Radical candidate for
Congress, paid WILDEs to say of your
brave boys: Monroe County soldiers
will 60 to He'll Copperheads, where the
Devil will have good time roasting it
out of them"
Because the Soldiers of Monroe Coun-
ty think proper to vote the Democratic
ticket, they were villiied by Radical
stumper as above quoted.
Rally to the ballot-box on Tuesday,
the 18th day of October, and vote the