The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-06-10
Treatment Of Prisoners.
: r g II
AWITHERING DENUNCIATIoN.

TREATMENT OF fflS0QerG,
I awrrnERISG pENr.cnr1ov.
/ The Louisville Journal, O paper which
| was ably and consistently devoted to the
/ Union side during the war, 10 noticing the
Itabling of a congressional resolution to ex-
tend inquiry into the treatment of prison
ers in Northern prisons, and into The pro-
position Of the Confederate authorities to
allow medicines to be sent under, charge, of
Federal surgeons to Andersonville and 9th.
er Southern camps and prisons. says the
conduct Of the Federals in refusing such
propositions twas so infamous and brutal
that language cannot express its infanly
and brutality It adds: 1--WE did mot
know the truth during the war, but we
have learned it in bitterness ofspirit since,
and blaslled to learn it." We quote the
| following from the same scathing article.
After referring to the fact that terrible in
dignation against the Sonth was aroused
Throughout the North by tales Of suffering
IN our prisons, and the concealmeht of the
fact that this suffering, such as it was, re-
suited from the inability of theySouth to.
take care other prisoners, the Journal says:
The Confederateautherities, in proposing.
that the North might send medicines and
provisions in charge Of her own surgeons
and commissioners for tile exclusive use Of
the Federal prisoners, acted in a humane
and Christian spirit. And other things
were subsequently brought to light that
the popular mind Of the North had never
dreamed or conceived Of It turned ont
that, when the suffering and moralfty 8f
Northern men i'll Southern prisons were
supposed to he greatest, the Southern COM
in rs otiexchanges, General Ould, we
believe, proposed to- the Feileraf Govern.
hient, an exchange Of man! for man, and
that the proposition was rejected upon the
express ground that it would be to give nm
Southern prisoners in good bodily condi-
ton, able to- bear arms, in exchange for
N skeletons OF men. A more heartless,
iflf1tlnlaI,s fiendish plea we never heard Of
IN all o'trr lives The, simple fact that orr
poor boys were i'll such wretched bodily
condition as not Bto be able, to fight the
Southern armies in the field, was absolute
y urged loh shame! y as reason, why they
should be left, after all they had done and
all they had endured. to perish, inch bv
inch, with go3hope of their Governments
coming to Their rescue, though invited by |
the Confederate Government to do so.3
When did ingratitude ever assume q more
horrid form ss .al
But the Confederate Commissioner did I
not stop here. He finally proposed that
the Federalsick and wounded in the Con-
federate prisons should be surrendered
without exchange if the FEEDER i Govern /
ment would only provide means for, their
transportation. But our Government.
strange and unnatural as it may seem neg.
lected to accept the proposition, carefully
hiding at the same time the fact that ii had
been made. lfthat fact had been, known
to the people of the country, the volcano
of their wrath would have sent forth
thousand lava tides over the land. But,
after the war, the Commissioned as an act
ofjustce to himselfand to his Government, 1
caused full statement the extraordina.
~ and unparalleled case to be published to
the country, and no federal functionayy in
terposed a denial. Anda brief letter Of
General Grant in relation to the matten
was published, letter worthy only ofa
monster OF earth Or fend Of he'll Il vas
as heartlcss as the letter Of a ghoul or II
goblin Our nerves are not weak, but we
at the reading Oft The pres
ent General-in- Chief Of our armies wrote]
with his own hand that7iit was certainly
hard upon our poor fellows dying III South
ern prisons to be left there when they could
be had for the transportation, butsthat i'll,
was inexpedient to relieve the Sopth from
the burden of their support, and might
leopard and imperil his forces in the field.
We wish that we could give the extract
words of his letter, but what we have sta
ted is the import and substance Of it. Ifl
any one Of the devils thinks that be can
transcend it, let him try and we will ended
yor to to award the internal laurel where !
it shall be due.
1n REV ofthese things, our readers will ,
be no more surprised than we were to see
hat the resolution Of inquiry into the mat. !
5ers We have referred to was tabled in the Il
House Of Representatives on Monday, bya
vote OF hearty two to one. Such matters s
ire the last that the radicals 10 Congre.
'r onI OF Congress will ever consent 10 in
'estigate. h