Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-01-12
Tho Cnse Of jefferson Davis.

Blaine made a powerful speech against re-
moving the political disabilities. lie says
ain my amendment have excepted jet
fefson Davis from its operation Now do
not place that exception on the ground that
Davis was as he is commonly called the
head and front Of the rebellion, because, on
that ground. do not think the exception
would be ionable. Davis was just a. guilty,
no more so. no less so, than thousands of
Others who will get the benefit Of the grace
and amnesty probably he was far less Ell
Gent as an enemy of the United States
probably he was far more useful as a dis
turber Of the couuscls Of the Confederacy
1t is not because Of any particular or special
damage which he, above all others, did TO
the United States. or because he is particu-
larly Of any consequence. that | excepted
him but cannot accept him on the ground
that he is the author, knowingly dehbor-
atcly, guilty. wilfully, Of gigantic murder
and crime at Audersonyille,' Ga member
and Libby Mr. Blaine" Libby pales in in
significance rs compared to Andcrsonville'
place Il on that ground, and believe that
so rapidly does one event follow ON the heels
Of anorhcr in the rapid age IN which We live
that even those Of as who were contempo
raneousy cognizantof what was transpiring
there, still less Of those of as who have grown
crime which was there committed.
"Since the gentleman from Pennsylvania
introduced this bill have taken occasion to
read some of the historical cruclues of the
world. have read over the details Of those
atrocious massacrcs under the Duke of Alya
in the low countries, which are mentioned
with a thrill Of horror throughout Chrsten-
dom. | have read details of St. Bartholo-
new. which stands out as one Of the atroci-
ties beyond imagination have read anew
the horrors untold and unimagined Of the
Spanish lnquisition, and here, before God.
measuring my words and knowing their full
import, declare thai neither the Duke Of
Alvn in the low'couhtries, nofthe autffor OF
the massacre Of st. Bartholomew, nor thumb
screws and dungeons and atrocities Of the
Spanish lnquisition, begin to compare in
atucity with the hideous crime Of Anderson
vile.
Thank God, Mr. Speaker that when this
Congress was under different control from
that under which It is today with a com
mittce composed Of members OF both par
ties, that tale Of horror was placed where it
could not be denied or gainsaid. hold in
my hand story written out 10y committee
OF this Congress and hy its authority ! state
that Wrz. who is now dead. was sent TO
Audefsonville with the full knowledge of
his previous atrocities, and that those atroc-
itcs in Richmond were 50 bitter and so bad
that the confederate papers Richmond Er-
amjier for one-sad when it was done, that
they thanked God that Richmond was rid Of
his presence. We in the north know from
the returning skeletons what he had accom-
plished at Belle-lsle or Libby Fresh from
those accomplishments, he was sent 10y Davis
against the protest of others in the confeder-
acy, to construct this pen Of horrors at An
dersonville. OF course it would be utterly
beyond the scope Of the occasion, and be-
yond the limits Of my hour 10 give any de
tails; but on arraigning Davis undertake
here to say that do not ask the gentlemen
to take testimony Of single witnesses | do
not ask them to take the testimony Of a sin
gle Union soldier. ! only ask them TO take
the testimony of men who themselves were
engaged and enlisted in the confederate cause;
and il that testimony doesnot entirely carry
ont and justify this declaration which will
take liberty to read, will state that ! have
been entirely in error in my reading"
Mr.. Blaine then proceeded to quote from
the report Of the committee on the conduct
of the war, extracts in reference TO the hor-
rors Of Andersonvlle, in which il is stated
that no pen can describe, no painter sketch,
no Imagination comprehend its fearful. its
unutterable iniquity. lie then went on to
say &" ! undertake to say that that is a mod
crate description of Andersonvie, and
will now read paragraph from the testi-
mony of Mr. john Hamilton, man who
never was in the north a Catholic priest,
aud democrat, and when you unite those
qualities southern man. a democrat and a
Catholic prie-t-you will not find much testi-
mony strained in favor of the Republican
party" Loud and continuous laughter
Mr. Blaine here read from testimony Of
Father Hamilton, as given in the Wirz trial,
in which witness related the case of a young
man named Farrell, from the north Of Ire
land, whom he saw among the prisoners at
Andersonville, suffering very much from a
wound on the right foot, which had opened
like an oyster, and which had been simply
caused by exposure TO the sun in the stock
ale The priest had given him stocking
20 cover his foot, and when he returned to
the stockade the following week, he enquired
for Farrell and his companions told him he
had stepped across the dead line and requested
the guards TO shoot him. lie added that the
man was not insane when he had seen him
the previous week
Mr.. Blaine further detailed the atrocities
of Andersonville and said that he considered
the indictment of Davis at Richmond under
Johnson's administration, weak step, for he
was no moro guilty than hundreds OF others
who went into the confederate movement
"bnt will undertake to say this, and with
good deliberation, that there is not n civil
lied government on the face Of the globe
very certainly not an European government
which would not have arrested Davis on
which, when it had him in its power, would
not have tried him for maltreatment Of pris
oners Of war, and shot him within thirty
days. France, Russia, England, Germany
Austria-any one Of them would have don,
II. Wirz deserved his death for the bruta
treatment of prisoners, but always though,
il was a weak movement on the part Of oul
government TO allow jefferson Davis to g,
at large, and hang Wirz."