Wilmington journal., 1876-02-18
The Case of jefferson paws.

There is probably no man III America
who is the object of such intense aver
sion on the part of so many persons as
Jefferson Davis. This is due partly to
the position he held during the civil
war, and partly to certain peculiarities
of his character; aud when Mr.. Blaine
recently made his ferocious attack
upon the proposition to include him in
a new amnesty bill. that shrewd poll
t,ciau knew very well that he was ad-
dressing very strong and a very deep
sentiment, aud that the EXTREMIST bit
terness and virulence which he might
display would meet with an earnest
response in the minds of all imm Anse
body of people. That such a feeling
exists toward Mr.. Davis more than to-
ward any other one among the men
conspicuous in the Southern Confede
racy ought not, however, to prevent
the candid and the thoughtful from
rendering tue entire justice to him
both as public functionary and as a
man; and his letter to Judge Lyons of
Virginia, which we published yester-
day, contains au appeal which we do
not disregard.
This letter shows clearly, we think,
that the Confederate authorities esoes
cially Mr.. Davis. ought not to be held
responsible for the terrible privations,
suff-rings and injuries which our men
had to erdnre while they were kept in
the Confederate prisons. The fact is
questionable that while the Coufed-
crates desired to exchange prisoners,
to send our men home ard get back
their own, Geu. Grant steadily and
s renuously resisted such All exchange.
While III his opinion the prisoners in
our hands were well fed and were in
better condition than when they were
captured, our prisoners in the South
were i'll fed and would he restored to
| Us too much exhausted by famine and
di ease to form a fair set off against
the comparatively vigorous men who
would be given IL exchange. cit is
| hard on our men held In Southern
prisons" said Grant, in an official com
municatiOn, mot to exchange them
| bat it is humane to those lett in the
| ranks to fight our battles. IF we cLm.
mence a system of exchanges which
| liber ates all prisoners taken, we will
have to fight Oh until the whole South
is exterminateD If we hold those
caught. they count for no more thar
dead men," II did not, he said, OF
another occasion, ''deem it advisable
or Just to reinforce the enemy; and or
immediate resumption of exchanges
would have hal that effect without
any corresponding benefit" "
| This evidence must be taken as con-
elusive. 1t proves that it was not the
Confederate authorities who insisted
on keeping our prisoners in distress
want, and disease, but the commando
of our own armies. We do not say
that his reason for this course was no
valid; that is not now the question
but it was not Jefferson Davis or an,
subordinate or associate of his who
would now be condemned for it, W,
are responsible ourselves for the con
tinued deter ion of our captives il
misery, starvation, and sickness in tn
South.
Moreover there is no evidence what
ever that is was practicable for the
Confederate authorities to feed ou
prisoners any better than they wel'
fed, or to give them better care ant
tention than they received. TIL
food was insufficient; the care and at
tention were insufficient, no doubt; an,
yet the condition Of our prisoners wa
not worse than that of the Confederat
soldiers in the field, except in so far 8
the condition of those i'll prison must
of :.ecessity, be worse than that o
men who are free and active outside
Again, in reference to those cases O
extreme suffering and disease, tn
photographs of whose victims were s
extensively circulated among us tc
wards the end of the war, Mr.. Dav
makes, it seems to us, good answer
Those very unfortunate men were NJ
taken from prisons, but from ConfeG
crate hospitals, where they had r,
ceived the same medical treatment {
was given 20 sick and wounded Coz
federate soldiers. The fact mentione
= by Mr.. Davis that while they had go
| 900 more prisoners of ours than We (
r theirs, the number of Confederate
who died in our prisons exceeded
! 5000 the whole number of Union sc
D diers who died in Southern prison
though not entirely conclusive, sin,
e our men were generally better fed al
IN better health than theirs, still fu
u nishes strong support 70 the posltl'
that, upon the whole, our men W.
j. not used with greater severity or SUI
iected to greater privations than we
J.. inevitable in the nature OF the case.
l. this charge, therefore, of cruelty
prisoners, SO often brought against N