Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-02-09

THE LETTER OF HON. JEFFERSON
DAVIS.
Mr.. Davis has at last broken the 81
Ieucs he imposed upon himself so long,
and has answered Mr.. Blsine's direct
charge, that he was personally rtsPon-
sible .or the unfortunate treatment to
which Federal prisoners were unsvoid-
ably sutj scted in Eouthern prisons dur
ing the war, notably that at Ander-
sonville, Gsorgls. The ex-President,
in this letter, as in everything that
emsnaes from his pen, Is plain, point
ed aud part.culsr, holding Mr.. Blaine, as
he does, 10 s strict accountability for the
adoption Of the Libel as his own, and its
reiterati9n ten yezIsj latter the gov
erpment had given up all idea
Of holding him amenab!e to the
laws, ethsr for tina, or for bsing
aparty to the assassination of Mr.. Lin
coin, as was officially proclaimed by
President Andrew Johnson. Mr.. Blaine,
In the face Of this conduct on the part OF
an administration bitterly hostile to Mr..
Davis, SIS the head and front Of the Con-
federacy, did not stop to reflect upon
anything other than his determination
20 out-Herod the blo0dy-shiTt Herod,
and bid, SIS Mr.. Davis ssys, for Republ-
can woes by the reiteretion Of false.
hood. Toe course of Gerritt Smith and
Horace Greeley, founders and defenders
of Republicsnism when Blaine wss yet
in the AIMS Of the wet-nurses OF his par
ty, were not uDkr own to him. he knew
that these honest enemies of the south
had 80 far indoised Mr.. Davis as above
the reach of the SANDER he Testated
as to stake their political stand
ing as his b)ndsmen. He knew,
too, that Mr.. Thad Stevens secuted
these charges ia connection with Mr..
Davis and his friend, Mr.. Clay, Of Ala
bama; and that be placed himself on
the record in bis owR emphatic way as
disbelieve', no doubt after he had fully
investigated such evidence as had in the
first place instigsted the government to
make the diabolical charge. Mr. Shea
quotes Mr.. Stevens ss saying to him, in
a consultation had with him at his
residence on Capitol Hill, at Washing
ton, in May, 1865:
He raisted TO me how the chief OF this
"military buresun showed him "the ev.
ideace" upon which the proclamation
was issued charging Davis and Clay
with completely in the assassination OF
Mr. Lincoln. He said that he refused to
give the thing any support, and that he
told that gentleman the evidence was
insufficient in it elf, and incredible. l
am not likely ever to forget the earnest
manner in which Mr.. Stevens then said
20 me: Those men are no friends OF
mine. They are public enemies; aud
would treat the south as 8 conquered
country and settle it politically upon the
policy best suited for ous lives. But
know these men, si7. Tney are gentle
men, and inca pable OF being assassins."
In the fA,s o. q fsctsso accessible IS
this, and thu Others adduced by the gen.
tlenea who answered Mr.. Blaine in the
house, his cen iuc. is inexeus2ble, aud
Mr.. Davis is fully justified in rebuking
him as be has in the letter to Mr.. Dy-
Ons. Thare was the congressional
Library with its war histories, PAM
phlets, and historic memoranda, all
available TO Mr.. Blaine, who, had
he had recourse thereto, might have
consulted, among other works, the
two volu mes Of Mr.. Alexander Ste
phens's Constitutional VIeO of the Late
War bstsUeeR the States, and so been per-
Eusdei to leave to Othe- and less respon-
sible persons ths reitsration OF the
falsehooiB which the st. Louis Globe.
Dsal0crGi last summer was compelled
TO sckno Tiedg, were such. On
page SOL Of the second volume OF that
work, Mr.. Stephens, who though Of.
ficislly e)nnec:ed with Mr.. Davis SIS
Vice-Preideat 0f the CoRfederscy, was
seldom in full sympathy with him, says
he disposes Of the sander on Mr.. Davis
Z" by stating broadly that the charge Of
" cruelty and iuhnmaL ity toward pris
" "onerB, which has bseu 80 ex'ens vsly
made st the north, against Mr.. Davis
and ihs Confederate authorities, is
" utterly without foundation in fact.
t From the commencement and
" throughout th1 war, The whole course
{" of Mt. Davis toward prisoners shows
/" concIusively the pcriec. rocklessness
/" OF the charge. His position on this
4" subject, IL the BEGINNING, clearly ap-
pears from what We have seen, and
/" tina. ialiy sustaias this statement.
" The effJris which have been so indus
" trious ma 10 fix the odium of cru
" city aud barblity upon him, and
I" other high Ofiiclsls under the Con-
{" feders.e gove7nme At, in the matter OF
" prisoners, in the face Of all the facts,
" constitute one of the boldest and bald
" est attempted outrages UpDn the truth
/" OF b story which hiss ever been es.
" sayed; not lees so than the infamous
/" attempt 10 fix upon him aud other
" high officials on the Confederate side,
(" the guilt Of Mr. Lincoll's asEassiDa-
" ton. Whatever unnecessary priva-
" tions aud sltferiugl prisoners on both
" sides were subjected 20, the responsi.
" blllty of the whole rested not upon
+" Mr.. Davis or the Confederate authori-
" ties. Il was the fault Of the Federal
authorltieI in not sgreeing 10, and
carrying ou', an immediate ex-
4" change, which Mr. Davis was, at all
times, anxious to 90. The men st
/" the head Of affairs at Washington
Ssre so'e'y responsible for all these
" suferings. Upon these officials, and
upon then ouly, can these suterings
a. be Justly charged. Neither Libby,
/" nor Belle Island, Dor Salisbury, nor
/" Andersonvills would have had a
grosuIug prisoner Of war, but for the
u refusal OF the Federal authorities to
4" comply with the earnest desire OF the
Richmond COVER lment, for an imme-
diste exchange, upon the most liberal
4" snd humsne principles. Had Mr..
Davi-'s repeated offers been accepted,
GEO prisoner on either side would have
&" been retained in confinement day"