The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1876-01-25
]. HILLsDALE, MICH, TUESDAY. JANUARY 25. 1875.

Oattery OF grnpe-shot on those pool
vretohes without the slightest possible
regard 70 what was going on outsids.s
Nov, ! do not arraign the Southeru
people for this, God forbid that ]
should charge any people With sympa-
thizing with such an order. There
we're many svideaces OF great uneasi-
mesa among Southern people about il.
and OF the great crimes of Mr.. Davis
was, that he concealed il from the
Southern people. We have obtained Q
comp.ete series OF Mr.. Davis messages
with the official imprint at Richmond
and they are now in the Congressional
library. have looked over them, and
find In his message OF December z,
1864, ut the very time when those hor-
ros were ut their acme-at their sx-
treme verge OF desperation-hc says:
THE solicitude Of the government for
the release Of our captive fellow-citi-
zeus has known no abatement, bat has,
on the contrary, been still more deeply
Affected by the additional suffering to
which they have been wontonly sub
jected by deprivation OF adequate food
and clothing and fuel, which they have
not been permitted TO purchase from
prison suffers" And then he added
that the enemy attempted to excuse
their barberous conduct by the un-
founded allegation that it was retalia-
tory for ike conduct on our part" ho
Now, undertake To say there is not
o Confederate soldier living who has
any credit as man in his community
and who ever vas q prisoner in the
hands Of tho Union forces, and who
viii say that he ever was craelly trent
ed; that he ever was deprived of the
name rations which Union soldie = had.
or the same food. sor i.r. gtr,..,' ',..t
! Mr.. Cook dem. Ga- .)-''Thousands
Of them" .~f. ..l..a...- ..,l.I.- r.,
We'll, I take issue on that, and say
that not one can truthfully state ID.
AZ for measures for retaliation, though
goaded by the terrific treatment Of
sur friends in prison by Mr.. Davis, the
Senate Of the United States specially
refused 10 pass resolution OF rctalin-
ton rs contrary to modern civilization
aud 10 the first precepts OF Christianity.
There was no retaliation attempted or
justified. IL was refused, and Jeffer-
son Davis knew il was refused just n
we'll MS he knows it to-day, because
what took place In Washington or what
took place in Richmond OF that kind
was known on either side of the within
day or two thereafter. Now this is
not proposition to punish Mr.. Davis.
There is no attempting TO do that. i
very frenkly s~y .l~sys thnnel,t that
the indictment OF Mr.. Davis at Rich
mond under the administration of Mr..
johnson was weak step, for he was on
ly indicted for that which he was guilty
OF in common with every other gentle
man who went into the Confederate
movement, aud therefore there was no
particular reason for singing him out
for indictment. But will undertake
10 say this, and with good dcliberation,
that there is not civilized government
on the face Of the globe, very certainly
not n European government, which
would not have arrested Mr.. Davis,
or which, when ID had him IN it's power
would not have tried him for maltreat-
ment Of prisoners Of war and shot him
within 30 days. France, Russia, Eng
land, Germany, Austria, any OF them
would hrve done il. The poor victim
wirtz deserved his death for brutal
maltreatmept Of prisoners; but always
thought IL was q weak movement on
the part Of our Government TO allow
Jefferson Davis 60 Mt large aud hang
wirtz. wirtz Was nothing in tho world
but o subordinate tool, and therefore
there was no philosophy in selecting
him for punishment. Still do not say
that he did not deserve il. He did
richly, fully deserve it, and he deserved
no mercy; but at the same time his ex-
ecution put me in mind of skipping the
the president, superintendent and
board Of directors of a railroad COM
pany in the case Of greats railrod ac-
cident and hanging the brakeman on
the rear car laughter.
There is no proposition here to pun
ish Mr.. Davis; nobody is asking TO do
il. The time for such thing has gone
by. The statute of limitations and the
common feeling OF humanity would in
tervene for his benefit, but what you
ask us to do is TO declare by a vote Of
two-thirds OF both branches of Con
gress solemnly that we consider Mr..
Davis worthy TO I'LL the highest offices
in the United States il he can get con-
stituency to trust him. He is q voter.
He can buy and he can sell. He can
go and come. He is rs free rs any
man in the United States. There is q
I long list OF subordinate Offices to which
he Is eligible, but this proposition pro-
poses, in view OF the record which I
have read, to declare by two-thirds
vote Of the Senate and q two-thirds
vote Of the House Mr.. Davis eligible
and worthy to al any Office up 10 the
Presidency OF the United States. For
one. on full dcliberation, ! win not do
! 10.
II has been frequently said, in miti-
| CATION Of Mr.. Davis in the amnesty
matter, that the men who died in such
large numbers (the victims, i believe,
numbered 10000 fell victims to an
| epidemic and died OF diseases which
could not be avoided. Now the record
shows that out OF IS, 900 men about SO
per cent. died; that is one in three.
! OF the soldiers who were eucamped
within a half mile OF the stockade, and
who guarded il, but man in 400 died.
Now a. TO general amnesty. it is too
late to debate whether il has in all re.
spects been wise or unwise. shall
not detain the House in q discussion,
even il / had convictions on that ques'
ton. / do not know that it would be
productive OF any great good to discuss
Il: but the same time IL Is very sing
ular spectacle that the Republican par
" in possession OF their Government
has deliberately called back into power
leading men Of the South. every ono ol
whom turns out its bitter, relentless
and malignant foe, and that to-day
from the Potomac TO the Rio Grands
the very men who have received thii
amnesty are as busy as they know hov
TO be in consolidation into one compac
political organization, the old slav'
States, Just as before the war, and w
see banners blazoned again with the in
scription that with united South and
few votes from the North this coun
try can be governed. i want the peo
pie to understand that this is precisel.
the motive; that this is the snimus AM
intent. I do not think offering smnes
" to the 750 men who are now withou
Id will either hasten to retafd tha
mouenient do not think that grant
ing or refusing amnesty TO Mr.. Davi
will hasten or retard IL. ! hear IL sal.
that we arc going 10 elevate Mr.. Davi
into very great consequences by refus
\ ing amnesty 10 him. That 10 not 10
me TO consider. only see before IN
when his name IL presented the ma
who by wink Of his eye, by q waiv
Of his hand, by q nod OF his head
J could have stopped the atrocities
J Andersoville. Ssme OF us had kinsme
there. Most Of rs had friends there