The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-01-12

scope of the occasion, and beyond the limits of
my hour to give any details, but one-arraign-
ing hr. Davis. l undertake here to say that
do not ask the gentlemen to take the testimony
of a single witness do not ask tham to take
the testimony OF a single Union soldier.
only ask them to take the testimony of men
who themselves were engaged and enlisted IN
the Confederate cause, and if that testimony
does not entirely carry out and Justify this dec
laratiDn, which L will take the liberty TO read,
will state that have been entirely 10 error
in nv reading.
Mr. Blaine then proceeded to quote from the
report OF the committee on the conduct OF the
war extracts in reference to the horrors of An
dersonvi.le, in which it is stated that no pen
can describe, no painter sketch, no magma
ton comprehend its fearful, its unutterable
iniquity He then went on to say:
L undertake to say that this is a moderate
description of Anderso willie, and L will now
read paragraph from the testimony of Will
liam John Hamilton, a man who was never in
the North, Catholic priest at Macon, aud q
Democrat, and where you unite those three
qualities-a Southern man, Democrat and a
Catholic priest-you will not find much test-
mony strained in favor of the Republican party
loud and continuous laughter.)
Mr.. Blaine here read from the testimony of
Father Hamilton as given in the Wirz trial, in
which the witness related the case of young
man named Farrell from the north of Ireland,
whom be saw among the prisoners at Ander-
sonvllle suffering very much from wound on
the right foot, which had opened like an oyster,
and which had been simply caused by exposure
to the sun in the stockade. The priest had
given him stocking to cover his foot and
when he returned to the stockade the following
week he inquired for Farrell, his companion.
He was told that he had stepped across the
dead line and requested the guards 10 shoot
him. He added that the ma1 was not insane
when he had seen him the previous week.
Mr.. Blaine then continued: do not desire to
go into such horrible details from any purpose
OF raising bad feeling. 1 desire only to say
that the man who administered that prison
went there by the order of Mr.. Davis and was
sustained by him, and that this VIM. j. Ham
iltor, whose testimony have just read, went
to Gen Howell Cobb, commanding that depart
ment, and asking that the condition of the
prison should be transmitted to the Confeder-
ate Government at Richmond.
In fact there are a great many instances and
proofs to show that Mr.. Davis was in entire
possession of the facts in relation to Anderson
vile. When Gen. Sherman's invasion, or
some other invasion, of that portion of the
country was underway, and when there was a
danger, or supposed danger, that it might come
TO that neighborhood. the regular military
order No 10, dated Headquarters of the Cor
tederate State, Military prison, Andersonviile,
July q, 1864" and signed by Brgader Gen.
eral Winder, was issued in these words:
'.The officer on duty and in charge of the battery
of Florida Artillery WILL receiving notice that the
enemy has approached within seven miles of the
post open fire the stockade with grape shot, with
out reference to the situation beyond this line of de-
fence"
Here were those $4,000 poor, helpless, naked,
starving, sickened, dying men. This Catholic
priest states that he went to General Cobb to
represent to him that if he could not exchange
them they should be taken before the Union
lines in Florida aud parOled and let 90 free
And yet, if the Union forces were to get with.
in seven miles, that regular order of Mr.. Ds-
vis's officer was to open a battery of grape
shot on these poor wretches without the slight
est possible regard to what was going on out
side.
Now, do not arraign the Southern people
for this. God forbid that should charge any
people with sympathizing with such an order.
There were many evidences of great uneas-
ness among the Southern people about it, and
one of the great crimes of Mr.. Davis was III at
he concealed it from the Southern people, We
have obtained complete series of Mr.. Davis
messages. with official imprint, at Richmond
and they are now in the Congressional Library.
L have looked over them, and find in his mes
sage OF Dec Z, 1864. az the very time when
these horrors were at their acme, at their ex.
tremest verge of desperation, he says:
"The solicitude of the Government for the release
OF our captive fellow citizens has known no abate-
mens, put mas on the contrary been still more deep
~ affected by the additional suffering to which thew
haze been wantonly subjected by deprivation of adj
equate food, clothing and fuel which they have not
been permitted to purchase from the prison suffers
And then adds that the enemy attempt to
excuse their barbarouS conduct by the un-
founded allegation that it was retaliation for
like conduct on our part.
Now undertake to say that there is not a
Confederate soldier now living who has any
credit as a man in the community and who
ever was prisoner in the hands of the Union
forces, who will say that he ever was cruelty
treated; that he ever was deprived of the same
rations which the Union soldiers had, or the
same food
e
Mr.. Blaine-Well, L take issue on that, and
say that not one can truthfully state it, As
Tor measures of retaliatio >, though goaded by
this terrific treatment of our friends in prison
by MIR. Davis, tie Senate of the United States
specially refused to pass resolution of retail
latiop, as contrary to modern civilization and
to the first precep oe Christianity. There was
no retaliation attempted or justified 1t was re-
fused, and Jefferson Davis knew it was re-
fused just as well as he knows it to-day, be-
cause what took place in Washington or what
took place in Richmsnd, of that kind, was
known on either side OF the line in day or
thereafter.
Now this is not proposition to punish Mr..
Davis. There is 70 one attempting to do it.
very frankly say that 1 always thought that
the indictment of Mr.. Davis at Richmond un-
der the administration of Mr.. johnson, was
weak step, for he was indicted only for
that for (which he was guilty in common
WIN every other gentleman who went into
there was no particular reason for singing
MIN out for indictment. lBut L will under.
take to say this, and with good deibera-
ton, that there is not a civilized government
% the face of the globe, very certainly not an
european government, which would not have
arrested Mr. Davis, or which, when it had him
10 its power would not have tried him for NAL
treatment OF prisoners of war and shot him
within thirty days. France. Russia, England,
Germany, Austria, any of them would have
done viaf N;x. L
death for the brutal treatment of prisoners, but
always thought it was a weak movement on
the part OF the government to allow Jefferson
Davis to go at large and hang Wirz Wirz
was nothing IL the world but mere subordi-
nate and tool, and therefore there was no phil
osophy in selecting him for punishment. Still
do not say that ne did not deserve it, HA
did richly deserve it, and he deserved no mercy.
but at the same time his execution put me in
mind OF skipping the president, superintendent
and board OF directors of a railroad company in
the case of a great railroad accident and ang-
ing the brakeman on the rear car. daughter
Inere IS no proposition here to punish Mr.
Davis, Nobody is asking to do it. The time
Tor such thing has gone by. The statute of
limitation and the common feeling of humanity
would intervene for his benefit But what YOU are
asked to do is to declare, by vote of two-thirds
OF both branches of Congress, solemnly that we
consider Mr.. Davis worthy to fill the highest
omces In the United States if he can get con-
SASe'e t.tua. A1C 10 u NUscT, he can
buy, and he can sell; he can go aud come. He
IS as free as any man in the United States.
There is long list of subordinate offices to
which he is eligible, but this proposition pro-
poses, in view of the record which have read.
to declare, by two-thirds vote of the Senate
and two-thirds vote of the House, Mr.. Davis
eligible and worthy to fill any office up to the
Presidency of the United States. For one. on
full deliberation, l will not do it.
1t has been frequently said, in mitigation of
Mr.. Davis In the amnesty matter, that the meu
who died in such large numbers-the victims /
believe number 15,000-fell victims to an eni.
demic and died of diseases which could not be
avoided. Now the records show that of So 900
men about 81 per cent died, that is, one in
three. OF the soldiers who We're encam ned
within half mile of the stockade, and W no
guarded it, but one man in 400 died.
Now, as to the general amnesty. 1t is too
late to debate it, whether it has in all respects
been wise or unwise. 1 shall not detain the
House in discussing it. Even if 1 had cony;c-
uons on that question. / do not know that il
would be productive of any great good to dis
cuss it; but at the same time it is a very sipgu-
lar spectacle that the Republican party, in pos
session of the entire governments, has deliber-
ately called back into public power the leading
men OF the South, every one of whom turns
out its ever bitter, relentless and malignant
foe, and that to day, from the Potomac to the
Rio Grande, the very men who have received
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