The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-12
gentleman and while they felt it their imperative duty
TEE TRUTH OF HISTORY

war shall end The gentleman from Maine had made
two points in his speech-the magnanimity and grace
OF the republican party and the brutality of those whom
he pleased term rebels As the first question no
did not propose to weary the House, because with
the history Of the last heen years yet fresh in the
mind of the world II useless speak OF the grace
and magnanimity OF the republican party With mas
ter enslaved, with intelligence DISTINGUISHED with
cety disordered with States subverted with Legisla-
dispersed the people could afford to talk Of
grace and magnanlmlty. II that were grace
and magnanimty he prayed God 10 the
country in the future from such virtues The gentle
from Maine had made the grave indictment
against Mr.. Davis that he guilty OF the murders
and crimes OF Andersonville, and that the gentleman
(Mr. Blainel stood before the country with his very
fame in peril II after making such charge he failed to
prove II. He Mr. Hil would take up the gentlemans
propositions in their order. He hoped would
imagine that he was here to pass any eulogy on Mr.
DAVIS The record which his lame must rest had
been made up, and his companions and friends had
RENTED that record TO the only tribunal that would
give an impartial judgment-honest posterty In the
meantime eulogy Of his could help it, no censure
from the gentleman (Mr BIane could damage il, and
act resolution OF the House could affect IT, The
charge against Mr. Davis that he was deliberate,
wful, schemns murderer OF thousands OF his fellow
citizens Knowing the high character and reputation of
the gentleman from Maine, he tMr HID had supposed
when he heard the charge fall from his lips
that he had certainly made recent dis
covery and he listened for the evidence
But what it, Nothing but the partial
report of Congressional committee. The testimony
read exclusively pdrte testimony taken while
the gentleman on trial before the country In
prison, without hearing and without the opportunity
of hearing II there was any principle held sacred in
the Anglo Saxon mind, It was that a Englshmap
not to be condemned until he should confronted
with his witnesses But the testimony was not only
eI pdrte, but was mutilated, ingcniously mutated,
MUTIIATRD
most adroitly mutlated In this connection Mr.. Hill
referred to the statement Of Dr. Jones' OF the wit
nesses ON the wrs trial. who had been sent
by the Confederate government make
report as to the condition OF Anderson,
Vile, but whose report had never reached
the Confederate authorities That report had, in the
hands of the Judge Advocate, been mutilaed and Dr.
Jones called the OF the court to the fact
one of the suppressed statements being that home
sickness and disappointment among the prisoners had
been more destructive OF life than any physical cause
During the whole three months of the trial. the federal
government with all the means at its disposal had not
produced a single witness to connect the of Mr..
Davis with single atrocity Even the day of his
execution Wirz had been offered Communication OF his
sentence If he would implicate Mr.. Davis. But WHz's
answer TO his consul was-
wIRzs STATEMENT.
'Mr Schade you know that have always told you that
do not know anything about Jefferson Davis Ho had
no connection with me as to what was done at Ander
sonville. would not become traitor against him or
anybody else even TO save my life''
But said MIR. Hill, what poor Wrz within two hours
of his execution would not for his life the gentle
man from Maine says 10 the country for the sake Of
keeping his party in power. tSensation) Sir, Christi
anity alsehood humanity is lie, civilization IS
cheat or the man who would not make false charge
for his life was never guilty OF wIlful murder Mr..
Hill went 10 argue that the logic Of Mr. Blaine's
speech-holding Mr. DAVIS responsible for the OF
Mr.. Winder-President Grant might be held response
bic for the OF Mcdonald and Joyce and he asked
whether Mr.. Blaine meant to establish rule Of
structon would authorize the country arraign
President Grant for completely in the whskey frauds
Was Mr.. Grant responsible he asked, for Credit Mo-
ber for the Sanborn contract for the frauds the
District OF Columbian And yet Mr.. Grant had abso-
utely TO the Senate OF the Untee States for
1rmation for high office the Of (alluding
to Alexander K. Sheppard, OF Washington who
stood charged before the country with the
grosses pecuations and frauds this District after
the charges had been made and while they were pend
ing He Mr. Hl neither the author nor the dis
cipe OF such political logic; but If the genteman's r
Baines proposition with regard TO Mr. Davis were true,
then by the logic General Grant instead Of being
in twenty penitentiares. (Laughter) The argument
was false; IL was libel on American rules OF law and
was without precedent No precedent for it could DO
found any civilized country. He (Mr. HID acquitted
General Grant of completely in the whiskey frauds and
the frauds and the facts acquitted MI Davis Of
completely with any atrocity anywhere.
Mr. Hill proceeded quote the law of the Confederate
government the subject of the treatment Of prison.
ers which it is provided that tho ratons for prison
of shall be the same in quantity and quality
those furnished to enlisted IN the Army of the
Coniederacy. That law, he said was passed by the
Confederate Congress, approved by Mr. Davis and
was, Tar as Mr. Davis agency was concerned exc
cuted. The gentleman from Maine had gone tar as
TO that Mr.. Davis had sent General Wnder 10 An
Jacksonville for he purpose OF organizing den Of hor
The answer to that was an order locating the
prison. which Mr. Hill proceeded to read and which pro-
vided that it should be in healthy locality with plenty
OF pure water running stream and IL possible shade
trees and the immediate neighborhood of grist and
sawmills. That he said, did not look like organizing
a den of horrors Mr. Blaine had said that no Confed.
prisoner in the hands OF the federal authorities
had suffered but that they had always been allowed 10
buy whatever they wanted. The only answer be would
being prisoner in the North and the first day OF
his Imprisonment the officer in charge Of the prison
had kindly told him that be would put him Ander-
sonvie fare, and would not allow him to buy anything
He mr. HILL only got released from that Imprisonment
after ten days before General Dix, Of New York. He
quoted the testimony OF Union soldier the WIrz
trial the effect that there had been any dfi-
Guilty getting vegetables at Andersonville. He said
THs WANT or MEDICINE
But whose fault II that they did not get medi-
cineS He did have medicine in the Coniederacy,
nd he had M mi
band Of thing which no other country earth
had done before Not even had the Duke OF Alva
done such thing Even the federal officers received
Instructions TO examine women passing through the
lines search their petticoats, even to prevent
them bringing medicine to the Confedcracy. Who The
asked was responsible for thatY There also
another misfortune and that the OF clothing
Clothing of course had been made contraband of
that whatever horrors had existed at Andersonvle
Of them could be attributed to single order OF
the Confederate government and that every one OF
them grew OF the necessity OF the occasion, which
necessity fastened the Confederates by the
duct Of the other side He challenged Mr.. Blaine to
meet him face face and fact fact the discussion
of the question declaring that the time was past when
the country could accept the
mPUDEScE OF ASSERTION
force argument the recklessness of
for truth Of history. He (Ar Hill did not want
fold the chapter on the other side he Ameri-
can who honored his country and his whole country,
and IL was pleasant for him TO bring forward proof
that any portion OF his country had been guilty Of will
full CRIME or wiful treatment OF poor manaced prs-
oners. Most Of those horrors were nseparable from
state OF war and he wanted the people 10 recolect
that that hereafter they should not be hurried into
another war Sull a set of 10 the genteman's fMr
Baines statement about Andersonvile he would read
some extracts aletter written by Confederate
reon who a prisoner at Elmira he read portions
OF that letter In which II stated that the mortality
OF Elmira was no less than at Andersonville
MT PLArr, OF New York, asked him who the
author OF the letter
Mr. HILL replied that he did know
MT PLArr declared, as living within thirysix miles
OF Emira that the statements unqualihcdly false
Mr. HILL replied that he did not say the statements
true bat only that they were good as the state
ments quoted on the other side He merely used them
AZ a set-or But after all what the 70 the
prisons. The test was
THE RESULT.
The report OF Mr. Stanton, Secretary OF Wharf.-The
publican side of the House will believe him-exhbited
the fact that Of the federal prisoners the hands OF the
Confederate authorities during the %, 500 had
died and that OF the Confederate prisoners in
federal hands 20 436 had died. Surgeon General
Barncs-he supposed the republicans would believe
him alsohad gwen the number OF Confederate prison.