Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-01-14

ssln NV amendment l have excepteQ Jei-
ferson Davis from its operation NOV !
| do not place that exception on the grouna
that Davis was as he is commonly called
the head and front Of tho rebellion. because
on that ground l do rot think the e1cep-
ton would be tenable. DAVIS was luss as
cn;ltv M mora 40. no less so, than thou
sands Of Others who will get the oenent
of the grace and amnesty probably
be was far less Efficient as an enc
NV of the United States-probabiy ne
was far more useful as a disturber oil tne
| counsels of the Confederacy. 1t IS not De-
cause of any particular or special damage
which be above all others. did to the Unit
ed States. or because he is particularly OF
any consequence that excepted him put
except him on the ground that he Is the
author. knowingly, deliberately, guilty..
wilfully, of gigantic murder and crime a.
Andersonville, q Wonderland LIBBY
Mr.. Blaine-"Libby pales in insIgnIhcance
as compared to Andcrsonvilie. l place !"
on that ground and believe that 30 rapid
lv does one event follow on the
| heels of another in the rapid age IN
which we live that even those OF
MS who we're contempor5 aenusly cognizant
of what was Transporting there, still less
those of US who have grown up since, nave
| failed to realize the gigantic crime which
vas there committed. Since the gentle
man from Pennsylvania introduced TINS oiii
| have taken occasion to read some oil the
historical crueltes of the world. l nave
read over the details of those atroeious mas
sscres under the duke of Alya. in the low
countries which are mentioned with thriI
| of horror throughout Christenden- nave
| read details of St. Bartholomew, whicn
stand out as one of the atrocities beyonu
| Imagination | have read anew the horrors
untold and unimagined of the Spanish inqul-
sition. and here before God, measuring
nv words and knowing their full extent
and import, declare that neither the Duke
| of Alya in the low countries. nor the au-
| thor of Massacre of St. Bartholomew, nor
| thumb screws and dungeons and atrocities
| of the Spanish inquisitiOn, begin to COM
pare in atrocity with the hideous crime OF
| Andersonyille. Sensation IN the ball and
| galleries and remark by Robbins. of North
Carolina. unheard BY Blaine, that 1t was
an infamous SANDER Thank God, Mr.
| Speaker, that when this Congress was IN
| der different control from that under which
| it is to-day. with committee composer oil
members of both parties, that tale OF nor,
ror was placed where 1t could not be denied
or gausaid. | hold in my hand a story
written out By committee OF this Con
| that Wirz. who il now dead, was sent
TO Andersonyille with the fall knowledge
| of his previous atrocities, and that those
atrocities in Richmond were 50 bitter and so
bad that the confederate papers, Richmond
Examiner for one said when II was done that
they thanked GOD that Richmond was nd
of his presence We in the north know
from the returning skeletons what be had
accomplished at Belle-Isle or Libby. Fresh
from those accomplishments be was sent by
Davis against the protest of others in the
Confederacy to construct this pen OF hor-
rors at Andersonyille. OF course 1t would
be utterly beyond the scope of the occasion,
and sbeyond the limits OF my hour TO
give any details but on arraIgnlng
Davis ! undertake here to say that l
do not ask the gentlemen to take
testimony of single witnesses. | do not
ask them to take the testimony of single
Union soldier. | only ask them 10 take the
testimony of men who themselves were en-
gagged and enlisted ID the Confederate cause
and if that testimony does not entirely carry
out and Justify this declaration which Will
| take liberty to read. Will state that have
been entirely in error 10 my reading
Mr.. Blaine then proceeded to quote from
the report Of the committee on the eonduct
of the war extracts in reference to the
horrors of Andersonyille. in which 1t l.
stated that no pen can describe, no
painter sketch no Imagination comprehend
its fearful. its unutterable lniquIty. lie
then went on 10 say undertake
to say that that l. a moderate description
of Andersonyile, and | will now read a
paragraph from the testimony Of Mr.. John
Hamilton. man who never was IN the
north, Catholic priest, and democrat.
and when you unite those qualities south
ern man, a democrat and a Catholic priest.
you will not find much testimony strained
in favor of the republican party LOUD
and continuous laughter
Mr.. Blaine here read from testimony OF
Father Hamilton a. given in the Wlrz
trial in which witness related the case OF
a Young man named Farrell from the north
of Ireland whom he saw among the prison.
ers at Andersonvillel suffering very much
from a 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 10 cover his loot. and
when be returned 10 the stOekaie the
following week he enquired fer Farrell,
and his companions told him no had stepped
across dead line and requested the guards
TO shoot him. He added that the man was
not insane when be had seen him the pre-
yious week.
Blaine further detailed the atrocities of
Andersonville and said that he considered
the Indictment of Davis at Richmond under
Johnson's administration weak step for he
was no more guilty than hundreds Of others
who went into the Confederate movement,
but | will undertake TO say this and
with good elaboration that there l. not
a civilized government on the face Of the
globe. very certainly not an European |
government, which would no; have
arrested Davis, or which when It had
him in its power would not have
tried him for maltreatment OF pris- |
ouers of war, and shot him within
thirty days France. Russia. England,
Germany. Austria-auy OF them would |
have done it Wirz deserved his death for /
the brutal treatment of prisoners, but al |
ways thought it was a weak movement on
the part OF our government to allow JET |
ferson Davis TO 90 at large and hang
Wirz.