The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-01-13
SPEECH OF MR.. HILL OF
GEORGIA.

The Washington correspondents say
that Mondays battle left the Democrats
the victors in the contest Cox had thor
oughly endorsed Blaine. His whimsical
tiles, brilliances, and wit had turned into
ridicule all the unknown horrors picked up
by Blaine. The Democrats were inexpress-
ly jubilant, They had gained the Bull
Run of the session. They had routed the
enemy with his chosen leader. And fol-
lowing the speech of Mr.. Cox was that of
Hon. BENJAMIN Hill, of Georgia, which
was the exciting event of the session. Mr..
Hill was no stranger to the house, nor his
power a secret to the audience, yet, says
the Times corresp pendent, as he began there
were few minutes of visible disappoint-
ment in the faces of the great throng who
listened breathlassly to the first unshackl-
ed differences Of a southern member in
reunited house with the Democracy in the
ascendency. Passing beyond the plati-
tudes of an introduction, he invoked every
ear by direct address to Mr., Blaine, in
which he declared that the tame of the
the gentleman from Maine was imperiled
if the statements he had made on the floor
Of the house could not be proven true, and
that his position was ruined if he could not
make his assertions good. Blaine, who
had previously been out, came 10, hastily
marched down the isle, his head on his
hands, and fastened half curious and
half contemptuous gaze upon the speaker.
But indifference and contempt were merged
into almost fascinating interest as the
shrill voice of the southerner shrieked out
charge after charge, fact after fact, proof
after proof, maxim after maxim, every one
of which buried the burning bitterness of
Blaine under mountain of legal, logical
vituperation. 1t was the quintescence of
court room excorlation transferred to the
decorous preciuts of the legislator, 1t was
the summing up of an unanswerable chain
of circumstantial evidence, all tending
to the elimination Of a selt-confessed med
dler aud misinformed marplot. Daring
and bitter as Blaine had been in denuncia-
ton, and vigorous as he had been in group
ing isolated enormities; melodramatic as
had ever been his ingenious comparisons,
his mystery OF malevolence. his disregard
of the sanctities of reunion. the obligation
of policy, and the warnings of prudence,
Hill met and matched him at every point,
and transcribed every statement by a
precision and knowledge of facts.a scrutiny
of motives, and an intimacy with the
measures which eclipsed and COMPOUNDED
his adversary. The first utterance that
electrified the house was so striking that
the gallery On the Democratic side broke
into a storm of tumultuous applause. "If. -
said Mr. Hill, Davis sent murderer Wirz
to Andersonville, as the gentleman from
Maine charges, to carry out preconcerted
plan of atrocity, and was responsible for his
acts, then Gen. Grant. who sent Nc
Donald and Joyce to ST. Louis to take
charge of the government interests there
was responsible for their robberies and
population. IT Davis was responsible for
the daily conduct of every member of the
southern civil and military service, Gen.
Grant is responsible for all the thieving of
Credit Mobilier and kindred robberies
which have gone on under his administra-
tion." The speaker followed hisj point
up infinitely, having carried the approving
attention of the house. Suddenly turning
upon the house, he exclaimed that il
Baine's reasoning was correct, and Grant
was guilty of all the ernomities of the past
seven years. instead Of third term hi
should have 20 terms 10 the penitentiary
He then said: But it is all premise anC
bad rule of law, and acquit Gen. Gran
of completely in the criminality of hi
secretary and the misteasauce of hi
subordnates," The point was S,
unexpected, so unanswerable, that
visible frightening of jaws was observed OF
Blalne's side,
Mr.. Hill, feeling bound to yindicate hi
people, produced facts from our own wa
records showing that OF $4,000 southern
men 10 northern prisons $4,000 persisted
from the face of the earth, and that of tn
10000 union soldiers in souther
prisons, but 22,00e persisted Mr.. Hi
said ''the report of Mr.. Stanton, secretar
of war (the Republican side of the hous
will believe him), exhibited the fact tina
Of the federal prisoners in the hands c
the confederate authorities during the wa
22,576 had died, and that of the confedel
ate prisoners in federal hands 26,436 ha
died. Surgeon general Barnes The SUI
posed the Republicans would believe him
had given the number of confederat
prisoners in federal hands during the wa
as 100000, and of federal prisoners in cor
tederate hands at 100000. Therefore, on
of the 100000 prisoners in confederaf
hands only 22,576 had died, while o,,t
the 22O,O confederate priso- ,ers in fe,
eral hands 26,436 had ~ "a 'G H. !" 10 nI
was II per cent. of "onfsderate prisone
cant Of a. 8. ns"' =, died. and less than 9 p
hand -ederal prisoners in confedera
IS, and my friend, addressing Blail
with great EN- Ihasis) who is the murderer
would have believed Gen. Barnes
preference to any politician over there.
The Blaine folks, considerably stagger'
by this assertion, sought the record, al
sure enough found therein Surgeon Ge
Barnes's report. Leaving declamatio
Hill dealt mainly in vital facts of tt
disagreeable sort, the enemy hunting t
library in vain, save in one instance,
find a contradiction.
To show that Blaine's charge that Jeffe
son Davis was responsible for the horrC
of Andersonville, was false, occupied Z
greater part of the hour assigned. L
first part of his argument was that, q
hitting the horrors to have been co
nitted there, the president of the conf.