The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-02-24
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
1sis Reply 10 BIaine-The Condition OF
Northern and Southern Prisoners.


Of the 14th inst was for#atded fr6th Mem
Dhis, and has been received at this place. i /
have been so long the object of malignant /
SANDER and the subject of INSCRIPTIONS |
falsehOOd by parIisans of the class of Mr.. |
Blaine, that though l can't say it has become |
to me a matter of Indifference, it has ceased |
to excite my surprise, even in this instance, |
when it reaches>the extremity of accusing me /
of cruelty to prisOhyIs. What matters it to |
one whose object is personal and party adj /
vantage, that the records of both Federal !
and Confederate disprOve the charge, that |
the country is full of witnesses who bear |
oral testimony against it, and that the efforts !
to revive bitter animOSities of war Obstructs /
the progress toward reconciliation of the
sections? 1t is enough if his self-seeking pUr-
pose be promoted. 1t would, however, seem /
that such expectations must be disappointed,
for only those who are willfully blind can
fail to see in the circumstances of the case
the fallacy of Mr.. Blaine's statement The
published fact of an attempt to subOrn WirZ
when under the sentence of death, by prOmis-
ing him pardon if he could criminate me in
regard to the AndersOnville prisoners, is
conclusive as to the wish of the government
to make such a charge against me, and failure
to do so shows that nothing could be found to
sustain it. May We not say that the evidence
of nay innocence was such that Holt and
COnOver, with their trained band of subOrned
witnesses, dared not make against me this
charge which Wirz for his life would not
make, but which Blaine, for the presidential
nomination, has made now?
Let us review the leading facts of the case.
The report of the confederate commissioner
for the exchange of prisoners shows how
persistent and liberal were our efforts to Sc
cure the relief of captiyeS. Failing in these
attempts, l instructed Gen. r. +. Lee to 90
under flag of truce and seek an interview
with Gen. Grant, to represent to him the
suffering and death of the federal prisoners
hold hv rs and pvnlgiy1 the which
were beyond our control, and also to urge,
in the name of humanity, the observance of
the cartel for the exchange of prisoners. To
this, as to all previous appeals, a deaf ear was
turned. will not attempt, from memory, to
write the report made to me OF the incidents
of this mission. Lee no longer lives TO de-
fend the cause and country he loved so well,
and served so efficiently; but Gen. Grant
cannot fail to remember so extraordinary a
visit, and his objections to executing the
cartel are well known to the public. But
whoever else may choose to forget my efforts
in this regard, the prisoners at Anderson
vile and the delegates permitted them to
send to President Lincoln, to plead for the
resumption of the exchange of prisoners,
cannot fail to remember how willing was
to restore them to the homes and to the
comforts of which they were in need, pro-
vided the imprisoned soldiers of the cOnfed-
eracy should be in like manner released and
returned to us. This foul accusation, though
directed especially against me, was no doubt
| intended, and naturally must be the arraign-
ment of the south, by whose authority and
| in whose behalf my deeds were done. 1t
may be presumed that the feelings and hab-
| its of southern soldiers were fully under
| stood by me, and in that connection any fair
| man would perceive in my COngratulatOry
| orders to the army after q victory, in which
| the troops were most commended for their
| tenderness and generosity to the wounded
! and other captives, as well as the instincts of
| the persons who issued the order, as the
! knightly tempeTs of the soldiers to whom it
was issued. 1t is admitted that prisoners in
! our hands were not as well provided for as
we would liked to have had them, but it is
/ claimed that we did as well for them as we
| could. Can the other side say as mUch2 To
! the bold allegations of ill-treatment of
! prisoners by our side, and the humane treat
| men and adequate supplies by our opponents,
! it is only necessary TO offer the facts:
! 1. 1t appears from reports of the United
! States war department that though we had
! 10000 more federal prisoners than they had
| cOnfederates, 5000 more of the confederates
| died in northern prisons.
,. The want and suffering of men in the
northern prisons caused me to ask for per
| mission to send out cotton and buy supplies
! for them. The request was granted but only
on condition that the cotton should be sent
| to New York, and the supplies be bought
| there. Gen. Beale, now of st. Louis, was
needful supplies.
Our sympathy rose with the occasion. and
responded to its demands, not waiting fOI
ten years then to vaunt itself, when it could
serve no purpose to the sufferers. Under the
| mellOWing influences of time and the dem
onstratOns at the north of a desire for the
estOratiOn of peace and good Will, the south
| ern people have forgotten much, have for
given much of the wrongs they bore. If i
be less so among their invaders, it is but an
other example of the rule that the wrong
doer is less able to forgive than he who ha!
suffered causeless wrong. 1t is not, how
| ever, generally among those who braved thu
hazards of war that unrelenting vindictive
ness is 10 be fOUnd-the brave are generous
| and gentle. 1t is the skulkers of the fight
the Blaines-whO display their flag un
tented field. They made no sacrifice to pre-
vent the separation of the states. VIII,
should they be expected to promote conf
dence and good will essential to their union
When closely confined at Fortress MOnrO
! was solicited to add my name to thOs
of many esteemed gentlemen who hat
signed a petition for my pardon and an as
surance was given that on my doing so tn
president would order my liberation. Con
; fdent of the justice of our cause and tn
rectitude of my swn conduct, | declined t
sign the petition, and remained subject t
r inexcusable privatiOns and tOrtures, whic
: DR.. Craven has but family described, wheT
after two years of close confinement ! wa
admitted to bail. As often as required I az
: peared for trial under the indictments fOun
against me, but in which Mr.. Blaine's fiction
, do not appear. The Indictment was finall
= quashed, on no application of mine, nor have
: ever evaded or avoided trial on any charg
the general government might choose t
bring against me, and nave no view of tn
future which makes it desirable to me to b
included in any amnesty bill. Viewed i
| the abstract, or as a general question,
would be glad to see the repeal of all law
inflicting the penalty of political dlsabilitie
on classes of people; that it might, Pre-
, scrbed by the constitution, be left to tn
courts to decide the cause and offer penaltic
according to legislation. The discriminate
made against our people is unjust and in
polite, if the fact be equality and the pul
pose be fraternity among the citizens of tn
, United States Conviction and sentenc
, without a hearing, without jurisdiction, an
! afixing penalties by ex post factO legislS
, | tiOn are part of the proceedings which had ii
l appropriate origin in the assumption b
congress of executive function by grantin
= pardOns. To remove political disabilitiC
which there was not legal power to lmpOs
f was not an act of so much grace as to form
: plausible pretext for the reckless diatribe
: Mr.. Blaine. The papers preserved by D
? Stevenson happily furnish full proof of tn
7 | causes of the disease and death at Andersen
i vile. They are now, believe, in Ricl
: mond, and it is to be hoped their publici
/ ton will not be much longer DELAYED.
: | have no taste for recriminatiOn, thong
the sad recitals made by our soldiers r
turned from northern prisons can never b
, forgotten, and YOU will remember the excit
d ment they produced, and the censorious pu1
= LEGATION which was uttered against me, b.
$ cause I would not visit on helpless prisoner
= in our hands such barbarities as accOrdin
3 to reports, had been inflicted on our mel
: Imprisonment is a hard lot at best, and Or
!, soners are prone to eXaggerate their sufe
: ings, and such was probably the case on bot
Z sides; but we did not seek, by reports
committees, with Photographic illustration
to infame the passions of our people. HO
~ was It with our enemies? Let one exampl
suffice. You may remember the publishe
> report of the committee of the United Stat,
t congress which was sent to Annapolis