The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-01-27

We print below the msaty portion
OF Mr.. Blaine's reply to Ban Hill, de-
liYerSd in the House of Representa-,
tives, Thursday
TX jefferson Davis. the moment that
the crimes of AndersouviIle were
brought to his attention, had arraigned
the perpetrators OF them at once. and
Issued an order that "no guilty man
should escape" then there would b.
some little consistency in the gentle
mans position. CApplause on the Re-
publican side and in the galleries. I IL
was il-considered and very bad TASTE
for the gentleman from Georgia To
introduce Gen. Grants name In this
connection very bad taste indeed /:
but may say on the authority of
Gen. Grant, whom the gentleman
from Georgia impugned, In connec-
lion with the exchange of prisoners
that one trouble in relation tn the ex-
change Of prisoners was that the
Davis Government observed no honor
in the matter. Gen Grant states that
the brigade Of Carter Stevenson, who
was dislodged at Chattanooga, was
made up Of paroled prisoners taken at
-~Ao1AA6 anu blAab CIcNCu6Uu nlTIl-
self was one Of them, and he states
tnat paroled prisoners, who were taken
one day and discharged, were found
next day in front Of his lines. But,
In stating this, Gen. Grant was care
inl to say that, as for Lee and the two
Johnstons, and Pemberton and the
great Confederate Generals, they had
been homer itself, but that. with Davis
and the Executive Government,
there was no honor whatever. As to
the number Of prisoners who died on
each side, have been told by an
army surgeon that there was a
large number of deaths among the
rebel prisoners, but that during the
latter part OF the war they came into
our hands very much exhausted, i'll
clad, ill-fed, diseased, and that they
died OF the diseases they brought.
One eminent surgeon said to me that
the qut stion was not what was the
condition OF the prisoners when they
came to US, but what Il was when
they were sent back. Our men were
taken In full health and strength.
they came back wasted aud worn
skeletons. The rebel prisoners were
hSAOh CAoOlaOCut anu Icus 1EdQL
says that at the time such superhu-
man efforts were made on the Con-
federate side for exchange, there were
1900 prisoners in our hands who
would have re-entered the rebel army
In goodi1ea!ti, aud ready for ightin >.
That sheds a good deal Of light on
what the gentleman from Georgia
said.
Mr.. Blaine then read 8 letter from
Robert Ould, Confederate Agent Of
to Col. Myer, directing
him, II exigeneies required the use OF
trains for transportation Of corn, to
pay no regard to Yankee prisoners, a.
it was better to let them starve than
for their soldiers to suffer. Mr.. Blaine
then referIel to the military order
issued by Gen. Winder to open fire
Of grape upon the prisoners at Ander-
sonVille II the UuiOn troops came
within seven miles, which order Mr..
Hill fntimated was 8 forgery, to- the
use OF blO0dhOunds for hunting down
prisoners, and Mr.. Hill had
admitted that there were dogs kept
for that purpose, but denied their be- |
ing blOOdhounds-and ended by say
ing, in view Of all these facts, / have
only to say that II the American Con-
gress by two thirds vote shall pro-
Jefferson Davis worthy to be
resto red to full rights Of American |
can only vote against It |
and hang my head IN sile nee.