The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-01-26


lof wiltGl crime or wilful treatment @.
poor, mansc,ed prisoners Most o.
these horrors we're inseparable from
a state Of war. aad be waited the
fpeo eopie to recollect that, so that here
after they should not be buried iuto
another war sui. as a scj-oa 10 the
gealleman's Blaibe's statement
about AudersouviIe, be would read
some exlrseis from q letteF written
by Confederate surgeon, who WAS
u prisoner Of war at Elmira. He
read portions Of that letter, in which
ii was stated that the mortality at
EimIra was not less than sl Ander-
soavilIe.
Mr.. PLATr asked him who was tie
author.
Mr.. HrLL replied that he didn't
know.
/ Mr.. PLArr declared that he lived
within ;hirty-sjx nliles Of Einira. and
that the statements were unqualified
ly false.
Mr. Hull replied that be aid not
say that the statements were true,
but only that they were as good as
the statements quoted on the other
side; he merely used them as a set
OF Bat, after all, what was the test
as to the degree Of misery suffered Ia
Northern and Southern prisons! The
test was the result The report Of
Mr. Stanton, Secretary Of War CHE
Republican side Of the House will
believe him) exhibited the fact that
the Federal prisoners j p the hands Of
the Confederate authorities during
the war, 22.5TG had died, and that
Of Confederate prisoners in Federal
hands. 26. .437 tad died Surgeon
General Barnes he supposed the Re-
publicaus would believe him also)
had given the number Of COnfeder-
ate prisoners 10 Federal hauds during
the was as 100000 and of Federal
prisoners in Confederate hands a.
270, 0,000 Therefore cut Of the 0I0. GOO
prisoners in Confederate hands,
ouly 225IG had died, while
out of tne 100000 Confederate pris-
oners in the Fedora! hands 90, 1876 had
died
The ratio was twelve per cent. Of
Confederate prisoners in Federal
hands died, and less than uiue per
cent. of Federal prisoners in the
hands Of Confedera,es nay friend,
1addres~ing Mr. Blaine with great
emphasis gno are the marderers ?
| would have believed General
Barnes 10 preference TO any politician
over there. The gentleman Piajt
says be lives thirty-7ix miles away
from EImira. Perhaps he could have
smelled rhe smallpox that far; be
certainly could not have seea i; and
venture 20 say that If the smallpox
Was at Ibe prison camp no one could
have got him nearer than tblrtv-s!X
miles Heis a wonderful witness.
+ Laughter but it Is not equal To the
mutiiaIed evidence which The gentle
mal from Maine Introduced vester-
day We know how our prisoners
suffered in Federal hands, If we
choose to tell. Thousands of our
poor fellows came home from
Elmira. Fort Delaware and other
places with their fingers frozen of,
with their toes frozen off aud with
their teeth fallen out But the great
question il, atlast, who was re-pJusi-
Die for that state Of things! ! and that
is really the only important question
He went 9n to discuss the history
Of the exchange Of prisoners, stating
that all propositions from the Confed-
crates for exchange aDd for the
amelioration of the condition Of the
prisoners, were rejected by the Fed
eral Government
Mr.. BLAINE asked Mr. Hill whe.h
er be had not been q member Of the
Confederate Senate.
Mr. HILL replied that he had been.
Mr.. BLAINE then proceeded to
quote resolution offered in the Con-
iederate Congress by Senator Hill, of
Georgia, to the following effect;
That every person pretending to be
a soldier or officer Of the United
States, who shall be captured on the
soil Of the Confederate States after
the first Of January, 1858, shall be
presumed 20 have entered the terrific
~ of the Confederate States with the
intention to incite insurrection and to
abet murder, and that unless salts
factory proof be adduced to the contra
ry before a military court, before
which his trial shall be had, be shall
suffer death" He asked Mr. Hill
whether be was the author Of that
resolution.
Mr. Hull will say TO the gen.
tieman from Maine, very frankly,
that have rot the slightest reeollee-
tion of hearing it before.
Mr.. BLAINE-You do not deny it .
Mr. HILL do not know. My
own opinion is that | never saw the
author Of that resolution. but | have
no recollection Of it. If the gentle
man can give me the circumstances.
under which it was introduced, |
may "ecolleet.
Mr. BLAINE-On the iirst Of 0cto-
Der, 1862, the Judiciary Committee
of the Confederate Congress made a
report ard offered a series Of resolu-
tions, and thereupon Senator Hill is
recorded as having offered the resolu-
tions which have just read.
Mr.. HILL was Chairman % the
judiciary Committee in the Senate,
aud very likely, Ike the Chairman Of.
the Committee on Rules at the last
session, | may have consented to that
report. Laughter at the expense of
Mr. Blaine
Mr.. BLAINE-Does the gentleman
admit that he made that report:
MIR. Hull do not know bat it
is very likely. Derisive laughter on
the Republican side
Mr. BLAISE-The copy which i
have quoted from is entitled "Repa5-
licanism in America" | wish 10
know whether the gentleman was the
author OF that resolution.
Mr.. HILL really do hot recol-
lect. Renewed laughter on the Re
publican side
Mr.. BLAIsE Persistently The
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