Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-02-08

fact be equality and the purpose fra
ternity among the citizens Of the United
| States. Conviction and sentence, with
out bearing, without Jurisdiction, aud
affixing penalties, 10y. eI post fdcto legis-
lauon, are pant Of the proceedings which
had its appropriate in the assumption by
congress of the executive function. By
granting pardons to remove political
disabilities, which there was not legal
power to impose, was not an act of so
much grace as to form plausible pre-"
text for the reckless diatribe Of Mr.
Blaine. The papers preserved by DR..
Stevenson hspBny furnish full proof Of
the causes of disease and death at Az
dersonville. They are now, l believe,
in Richmond, aud it is TO be hoped their
publication will not be much longer de.
layed. have no taste for recrimina.
ton, though the gad recitals made
by our soldiers returned from northern
prisons can never be forgotten.
And you will remember the excitement
those produced, and the cepsorious pub.
lications which were uttered against me
because / would not visit the hel pies pri-
soneIs in our hands with such barbarities
as, according to the reports, had bean in
fiicted on our men. imprisonment is a
hard lot at best, and prisoners are prone
to eXaggerate their su1ferings, snd such
was probably the case on both sides, but
We did not seek by reports of c)mmis.
sioners, with Photographic illustrations,
to intlame the passions of our people.
How was it with our enemy? Let one
example suffice. You may remember q
published report of a committee Of the
United States congress, which was sent
to AnnaD polls to visit some exchanged
prisoners, and which had apne lded toit
photographs Of some emaciated subjects
which were offered as samples of prison.
ers returned from the south. When a
copy OF tina! report was received, / sent
IL to Colonel Ould, commissioner for the
exchange Of prisoners, and learned, as l
anticipated, that the photographs had
been taken from men who were in our
hospitals when they were liberated for
exchange, and whom the post surgeon re-
garded as cOnvalescent, but too weak to
be removed with safety to themselves.
The anxiety Of the prisoners to be sent
to their homes had prevailed over the
of the surgeon. But this is
not all, for have recently learned from
q priest, who was then at Annapolis,
that the most wretched looking of these
were taken fIOm man
who had never been q prisoner of war,
but who had been left on the
sick list at Annapolis when
the command TO which he was attached
had passed that place on its southward
Whatever may be said in ex-
tenuation Of su3h imposture, because of
the exigencies of war, there can be no
such excuse now for the attempt of Mr..
Blaine, by gross Misrepresentation and
slanderous accusation, to revive the
worst passions Of the war; and it is to be
hoped that, much as the event is to be
it will have the good effect of
swaking truthful statements in regard
to this little understood subject from
men who would have preferred to leave
their sOrrowful story untold if the SUBJ
ect could have been allowed peacefully
to sink into oblivion. Mutual respect Is
needful, for common interests is essen
tial to friendly feeling; but when
SANDER comes from high places, the
public welfare demands that truth
should strip falsehood Of its power for
9vi. 1 am, respectfully and truly, your
friend, JEFFERSON DAVIS.