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

Confederate Government aiga- laF
thought proper 10 take at ih1t Tin
20 protect lhe women aae ca'.trcu p
the CuufedeTacy from inserrec1iJo,
d. not recoiiect; but | shall a0t b
diverted by the gea,lerlan from th'
course Il Hy argulea;to z Iato tA'
history of slavery or o. ins';-rsc'i1n
Or o. John Browns raid. ! ka "
this that whether ! Or any other gen
tleu.an On the committee was The su
thor Of toe re= lu;ion (aad vhie-
thiak m ere ,Eau pfobahle) ear alr
pose was NOT 10 Do injustice % aay
man. woman OF child North og south
bet 20 adopt what we deemed s-ria
gent measures 20 protect cur wiye:
aad children from serviie insnrrectiol
aud slaughter "a lille oGr brave sons
were 10 The field. Murmurs Of ap
plause ou the Democratic side.
Mr. IlILL then continued his re-
marks relative % the exchange d
prisoners. aud said The C0afe9sr
ate Government o1iciaIy proposed
10 August. 1865. that ir the Federal
Government would send steamer.
aud transports to Savannah the Con.
federare Government would retura
the sick aad wounded prisoners ia It's
hands, without an equivalent That
proposition which was communicated
10 the Federal authorities in August
1864. wa, not answered until Decem-
Der. 1864, when some ships were sent
To Savannsb. TIE records viii show
that the chief suffering, the chief
mortality ct AndersOnvllle was be-
tween August aud December. 1861
We sought 70 allay that suffering by
asking YOU to take your prisoners OF
our hands, without an equiyalent aud
without asking you 10 return q man
for them, and you refused % 90 H.
Mr.. Hill went on to quote o series Of
resolutions passed by the Federal
prisoners at ABdersouTiilC 90 the
2s-h Of Septembe., 1854, il which
all due praise i given 20 the CJGted-
crate Government for the attention
paid THEM, aud in which il is said
that the sulIeriugs which they eudur
ed were not caused intentionally BY
tie Confederate GJgegumeni. 5gG hy
The force Of circumstances Com
meuliag upon that resolution, Mr.
Hin said: Brave men arr always
honest aud true. soldiers nev tr Sian
der. would believe the statement,
Of those calldnJ soldiers a. Anderson.
vile, a. contained in that resolution
ia preference to the whole tribe ot
Republican pJlili-iaas. ILaughlcr
on Democratic side 81 hat can be
said Of the people hieh could reject
such appeals from is owa soldiers
Aud vet eyeu in response to that, sue
cur did not come. Why, he c5atinu-
ed, were all these appeals resisted
Why did the Federal authorities re-
fuse 10 allow their own surgeons TO
attend their own soldiers, when pris-
oners Of war, aud 10 carry them med
icine aGd comforts Why did tbe
Federal Government refuse 10 cx
change prisoners, man for man and
officer Tor officer Why did il refuse
To slaud up 10 It's OWL solemn cIsage-
meut, made in 1852, for the exchange
of prisoners! Who Is in the fault F!
There must be a reason for this great
aIrocity, and that is the next point to
which / wish 90 call the aLteati5n Of
.he House Listen to the reason
The New York Tribune. in 1864,
referring TO the occurrences which l
have related. says: q suppose you
would believe the Tr5jane 10 1874, If
YOU do not believe il now Ia
August The rebels offered to renew
the exchange, man for man GeleEal
Grant then telegFaphed the following
Important order: tits hard On our
men beId 10 Southern prisons aot %
exchange them. but it Is humane 70
those lcfJ in the ranks - fight our
battles. Every man released on pa
role, or otherwise, becomes an active
soldier against Us at once, either di-
rectly OF Indirectly. If we COM
meuce q system Of exchange which
iiberates all the prisoners taken, We
will have TO Sight On until the whole
South is exterminaJed. II we bold
those caught, they count for no more
than dead men. At this particular
time to release all rebel prisoners il
the North, would insure Sbe.idan's
defeat and compromise our safety
here.
Mr.. GARFIELD asked Ir Hill from
what book be was reading
Mr. HILL replied tha. the volume
from which be was reading was the
Life Of Jefferson Davis DerisIve
laughter on the Republican side He
asked MIR. Garfield whether he would
say that the telegram was not true.
Mr.. GARFIELD-I haven't said a
word about the telegram / merely
asked what book it was
Mr.. HILL-Tbe extract in the book
is taken from the New York Tribune
Of 1854: but here is General Grants
testimony before the Committee on
the Conduct Of the War, taken on the
1Ith Of February, 1865 You be-
lieye Kim, don't you? Laughter.
Mr.. HILL here read General Grants
before the committee, ex.
planning the reason WHY he was OPP
posed to the exchange Of prisoners,
and which was in effect the same as
was given 10 the telegram quoted,
oDe sentence being in these words:
Il did not deem it advisable or just
to reinforce the enemy, and an imme-
diate resumption Of exchanges would
have had that effect, without any
corresponding benefit" Mr.. Hill
then quoted a letter from Junius
Henri Browne in the New York
Tribune, TO the effect that General
Butler had stated in = speech at
Lowell. that be had been pTomp-
ted by Mr.. Stanton to put forward
the negro question, in order to con-
plieate the exchange Of prisoners,
Mr.. Brownies comment upon It be-
ing that Mr.. Stanton was the digger
of the unnamed graved which crowd
eG the vicinity Of every Southern
prison with uever-to-be-forgotten
horrors.
Mr.. IIILL then proceeded 70 san
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