Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1876-02-12

flag on an untented field. They made
no sacrifice to prevent the separation of
the States-why should they be expect
ed to promote the confidence and good
will essential to their union!
When closely confined at Fortress
Monroe was solicited to add my name
to those of many esteemed gentlemen
who had signed a petition for my par
don, and an assurance was given that
on my doing so the President would
order my liberation. Confident of the
justice of our cause and the rectitude
of my own conduct, l declined to sign
the petition, aud remained subject to
the inexcusable privations and tortures
which DR.. Craven has but family
described. When, after two years of
close confinement, was admitted to
bail, as often as required appeared for
trial under the indictment found against
me but in which Mr. Blaines tictions
DO not appear. The indictment was
finally quashed on no application of
mine; nor have / ever cvaded or
avoided trial upon any charge the
general government mi ght choose TO
bring against me, and have no view of
the future which makes it desirable to
me to be included in an amnesty bill.
Viewed in the abstracts or as a gen.
eral question, l would be glad to sec
the repeal of all laws inficting the pen
atty of political disabilities On classes of
the people, that it might, as prescribed
by the constitution, be left to the courts
to hear and decide causes, and to affix
penalties according to pre-existing leg
islation. The discrimination made
against our people is unjust and i'm
polite, if the fact be equality and the
purpose be fraternity among the citi-
zens of the United States. Conviction
and sentence without hearing, with
out jurisdiction, and affixing penalties
by ex post fac:o legislation, are part of
the proceeding which had its appropri-
ate end in the assumption by Congress
of the executive function Of 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 prete1t for
the reckless diatribe of Mr.. Blaine.
The papers preserved by DR.. Steven
son happily furnish full proof of the
causes of di sease and death at Ander
sonville. They are now, believe, in
Richmond, and it is to be hoped their
publication will not be much longer
delayed. have no taste for recrimina-
ton, though the sad recitals made by
our soldiers returned from Northern
prisons can never be forgotten. And
you will remember the excitement
those produced, and the censorions
publications which were uttered against
me because l would not visit on the
helpless prisoners in our hands such
barbarities as, according to reports, had
been inflicted upon our men.
Imprisonment is hard lot at the
best; and prisoners are prone to exas-
gerate their sutferings, and such was
probably the case on both sides. But
we did not seek by reports of COM
mittees, with Photographic illustrations,
to infame :he passions of our people.
How was it with our enemy! Let one
example suffice. You may remember
a published report of a committee oflhe
United States Congress which was sent
to Annapolis to visit some exchanged
prisoners, and which had appended to
it the photographs of some emaciated
subjects which were offered as samples
of prisoners returned from the South.
When copy of that report was re-
ceived | sent it to Colonel Ould, COM
missioner for the exchange of prisoners,
and learned, as l anticipated, that the
photographs, as far as they could be
identified, had been taken from men
who were in our hospital when they
were liberated for exchange, and whom
the hospital surgeon regarded as con.
yalescent, but too weak to be removed
with safety to themselves. The anxity
ofthe prisoners to be sent to their
homes had prevailed over the objections
of the surgeon. But this is not all for
have recently learned from priest
who was then at Annapolis, that the
most wretched looking Of these photo
graphs WAS taken from man who had
never been a prisoner, but who had
been left on the "sick list" at Annapo-
lis when the command to which he was
attached had passed that place on its
Southwark march.
Whatever may be said in e1tenua-
ton of such imposturc because Of the
exigencies of war, there can be no such
excuse now for the attempts 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 il to
be regretted, it will have the good
effect Of evoking truthful statements in
regard to this little understood subject
from men who would have preferred to
leave their sorrowful story untold if
the subject could have been allowed
peacefully to sink into oblivion.
Mutual respect is nee,iful for the
common interest, is essential to friend
" union and when SANDER is promul-
gated from high places the public
welfare demands that truth should strip
falsehood of its power for evil.
am, respectfully and truly, your
friend. JEFFERSON DAVIS.
For the Register.
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