The Republican journal., 1876-03-02
A Cant. Wirz Among Us.

A Capt. Wirz Among Us.
AS our readers know, the editor OF the |
Prog. Age is in a terrible state of mind |
about what he styles the great outrages
on Federal prisoners i'll the South ten
years ago. TO be sure, the editor never
knew anything personally Of these things |
but he had heard and read much at a safe
distance; and the more he read and the
safer the distance, the madder he got.
Only two weeks ago the columns Of the
Age teemed with statements which it de-
clared We're ''enough to make one cringe
with horror" That one issue of the paper
contained about five columns of like mat
ter.
1t at once occurred to US that sometime
away back in the history of the Age and
it's teachings there had been something
like it of a previous date. So turning
back among the files of its ponderous wis
dom, we find that twelve years ago the
editor of the Age got Just about as mad
as he now processes to be. He printed the
most terrible stories of rebel barbarities
to Union soldiers at Andersonvile and
elsewhere, and fired the northern heart
all that he possibly could by the recital
1t happened in the process OF time that
the war of the rebellion came to an end,
Lee surrendered, Davis was captured, and
there was a general break up and fleeing
of the rebel armies and government In
this general scattering the commandant at
Andersonyille, Capt. Wirz, was captured
He was made personally responsible for
the sutferings at that prison, indicted for
murder and put on trial Tor his life, Pend
ing thai trial the Prog. Age commented
| on his case as follows
From Prog. Age, Aug 3, lsd5.i
The specifications against Wirz in the indict-
| ment are numerous, but they all resolve them
| selves into one great crime against humanity
| aud civilization, that Of deliberately and mali
| ciousv causing the death of our soldiers by
starvation and cruel treatment-a crime that
| has no parallels in ancient or modern times.
Wirz was convicted and hanged. After
his execution, the editor of the Age again
| alluded to his case, thus
From Prog. Age Nov. Is, ls65.1
| BY the hanging of Wirz, the country is rid of
one of the most inhuman monsters that ever
landed on its shores. He was one of those NAL
| formations Of the human kind that are utterly
| destitute of anything like benevolent feeling,
and who can look upon human suffering and
misery entirely unmoved, and, if anything,
with enjoyment. For the sake of human
| ity we hope there is not another like him on
| the continent.
| But there was another-an exact coun-
| terpart Of Capt. Wirz. lie was and is the
editor Of the Prog. Age. He was actually
an advocate OF establishing in the north
the policy that he claimed was being car
ried out in the south by 'the most inhu-
man monster" Wirz. If this seems incred-
ible, read The following
From the Prog. Age, May 3, lS6i.
| The government owes it to its own dignity;
| it owes it to our brave soders-to their friends
| at homc-tO the whole people, to visit prompt
| retaliation for these inhuman barbarites. The
people demand That the rebels shall receive Just
such treatment as they give. 1t our prisoners
are put on bread, such as hogs would reject,
with nothing but cold water besides let rebel
prisoners be put on the same diet. If our I'm
ion soldiers are sent home to US dying OF star
| Naton let rebel soldiers be sent back in the
| same condition. Ii our soldiers are robbed of
their clothing, let rebel soldiers go back at least
| with no better clothing than they had when
! taken prisoners: and let the officer who orders
a subordinate to carry rebel officers valise for
| him. hereafter. be cashiered and kicked out of
| service for his tlunkeyism. And if it has come
to this that no quarter is to be given to our sol
ders or even our black soldiers, let these saVa-
ges distinctly understand that that is game
which two can play at.
! We call upon the President and the govern
ment in the name of the people to adopt ut once
| stern retaliatory measures. Let the eye for an
| eye, and tooth for tooth be the policy. The
| able bodied loyal men OF the country are ready
TO respond to the last man to the call of the gov
| ernmcnt to slibduc these hellhounds, but they
| want to feel assured that the government
| means to protect them and will protect them,
AND THAT FOR EVERY UNION SOL
DER THAT SHALL BE MASSACRED OR
STARVED, A REBEL SHALL SUFFER
THE SAME TREATMENT.
There were at that time in the hands of
the Federal authorities, if we remember
rightly, about d hundred thousand conted-
crate soldiers. They were men who had
come from once happy homes, forced by the
demands OF war. They had left behind IA
theirs, mothers, wives and children TO
whom they were dear, as such relatives
always are And yet there was one man
in the north-and we believe but one
wicked and unfceling enough to demand
that a portion OF these innocent men be
starved and massacred 1t is almost be-
yond belief-and yet it is fact that can
not be denied 1t is claimed in the Age
that sixty thousand Federal soldiers per-
ished by neglect, starvation and violence
and therefore the demand of the editor
Of the Age was that sixty thousand south
ern men should be starved and massacred,
Was there ever in the history of cruelty
anything like this?
If Wirz was all inhuman monster, what
shall be said of this editor? If the cruel
Swiss was a human malformation, what
shall be thought of his worse than coun-
terpart here in the north who, by his own
declaration, lacked only the power to be-
come demon of blood and torture? Wirz
is declared to have deserved his fate be-
cause Of his great crime against humani-
ty and civilization" Here was greater
one proposed and advocated. The public
will be curious to know what our local
Capt. Wiz can say in his own defence.
The statute Of Maine provides that
agents of insurance companies located in
other states shall annually publish the
official statements OF the condition of said
companies, in some newspaper of their
county, But the requirement is neglect
ed to a very great extent. notwithstand-
ing there is a penalty of so attached to
the neglect in each case. We hope that
desire to conceal the standing Of the
companies is not the motive, but it GER
talnly begcts suspicion Of the kind.
CaUfiOuS mon will ha 1ilol,, tn nroE,r