The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-01-22

on the Wirz trial, to the effect that there ney
er had been any difficulty in getting yegeta
bles at Andersonyille. He then proceeded tc
discuss the cause Of the horrors at Anderson.
vile, He said that the first cause was want
Of medicine. But whose fault was it that they
could not get medicine? They did not have
medicine in the Confederacy, and the Federal
Government had made medicine eontraband
Of war, thing which no other country on
earth had ever done before Not even had
the Duke Of Alva done such thing. Even
the Federal officers had received instructions
to examine women passing through the lines,
to search their petticoats even, so as to pre-.
vent them bringing medicine to the Confed.
eracy. Who Che asked) was responsible for
thatY There was also another misfortune,
and that was the want of clothing. Clothing,
OF course, had been made eontraband OF war.
de declared that whatever horrors had exist.
ed at Andersonville, not one of them could be
attributed to a single order of the Confeder.
ave Government, and that every one Of them
grew out of the necessity of the occasion,
which necessity was fastened on the Confed,
crates BY the conduct of tho other side.
He challenged Mr.. Blaine to meet him face
to face and fact to fact in the discussion ofthe
question, declaring that the time was past
when the country could accept the impudence
of assertion for the force of argument or the
recklessne,s of statement for the truth of his
tory. He (Mr. Hill did not want to unfold
the chapter on the other side. He was an
American who honored his country and his
whole country, and it was not pleasant for
him to bring forward proof that any portion
of his country had been guilty of wilful crime
or wiful treatment of poor, manacled prison.
ers. Most Of those horrors were inseparable
from state Of war, and he wanted the people
to reeollect that, SO that hereafter they should
not be hurried into another war. Still, as a
set-of to the gentleman blaine 81 statement
about Andersonyile, he would read some ex-
tracts from letter written by Confederate
surgeon, who was prisoner of war at Elmira.
He read portions of that letter, in which it
was stated that the mortality at Elmira was
no less than at Andersonville.
Mr.. Platt, of New York, asked him who
was the author of the letter.
Mr.. Hill replied that he did not know.
Mr.. Platt declared, as living within thirty
six miles of Elmira, that the statements we're
unqualifedly false.
Mr.. Hill replied that he did not say that
the statements were true, but only that they
were as good as the statements quoted on
the other side. He merely nsed them as
set off. But after all, what was the test as to
the degree of misery suffered in Northern and
Southern prisons? The test was the result
The report of Mr.. Stanton, Secretary of War
(the Republican side Of the House will believe
him. exhibited the fact that of the Federal
prisoners in the hands Of the Confederate
authorities during the war, 22,576 had died,
and that of the Confederate prisoners in
Federal hands 26,4s6 had died. Surgeon
Geneaal Barnes Che supposed the Republi-
cans would believe him also) had given the
number Of Confederate prisoners in Federal
hands during the war as 100000, and of
Federal prisoners in Confederate hands at
100000. Therefore, out of the 270,O00 pris.
ouers in Confederate hands only 22,576 had
died, while out Of the 100000 Confederate
prisoners in Federal hands 1896 had died.
The ratio was II per cent. of Confederate
prisoners in Federal hands died, and less than
0 per cent. of Federal prisoners in Confeder.
ate hands. And, my friend, addressing Mr..
Blaine, with great emphasis,) who is the
murderer? i would believe Surgeon Gen.
eral Barnes in preference to any politician
over there. The gentleman (Platt) says be
lives thirty-six miles away from Elmira.
Perhaps he could have smelled the smallpox
that far He certainly could not have seen
it, and venture TO say that if the smallpox
was at the prison camp no one could have
got him nearer than thirty six miles. He is a
wonderful witness. [Laughter.]
But it is not equal to the mutiated evil
dence which the gentleman from Maine in
troduced yesterday. We know how our
prisoners suffered in Federal hands, IL we
choose to tell. Thousands of our poor fel-
lows came home from Elmira, Fort Delaware
and other places with their fingers frozen off,
with their toes frozen of, and with their teeth
fallen out. But the great question is at last,
who was responsible for that state of things
and that is really the only important ques-
tion. Mr.. Hill went on to discuss the history
Of the exchange of prisoners, dwelling on the
fact that the cartel, which was established in
1862, was interrupted in 1868, and that the
Federal authority refused to continue the
exchange of prisoners, and alluded 10 the fact
of Mr.. Alex. H. Stephens, Vice President of
the Confederacy, having been commissioned
by President Davis in July, 1858, to come to
Washington and consult with the Federal
authorities in regard to the exchange of
prisoners, quoting Mr.. Davis letter to Mr..
Stephens that his mission was simply one of
humanity, and had no political aspect. But
when Mr.. Stephens appealed TO Admiral Lee
for permission to go up to Washington on
the steamer Torpedo, Admiral Lee returned
him this answer: "The request Of Alexan-
der II. Stephens is inadmissihle. Gideon
Welles, Secretary of the Navy The next
effort in the same direction was made on jan
uary Z, 1864, when Mr.. Robert ould, Con-
federate Agent of Exchange, wrote to the
Federal Agent of Exchange, proposing, in
view Of the difficulties attending the release
of prisoners, that surgeons of the army on
each side should be allowed to attend their
own soldiers while prisoners in the hands of
the enemy, and should have charge of their
nursing and medicine and provisions, which
proposition was also rejected.
At this point of the debate Mr. Hills hour
expired, but by unanimous consent he was
allowed to proceed without limitation as to
time.
Mr.. Blaine asked him whether he had not
been member Of the Confederate Senate.
Mr.. Hill replied that he had been.
Mr.. Blaine then proceeded to quote reso.
luton offered in the Confederate Congress BY
Senator Hill, Of Georgia, to the following
effect "That every person pretending to be