The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-01-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.

| dmRcHy-B(dine Attempts 10 make Himselt
Heaicat By Var on Jc6. Davis-An In
poridm Debate, in Which The Bloody Shirt
is IIorted- General Banks Roms oil on
the 7rouJicd Waters.
From our Regular Correspondent
The all absorbing topic of the week has
been the amnesty discussion, and no recent
event has caused so much feeling or excite.
ment. Baine's speech on Monday, in sup
port Of his pretended desire TO exclude jeff.
Davis from tho provisions of the amnesty
bill, was meant for bombshell that should
fire the hearts aud excite the passions of
Southern members 1t was premediatcd
attempt to stir up the bad blood which all
the taunts of Eek Confederate Congress" !"
ETC., had so far failed to touch. Mr. Blaine
said there were no reasons why the seven
hundred men of the South now under disa-
bilities should not be given amnesty, but he
would exclude jeff Davis not because he
was the head of the Coniederacy, but be-
cause he was responsible for the atrocities
of Andersonville Then, in an ingenious
speech, such as Ben Butler or Morton might
have made, he held aloft the bloody-shirt,
waving it in the sight of his fellow Republi-
cans and Haunting it in the faces of Southern
members, knowing and hoping that the re-
suit might be rcopenng of the half-healcd
wounds of the war--a revival of its bitter
ness and hate. He not only failed, but il
is certain that in party sense he has COM
mitted b'under, only cqualed by the dis
astcr to his own ambitious schemes. To.
day the country, as represented here by
people from every section, and of every po-
litical faith, brands James G.. Blaine rs an
ambitious marpot, who, in this Centennial
year, when the whole nation, in spirit OF
magnanimity and fraternity, is seeking to
bury out of sight all traces and remembrance
of an unfortunate strife, from the terrible
results OF which the country has already
suffered enough, would again revive the bit
terness of the struggle. Mr.. Blaine will
find that the people North and South are
determined to return to the era of good feel
ing, and that in this year ofjubilee generous
and patriotic sentiments will be uppermost.
1t came out during the debate that the
graves of Union soldiers had been decorated
in the South the same as Confederate graves
and that the same tender charity had been
observed in the North, from which Blaine
might have learned a lesson concerning the
hearts of the people.
Mr.. Cox, in his reply to Blaine, proved
from the record that no longer ago than last
winter an amnesty bill precisely like the one
introduced by Mr.. Randall had passed the
Republican House upon the unanimous re-
commendation of the Committee on Rules,
of which Blaine was an ex-oflicio member.
In that committee he offered no amendment
excepting jeff Davis, nor referred to any,
but concurred in recommending the passage
of the bill as it had been reported send word
privately to a colored member of the House
to make an objection which he was ashamed
to make himself This showing not only
made Blaine very uncomfortable, but it
placed the Republicans who now followed
him in the unenviable position of going
back on their own record.
Mr.. Kelley, the veteran Republican, and
"father of the House," made manly plea
for universal amnesty, quoting Lincoln and
Greeley as its first advocates. He expressed
surprise at the course of Mr.. Blaine, and
pointed to the fact that all the facts now
charged against Jefferson Davis were known
ten years ago, and if he had been response
BILE for Andersonville, he should have been
tried and convicted then.
The speech of General Ben. Hill, of Geor.
gia, was a powerful effort. All his utter
ances bearing directly upon the questions OF
the hour were patriotic and full of promise
for the future, but he permitted himself to
be led out of his real purpose by the in
ilammatory speech of Blaine, and went too
far into questions relating to the conduct OF
the war. He proved, however, that the suf-
terings of prisoners in southern prisons, be-
yond those inseparable from war and prison
life, were more attributable to the lack OF
clothing, food, and medicine, which the
South cold not get even for her own soldiers
than to any other cause. Our Government
as q part of its war policy, refused to ex-
change prisoners upon any terms. Then the
Confederates offered protection to surgeons
of our own selection to be sent with medi-
cines fer our prisoners, which was also de-
clined, and an offer at last in August, 1864
to deliver up, without exchange or equiva-
lent, all sick and wounded prisoners, if the
| Government would send transportation was
not responded to till December, 1864 five
months after. His closing remarks give the
lie to much daily printed in the bleody-shirt
papers concerning the purposes of the South
ern people. give portion of it:
But why bring up such subjects War is
always horrible. War always brings hard
ships death, sorrow, ruin, devastation. And
he is unworthy to be considered statesman,
looking to the publication of the country.
who will parade the horrors inseparable from
war for the purpose of keeping up the strife
which produced those horrors. My message
to the gentleman from Maine is this There
are no Confederates in this House; there
are no Confederate ambitions, desires, or
purposes in this House. But the South is
here; and here sho intends to remain.
| Enthusiastic demonstrations in the CALLER
les Let the fanaticism do its worst incite
raids on our people, multiply infdelities un-
til they shall be like the stars of the heaven,
or the sands of the sea-shore, without num-
ber but know this, that for all your in
iquities, the South will never again seek a
remedy in the madness of another secession
Renewed applause, We are in our fathers
house. Our brothers are companions and
we are at home, thank God. Enthusiastic
applause We come to crafty no veng-
eance, to retaliate no wrongs, to reopen nc
strife. We come with a patriotic purpose to
do whatever in our political power shall lie