Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-01-27
rave got him nearer than SO miles. He is a

But the great question l. AT last, VINO was re-
sponsible for that state of thingsy And that Is
really the only important question. Mr.. Hill
went on TO discuss the history of the exchange
Of prisoners, dwelling on the fact that the car-
tel which was established in 1852 was inter-
rupted in 1863. and that the Federal authorities
refused 10 continue the exchange of prisoners.
lie alluded TO the fact of Mr.. Alexander II.
Stephens, Nice-Presdent of the Confederacy,
having been commissioned ~ President Davis
in July, 1858. TO come TO Washington and con-
suit with the Federal authorities in regard 10
the exchange of prisoners, quoting Mr.. Dayi>'s
! letter to Mr. stephens that his mission was sim
ply one of humanity, and had no political as
pect. But when Mr.. Stephens appealed to Adj
miral Lee for permission 10 go up TO Washing
ton in the steamer Torpedo, Admiral Lee re-
II. stephens j. inadmissibc. GIDEON WFLLFs
Secretary ofthe Navy.
The next effort in the same direction was
made in January. 1854, when Mr.. Robert Ould
proposed that surgeons ,of the army on each
side should be allowed to attend their own sol
diers while prisoners. which proposition was
also rejected
Al this point Of the debate Mr. Hills hour
expired. but by unanimous consent he was al
lowed TO proceed without any Limitation "a to
time.
MIR. HiLL TAUNTED WITH CRUELTY.
Mr.. BLAINE, REP. Me- asked him
whether he had not been member of the Con-
fcdcratr senate.
Mr.. HILL replied that he had been.
MIR. BLAINE then proceeded TO quote a
resolution, offered in the Confederate Congress
by senator Hill OF Georgia. TO the following
effect; That every person pretending To be a
soldier or officer of the [ nited States, who
shall be captured on soil of the Confederate
states after the 1T OF January, 1853. shall be
presumed Ia have entered the territory Of the
Confederate States with intent TO incite iusur-
reCtiOn and Ia abct murder, and that, unless
satisfactory proof be adduced TO the 10 the con-
trary before the military court before which
his trial shall be had he shall suffer death" He
asked Mr.. Hill whether he was the author Of
that resolution.
Mr.. HILL will say 10 the gentleman from
Maine, very frankly, that have not the slight
est recollection of hearing II before
Mr.. BLAlNE-lo GU do not DENY il,
Mr. HILL do not know. Ny opinion is
that never was the author Of that resolution:
bat have no recollection oft. was
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee n the
senate and kerry likely. like the Chairman Of
the Committee on Rules at the last session.
may have consented to that report. Laughter
at the expense of Mr.. Blaine
Mr.. BLAiNE-Does the gentleman admit
that he made that report:
Mr.. HILL do not know. but it j. very
likely. lDerisiye laughter on the Republican
side
Mr.. BLAINE-The copy which I have
quoted from /, entitled "Republicanism in
America" wish to know whether the gem
tl.mAn was the author of that resolution.
MIR. HILL really do not rccollect. Re-
ncwed laughter on the republican side.l
Mr.. BLAINE lpcr>i,tcntyl Tine gentle
man does not say that he was not the author Of
Mr.. HILL do not, but think was not
the author ot II.
Mr.. BLAINE-I thought that n the gem
tlcman'- effort was TO show the humane charae-
ter Of the Confederate Congress this might aid
him 10 .y,11,. l.
Nr. iilll.-Wiih 81 due Difference 10 the
gentleman. he did not think any such thing.
Laughter lie thought he would divert me
from the purpose Of my argument.
Mr.. BLAINE lapologrticallyl 49, oh, no
tn" gentleman can have all the time he wants.
Mr.. lIlLL-Whai measure, the Confederate
Government might have thought proper 10
take al that time 10 protect the women and
children of the confederacy from .in-urrcction
| do not recoect but | shall not be diverted
by the gentleman from Maine from the course
Of my argument 10 70 into the history Of
slavery. or Of the Instruction, or of John
Browns raid. | know this, that whether | or
any other gentleman on the committee was the
author of the resolution land which | think
more than prutablel, our purpose was not To
do injustice 10 any man, woman or child.
North or south, but 10 adopt what we deemed
stringent measures to protect our wives and
children from seryile incursions and slaughter
while our brave sons were IN the field. Muir
muir ~ ApliAu>s On the lptillDtTatlt sitls.
At Z. NJ. Thursday, M., Blaine took the
floor TO close the amnesty debate.
Mr.. Blaine said that from the tone OF the de-
bate, one would imagine the republican party
A. represented in Congress. was irving TO infiict
some new punishment. or 10 add some other
stigma on the name OF jefferson Davis. II
mi. ht not therefore BE- inappropriate TO call the
attention Of the House 10 the precise question
at issue The gentleman from Pennsy lvanis,
Randall. has Introduced a bill to confer spec
al I.fT
co uld be higher than the iull panoplied citizen
ship of the United states,) which Jefferson
Davis had lost by his crimes. and the gentle
man from Pa. proposed in hot haste, without
debate and without amendment. 10 drag every
gentleman IN the House 10 say ave or no on the
bill declaring jefferson Davis TO be entitled
now and henceforth 10 all the rights OF Ameri-
can citizenship. To that he b ainel and those
with him dissented. They were not seeking TO
throw any other element Of an inhammatory
character into the politics of the day. What
ever of that kind has flown into thi, discussion.
lay al the door Of the gentleman from Pa. and
those who stood with him. 1t was PROPOSE
ton 10 honor. and while he (Blaine) and those
with him d.claimcd any intention OF desiring
10 punish Jefferson Davis, they opposed the
proposition to honor him.
He then passed on 10 Il scuss the question in
regard 10 ircaiaIy al OF ..IuI pil- at the
south and who was 10 blame for breaking the
exchange of prisoners The speech OF the gen.
ally nothing TO say. The subject had been ex-
hausted and the argument was unanswerabt,
and he undertook TO say that a. yet no gentle
man on the other side had answered one fact
which the gentleman from Ohio had alleged
and that no gentleman could answer them. He
Blaine should not therefore at any length rest
on that point, but there was one allegation as
TO a point in history which he felt il hi. duty,
not merely a, a member Of the Republican
party. but a. 4 citizen Of the American Union
.aI aFl fhatrx fba oil
made 10 regard to the manner IN which confed-
crate prisoners had been traeted in the prisons
OF the Union.
The gentleman from Georgia (IIilI) had spok-
en- this sentence in his speech; II have also
proved that with all the horrors which you
have made such noise about occurring at
Andersonyille. greater horrors occurred in the
prisons where Jour troops were held and
could not but admire the ''our" and the your"
with which the gentleman continued the dis
cussion. 1t i'll compared with his later preten-
tions to unionism II was certainly flinging the
shadow of the dead confederacy long way over
the dial of the national House of Represents
tyes. and think the gentleman from New
York Con somewhat fell into a little of the
same line. lie goes on TO SAY, land the airoci-
ties at Andersonyille do not begin TO compare
with the atrocities at Eimira, and Fort Della
ware. and Camp Doug Ass, and Of all the atroci-
ties. both at Andersonville and Elmira, the
confederate authorities stand acquitted"
Mr.. Blaine senced him very suddenly by say
ing that he tHill) had hard role to play TO Try
and keep step to the music of the Union and at
the same time satisfy the Georgia fire eaters
that he is the right man to be elected Senator.
The barn burner democrats in 1852 found it
very hard 10 adhere TO their ant-slayery princi-
pies in New York and still TO support the Pierce
administration, and Mr.. Greeley with the in
imitable humor which was characteristic Of
him. said that they had hard row to straddle,
and that they were like the military generals
on parade day in Broadway. who found it an
almost impossible task TO follow the music and
keep clear of the omnbuses. Boisterous
laughter all over the house
Mr.. Blaine read further from Gen. Hills
speech "Our prisoners suffered in the federal
hands and we know how, If we chose to tell.
Thousands Of our poor fellows came home from
Elmira, from Fort Delaware and other places,
with their fingers frozen of. with their toes
frozen of, with their teeth fallen out"
Mr.. Blaine called on various democratic rep
resentatives from the neghborhood OF the I'm
ion camps for confederate prisoners, and none
of them came to sustain the charge. One
(Caulfield Of Ill., got severely used up by At
tempting to prevaricate.
Mr. Mcpherson of ILL.,, said: l bad occasion
many times to visit that camp while the rebel
prisoners were confined there, because one of