Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1876-01-20
The Amnesty Discussion.


Interesting scenes are occurring
at Washington. The country IS De
ing taught that it is extremely haA
.r5ons to trnst the Democratic party
with power. -.
There are a few persons IN the
Soutb estimated at 75o, who are Still
rnder political disabilities because oil
4be;r connection with the rebellion.
The original number was somewhere
from 10000 to 10000, but Republi-
can Congresses had reduced the num-
Der so that at present only about 100
are excluded. Among the first acts
of the present Democratic Congress
was the introduction of bill provi-
ding for a fulland unconditional am
nesty for these few remaining persons,
including the head of the list, jeff.
Davis himself. The Republicans
objected to so sweeping a measure.
They wanted condition in all cases,
and an exemption in one case, that
of Davis. To that end ex-Speaker
Blaine proposed an amendment, pro-
viding for an oath of allegiance as a
perouisite, and excepting from the
uroyisions of the bill Jefferson DAVIS.
To this amendment the Democrats
demurred. They wanted the thing
universal and unconditional. There
npon arose a discussion which has
startled the country from centre to
circumference.
Mr.. Blaine supported his amend
ment in speech of great power and
force. His objection to including
Davis in the bill was placed upon the
ground ethat he is the author, know
ingly and deliberately, and guilty,
wilfully, of gigantic murder and
crime at Andersonville." Mr.. Blaine
enforced his arguments by facts and
official documents which are matters
of history, and concluded hls speech
as follows:
.sSome of us had kindsmen there,
some of US had friends there, all OF us
had countrymen there, and in the name
of those linsmen, and friends, and
countrymen, here protest, and shall,
with my vote, protest, against calling
back and crowning with full American
citizenship, the man who organized that
murder"
Mr.. Cox, of New York, followed,
bitterly attacking Blaine, and defend
ing JEFF. Davis. But the important
speech on this side was delivered by
Ben. HILL, of Georgia. He was
rampant, impudent and aggressive.
Some of his utterances deserve to be
recorded. This Mr.. Hill is the man
who, as Senator, introduced and sup
ported the following resolution in the
Confederate Senate, to-wit:
ssrhat every person pretending to be
a soldier or officer of the United States,
who shall be captured on the soil of the
Confederate States after the lst of Janu-
ary, 1868, shall be presumed to have en-
tered the territory of the Confederate
States with intent to incite insurrection
and to abet murder, and that, unless
satisfactory proof be adduced to tho con-
hafn
which his trial shall be had, he shall
suffer DEATH"
BY the mercy and magnanimity OF
the Republican party, this man is
now a member of the National
House of Representatives, and is put
forward by the Democrats to defend
the Andersonville atrocities, and to
excuse JEFF. Davis from participa-
ton therein. Let us listen to this
democratic father. Here is one of
his opening sentences:
"The gentleman from Maine had
made two points in his speech-the
magnanimity and grace of the Republi-
can party, and the brutality of those
whom he pleased to term rebels. As to
the first question he did not propose to
weary the House to-day, because, with
the history of the last fifteen years yet
fresh in the mind of the world, it was
useless to speak of the grace and mag
nanimity of the Republican party.
With master enslaved, with intelligence
disfranchised, with society disOrdered,
with States subveyted, with Legislatures
dispersed, peopleNcould not afford to
talk of grace and magnanimiry. If
that were grace and magnanimity, he
prayed God to save the country in the
future from such virtues"
OF course he desires Sin the fu-
ture" to be saved ':from such vir-
tues as that would permit secession
to become a success. He declared
that whatever horrors had existed al
Andersonville, not one of them could
be attributed to single order of the
Confederate Government, and that
every one of them grew out of the ne.
cessity of the occasion, which neces
sity was fastened On tile Confed
crates by the conduct of the Other
side.
That is the same old story; 'th'
other side" is to blame for all the woe
produced by the war, and for war it
self! He charges all the horrors a
Andersonville upon Secretary Stan
ton, as though that patriot, instead
of Davis, had authority to mitigate
them. Mr.. Hill can forgive" thai
is the word he uses, the Union sol
diers, but the men who stood back O
them-Todd, Lincoln, Chase, Brough
Dix, and the hosts of others who sup
ported the flag as officers or citi
zens-for such he has no forgive