The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-02-07
JEFF DAVIS.

Charges.
AND SHOWS HOW UNREpENTANT
HE'S.
And How Undeserving of Amnesty.
Sorry That AndersOnviIle is Rot
Forgotten.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 6-Jefferson Davis has
written letter to Judge Lyons of Richmond,
Va, dated New Orleans, JAM q, 1876. He
says:
have been so long an object Of malignant
SANDER and the subject of INSCRIPTIONS false
| hood by partisans of the class of Blaine, that
| though l cannot say it has become to me mat
| ter of Indifference it has ceased to excite my
surprise even in this instance when it reaches
| the extremity of accusing me of cruelty to
| prisoners. What matters it to one whose OBJ
| ject is personal and party advantage that the
records of both the Federal and confederates
disprove the charges that the country is full of
witnesses who bear testimony against it, and
| that the effort to revive the bitter animosities
OF the war Obstructs progress towards the re-
Cancellation between states. 1t is enough for
| him iHhis self-seekng purpose be promoted 1t
| would, however, seem probable that such ex-
pectations must be disappointed for only those
who are wlfully blind can fail to see in the
circumstances of the case the policy of Mr..
| Blaine's statements. The published fact of an
attempt to suborn Wirz when under sentence
| of death, by promising him pardon if he
| would eliminate me in regard to the Anderson
vile prisoners,s conclusive as to the wish of the
| government to make such charge against me,
foil to- nCar ttaf
| be found to sustain it, May we not say the
evidence of my innocence was such that Holt
and Conover with trained band of suborned
| witnesses dared not make against me this
charge-the same which Wirz for his life
would not make, but which Blaine for the
Presidential nomination has made.
Now let US review the leading facts of this
| case. The report of the confederate commits
| sioner for exchange of prisoners shows how
| persistent and liberal were our efforts to Sc
| cure the release of captives
| Failing in those attempts, instructed Gen.
| Robert E. Lee 10 90 under a flag of truce and
| seek an interview with Gen. Grant, to repre-
| sent to him the suffering and death of the
Federal prisoners held by us, to explain the
| causes which were beyond our control, and to
| urge in the name of humanity the observance
/ of the cartel for the exchange of prisoners. To
| this, as to all previous appeals, deaf ear was
| turned will not attempt from memory to
write the report that was made to me of Incl
| dents of the mission. Lee no longer lives to
| defend the cause and country he loved SO we'll
| and served so efficiently, but Gen. Grant can
| not fail to remember so extraordinary visit,
| and his objections to executing the cartel are
| we'll known to the public. But whoever else
may choose to forget my efforts in this regard,
| the prisoners at AnderSOnville and delegates
1 permitted them to send to President Lincoln
| to plead for resumption of exchange of
prisoners cannot fail to remember how willing
I was to restore them to their homes and to the
| comforts of which they were in need, provided
| the imprisoned soldiers of the Confederacy
| should be In a like manner released and re.
| turned to us. This foul accusation, though
directed specially against me-. was no doubt
| intended and naturally must be the arraign-
ment of the South, by whose authority and in
| whose behalf my deeds were done.
He then refers to his concentrations to the
| rebel army after their victories, for their ten
derness to the wounded and captured Union
| soldiers. He says
| 1t is admitted that the prisoners in our hands
| were not as well provided for as we would have
| liked, but it is claimed that we did not do for
| them as we'll as we could. Can the other side
claim as much? 70 the bold allegations of
| cruel treatment of prisoners by our side and
| of humane treatment and adequate supplies by
our opponents, it is only necessary to offer two
| facts: First, it appears from reports of the
| United States War Department that though we
had 10000 more prisoners than they had of con-
| federates, 5000 more OF the confederates died in
| Northern prisons. Second, the want and suf-
| fering of the men in Northern prisons caused
| me to ask for permission to send out cotton and
| buy supplies for them. The request was grant
ed, bat only on condition that the cotton should
| be sent to New York and the supplies be bought
| there. Gen. Beale, now of st. Louis, was au-
| thorized to purchase and distribute needfu sup
| plies Our sympathy rose with the occasion
| and we responded to its demands, not waiting
for ten years; then to vaunt itself when it conld
| serve no good purpose to the sufferers. Under
| the mellowing influence of time and occasional
| demonstrations at the North of desire for res
| toration of peace and good will the Southern
people have forgotten much and have forgiven
much of the wrongs they bore. If it be less so
among their invaders, it is but another example
of the rule that the wrong-doer is less able to
forgive than he THO has suffered a causeless
wrong. 1t is not however, generally among
| those who braved the hazards OF battle that
unrelentng vindictiveness is to be found the
| brave, generous and gentle. 1t is the skukers
| of the fight. The Blaines who display their
| fame on an untented field. They made no sac
| riice to prevent separation of the states
| Why should they be expected to promote conf
dence and good will, essential to their union.
When closely confined at Fortress Monroe /
was solicited to add my name to those of many
esteemed gentlemen, who had signed petition
| for my pardon, and an assurance was given
| that on my doing so the President would order
my liberation. Confident of the justice of our
cause and the rectitude OF my own conduct, I
| declined to sign the petition and remained sub
| ject to the inexcusable privatlons and torture
| which DR.. Craven but family describes. When
| after two years of close confinement, was adj
mitted to bail as often as required L appeared
| for trial under an indictment found against me-
| but in which Mr.. Blaine's fictions do not ap-
| pear. The indictment was finally quashed, on
| no application of mine, nor have ever evaded
| or avoided trial upon any charge tie general
| government might choose to bring against me,
| and have no view of the future which makes
| it desirable to me to be included in an amnesty
| bill. Viewed in the abstract or as general
| question would be glad to see the repeal of
all laws inflicting the penalty of political dsa-
bilities on classes of the people, that it might
as prescribed by the constitution be left to the
courts to hear and decide causes, and to affix
| penalties according to preexistiDg legislation.
| unjust and impolitic if the fact be equality
| and the purpose he fraternity among the cti-
| zens of the United States. Conviction and SEN
tence without hearing, without jurisdiction and
| afixing penalties by ex-post facto legislation
| are part of the proceedings which had its APP
propriate end in the assumption by Congress of
| the executive function of granting pardons.
| To remove political disabilities which there
| was not legal power to impose, was not an act
| of so much grace as to form a plausible pretext
| for the reckless diatribe of Mr.. Blaine.
The papers preserved by DR.. Stevenson hap
PLY furnish full proof of the causes of disease
| and death in Andersonvlle They are now
| believe, in Richmond, and it is to be hoped
Inelr puDllcdI.Ou Will nOI tUe LnuCn longer DE-
layed. l have NO taste for recrmination,
| though the sad recitals made by our soldiers
returned from Northern prisons can never be
| forgotten, and you will remember the excite
| ment those produced and the censorious publi-
| cations which were uttered again me because
1 would not visit on helpless prisoners such
barbarties as according to reports had been
| inflicted upon our men. Imprisonment is a
hard lot at the best, and prisoners are prone 10
| exaggerate their sutferings, and such was prob
| ably the case on both sides, but we did not
| seek by reports of committees, with photo
graphic illustrations to nflame the passions of
| our people. How was it with our enemy? Let
one example suffice. You may remember
| published report of the committee of the United
States Congress, which was sent to Annapolis
to visit some exchanged prisoners, and which
had appended to it photographs of some ema-
ciated subjects, which were offered as samples
of the prisoners returned from the South.
When a copy of that report was received
sent it to Col. Ould, commissioner for the ex-
change of prisoners, and learned as I had anti
cipated that the photographs, as far as they
could be identified, had been taken from men
who were in our hospitals when they were lib
| Grated for exchange, whom the hospital surgeon
regarded as convalescent, but too weak t. be
xp;f ofa 10 hon q,