The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-02-17

according to pre-exlshng Legislation.
The discrimination made against our peo-
pie is unjust and impolitic. If the fact
be equality and the purpose be fraternity
among the citizens Of the United States,
conviction and sentence without hear
ing, without jurisdiction, and afixing
penalties by er post .tacto legislation are
part of the proceeding which had its ap-
propriate end in the assumption by Con-
gress of the executive function of grant
ing pardons. To remove political disa-
bi1ities, 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 at Andersonville.--
They are now, L believe, in Richmond,
and it is to be hoped their publication
will not be much longer delayed. l have
l.no taste for recrimination, though the
sad recitals made by oursoldiers returned
from Northern prisons can never be for
gotten and you will remember the e1-
citement they produced and the censo-
rious publications which were uttered
against me because would not visit on
the helpless prisoners in our hands such
barbarities as, according to reports, had
been inflicted upon our men. Imprison.
ment is a hard lot at the best, and pris-
oners are prone to e1aggerate their suffer
'ings, and such was probably the case on
both sides; but we did not. seek: by re-
ports Of committees with ;.,..,; ,.....
PHOTOGRAPHIC IILUsTRATIoNs. ,..
to influence the passions of our people.
How was it with our enemy? Let one
example suffice. You may remember .
published, report of q committee ofithe
United States Congress, which was sent
to Annapolis to visit. some exchanged
prisoners, and which had offered to it the
photographs of some emaciated subjects,
which were offered as samples of prison.
ers. returned: from the South: When .
copy of that report was, received ] sent it
to Colonel Ould,. Commissioner for the
Exchange of Prisoners, and learned, as I
anticipated, that the photographs, as far
as they could be identified, had been
taken from men, who were in our hoepi-
tails when they were liberated for e1-
change, and whom the hospital surgeon
regarded as convalescent; but tooweak to
be removed. with safety b, themselves.
The anxiety of the prisoners 10 be sentt
their homes had prevailed over the OBJ
jections of the surgeon. But this is not
all For have recently learned from q
priest. who was then at Annapolis, that
the most wretched looking of these pho
tographs was taken from man who had
never been a prisoner; but who had been
left on the "sfckllist" at;Annapolis when
the command to which he was attached
had passed that place on Its ,sonthward
march. Whatever may be said in exten.
uation of .ia:i''s hfitS'2A3 ~ 49, ~
s"di SUCH 1MPosTURE . -'''@ .
because Of the exigencies Of war there
can be no such excuse now for the at
tempt of Mr.. Blaine, by gross misrepre-
sentation and slanderous accusation, to,
renew the worst passions of the war, and
it is to be hoped that, much as the event
is.to be regretted, lit will have the good
effect of eYoking truthful statements in
regard to this little, understood subject
from men who would have preferred to
leave their sorrowful STORY. untold if the
subject could have been allowed peace
fully to sink into oblivion. 81 ..e,s
Mutual respect is .needful, for the COM
mon interest. is essential to friendly
union, and when slander is promulgated
from high places the, public welfare de-
mands that truth shall strip falsehood of
its power for evil. I am, respectfully
and truly, your friend, ,,',.,..,.,.,y.' ., {,