Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-01-22

10 htteiu upon their own sOlulefs
when prisoners of war, and to carry |
them medicine and comforts! Why |
did the federal government refuse tn |
exchange prisoners, man for man. and |
officer Tor officer? Why did it refuse
to stand up to its own solemn engage
ment, made in 1862, for the exchange
of prisoners? Who Is in fault?
There must be n reason for this great
that is the next point
to which | wish to call the attention
OF the house. Listen TO the reason.
The New Y ork Tribune, in 1864, re-
ferring to the occurrences which
have related, says-i suppose you
would believe the Tribune in 1864,
even if you do not believe it now.
Laughicr).
In August the rebels offered to re-
new the exchange, man for man.
General Grant then telegraphed the
following important order: "lt Is
nard on our men held i'll southern
prisons not to exchange them, but it
is humane to those left i'll the ranks
To fight our battles. Every aan re-
leaseu on parole or otherwise. be-
comes an active soldier against US at
once, either directly or indirectly.
Ii We commence u system of exchange
which liberates all prisoners taken,
we will have to fight OH until the
whole south is eXterminated. 1t we
hold those caught, they count for no
more than dead men. AT this par
ticular time to release all rebel pris-
oners north, would insure Sherman's
defeat and compromise our safety
here
Mr.. Garfield, of Ohio, asked Mr..
Mr.. Hall replied that the volume
''Lifc of j Jefferson Davis" (Derisive
laughter Oh the republican side):
lie asked Garfield whether he would
say that the telegram was not true!
Mr.. GarfielL-I have not said a
word about the telegram. L merely
asked what the book was.
MIR. iIill-'rhe extract in the book
is taken from the New York Tribune
OF 1854; but here is General Grants
testimony before the COMMITTEES OH
the conduct of tho war, taken on the
1llh OF February. 1865. You believe
him, don't you2 (Laughtel). Mr..
Hill here read General Grants testi-
nlony before the committee, explain
the reason why he was opposed to the
exchange of prisoners, and which was
in effect the same as was given in
the telegram quoted from the Tri-
buur, one sentence being i'll these
words ...... .....
| do rot deem it advisable or just
to reinforce tha enemy, and all imme-
diate resumption of exchange would
have had that effect withoutany cor
responding benefit.
MIR. Hill then quoted letter from
Junius Henri Browne, i'll the New
York Tribune, to the effect that Gen
eral Butter had stated i'll speech at
Lowell, Mass, that he had been
prompted by Mr. Stanton to put for
| ward the negro question Ill order to
| complicate the exchange of prison.
| ers, Mr.. Browns comment upon il
being that Mr.. Stanton was the dig
ger of the UNNAMED graves which
crowded the vicinity of every south
ern prison with never-to-be-torgotte
horrors. Mr.. Hal then proceeded to
SUM UP HIS ARGUMENT,
and said: What have we proved?
| have proved that the federal authori.
ties broke the cartel deliberately
have proved that they refused tO':e-
open the cartel when approached by
| Mr.. Stephens, AS commissioner.
solely OH the grounds OF humanity
| have proved that they made medl.
cine contruband of war, and thereby
lett us TO the dread necessity. of sup.
plying prisoners with such medicines
as could be imprOvised i'll the Con-
! federacy | have proved that they re.
fused to allow the surgeons of their
own army to accompany their prison
ers TO the south; L have proved that
the Confederate c authorities proposed
| 10 return your sick AMI wounded
| without all equivalent i'll August,
1861, and that you never deigned to
reply until December, 1864; [ have
| proved that your high officials in
command gave as a reason why they
would not exchange prisoners, that
| It would be humane to the prisoners
but cruelty to the soldiers i'll the
field. 1t was part of your military
| policy to let your prisoners suffer
rather than that TIE Confederacy
should have all increase of its militia
~ force. | have also proved that
" ith all the horrors which you have
made such II noise about as occurring
at Andersonville, greater horrors oc-
Cured in the prisons where you held
our troops, and that the percentage
of deaths was three per cent. greater
amoug our prisoners i'll your hands
tnun among your prisoners i'll oul
hands. When the gentleman from
Maine rises again to give birth IL
that unmi,igaled cffusiou of genius
without fact to sustain it, i'll which
he says, "a nj here before my God
measuring my words, knowing theil
full intent and import, | declare thai
neither the deeds of the Duke OF
Alva in the Low Countries, nor The
massacre OF St. Bartholomew, nol
the thumbscrcws and engines of tor
lure of the Spanish inquisition begin
10 compare in airOcity with the hide
Gus crime of AndersDnville,' let hin
add to it-"Anu the atrocities of An
dersUuvislc do not begin to compare
with the atrocities of Elrnira, of For
Douglass or Of Fort Delaware - ant
Of all the atrocities, both at Ander
sonvilic and 1T E.m,ra, the Confrder
ate 1Oye rumcnt stands acguiiteL
from all responsibility and blame.
MIR. Hill here quoted from the
speech made by Jefferson Davis II
TIE Confederate suldiers after tue re
treat Of General McCleilan from be
fore Richmond, in which he said tina
the crOwning glory of the soldier
was their humanity to the wounded
aud the prisoners VINO had fallen into
their hlnis.
MR. DAVIS HUMANITY.
lie also referred to the fact tha
the Richmond Examiner, which MIR
Blaine had quoted yesterday as all
thoriiy against Mr.. Davis, had state,
hat the humanity and generosity o
Jefferson Davis would inevitably ruiz
tie Conlederacy. The gentiemul
from Maine had introduced that wit
ness to prove Mr.. Davis guilty of in
humanity, and yet the witness sal,
that the humanity and generosity 0
Mr.. Davis would ruin The Confed
eracy.
Mr.. Hill also quoted the followin,
from the ltichmoud Examiner: 9Th
enemy has gone from one unmanl
cruelty to another, encouraged b.
their iinpuniLy, till they are now an,
have been for some time infiicting Of
. the people of the country the wors
horrors OF barbarOus and uncivilize,
war. Yet, III spite of all this, MI
/ Davis i'll his dealings with the enem
is as gentle as sucking dove" An,