Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-02-10
LETTER FROM JEFF. DAVIS
The South the Greatest Sufferer
Magnanimify Of the COnfeder-
ateS.

! receiver al THIS place. nave Uccu bS
long the object Of malignant slsndei
and the subject of INSCRIPTIONS false
hood by parti.ans of the class Of Mr.
Blaine, that though | cannot say it ha:
become to me matter of Indifference
it has ceased to excite my surprise.
Even in the instance when it reach
es the extremity of accusing me of cru
city to prisoners, what matters it tC
one whose object is personal and party
advantage that the records, both Fed
eral and Confederate, diSprOve the
charge, that the country is full of wit
uesses who bear oral testim Ony against
it, and that the effort to revive the bit.
ter animOSities of the war obStructs the
progress toward the recOnciiitiOn Of the
sections? 1t is enough for him if his
self-seeking purpose be promoted. Ii
would, however, seem probable thai
such expectations must be disappoint
ed, for only those who are wilfully
blind can tail to see in the circumstan'
ces of the case the fallscy of Mr.
Blaine's statements.
! The published fact of an attempt tC
suborn WirtZ. when under sentence Of
death, by promising him pardon if he
would criminate me in regard to the
AndersonYille prisoners, is conclusive
as to the wish of the government to
make such charge against me, and the
| failure to do SO shows that nothing
could be found to sustain it. May we
not say the evidence of my Innocence
was such that Holt and COnOver with
their trained band of suborned Witness
es dared not make against me this
charge which Wirtz for his life would
not make, but which Blaine for the
Presidential nomina ion has made.
Now, let US review the leading facts
of the case. The report of the Confed
crate Commissioner for the exchange
of prisoners shows how persistent and
liberal we're our efforts to secure the
relief of captiVes. Failing in those at
tempts l instructed Gen. r. Z. Lee to
go under flag of truce and seek an in
terview with Gen. Grant, to represent
to him the suffering and death OF Fed
eral prisoners held by Us, to explain
the causes which were beyond our con-
troll, and to urge in the name of hu.
manity the observance of the cartel for
the exchange of prisoners.
To This, as to all previous appeals, 4
deaf ear was turned. ! will. not at
tempt, from memory, to reproduce the
report made TO me of the Incidents to
this mission.
Lee no longer lives to defend the
cause and country he loved SO well,
and served so efficiently, but General
Grant cannot fail to remember SO ex-
traordinary visit, and his objections
to executing the cartels are well known
A. DAT r,h al. u,
choose to forget my efforts in this re-
gard tho prisoners at Andersonville
and delegates permitted them to send
to President Lincoln to plead for the
RESUMPTION of the exchange of prison.
ers cannot tail to remember how will
ing was to restore them to their
homes and TO the comforts of which
they were in need, provided the i'm
prisoned soldiers OF the C0nfederacy
should be in the like manner released
and returned to US.
This foul accusation, though directed
specially against me, was no doubt in
tended and naturally must he the ar
raignment OF the South, by whose au-
thOrity and in whose behalf my dt eds
were done. 1t may be presumed that
the feelings and the hearts of Southern
soldiers were understood by me, and in
that connection any fair mind would
perceive in my congratulatory orders
to the army after 4 victory, in which
the troops were most commended for
their tenderness and generosity to the
wounded and other captives, as well
as the instincts of the person who is
sued the order as the knightly temper
of the soldiers to whom it was ad-
dressed.
1t is admitted that prisoners in our
hands were Eot as well provided for as
we would like to have had them, but
it is claimed that we did as well for
them as We could. Can the other side
SAY as much? To the bold allegations
of ill treatment of prisoners by our
side, and humane treatment and ade-
quate supplies by our opponents, it is
only necessary to offer two facts. First,
it appears from the reports of the Uni
ted States War Department that, tho
we had $4,000 more Federal prisoners
than they had Confederales, six thou
sand more of tie COnfederates died in
Northern prisons; second, the want
and suffering of men in Northern pris-
ons caused me to ask for permission to
send out cotton and buy supplies for
them. The request was granted, but
only ON condition that the cotton shO'd
be sent to New York and the supplies
be bought there. Gen. Beale, now of
St. Louis, was authorized to purchase
and distribute the needful supplies.
Our sympathy rose with the occasion
and responded to its demands, not
waiting for ten years to vaunt itself
when it could serve no good purpose to
the sufferers.
Under the melloWing influences OF
time and occasional demonstrations at
the North of desire for the restoration
of peace and good will, the Southern
people have forgotten much, have for
given much, of the wrongs they bore.
If it be less so among their Invaders it
is but anoth.r example of the rule that
the wrong -doer is lesS able to forgive
than he who has suffered causeless
wrong. 1t is not, however, generally
among those who braved the hazards
of battle that unrelenting vindictive-
ness is to be found they are brave and
generous and gentle. 1t 10 the skulkers
of the fight, the Blaines who display
the flag on an unten!ed field. They
made no sacrifice to prevent the separ-
alton of the States. Why should they
be expected to promote confidence and
goodwill essential to their Union?
When closely confined at Fortress
Monroe l was solicited to add my name
to those of many esteemed gentlemen
who had signed petition for my par
don, and an assurance WAS given that
on my doing 80 the President would
order my liberation. Confident of the
justice of our cause and the rectitude
Of my OWL conduct, l declined to sign
a petition, and remained subject TO the
privatiOn- and iortures
which DIR. Craven has but faintly de-
'cribed. When after two years ofclose