The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1876-01-19
A Single Exception.

a bill is now pending before the
national house Iof4, representatives,
granting uniycrsal amnesty to those
.engagedsin itthe late Tcbcllior," but
tho radicals, With Biaine as their
leader and Spokesman, }are trying
to mako Jefferson Davis an ex-
ception. .pheShief1 reason, indeed
the, only reason, urged by, Blaine
Is the ofttold 'story .abd,it cruelty
to on.prisoners in the South,
of which the ex-PrGsideht. is charged
with having been teltief llhstru-
mcht. This is tho i,hcst ipi,eiilo
absurtity Of which Inodcrately
sensible man.-.dnd we believe
Blaine to be si,clr=:tduld'bb guilty.
Leaving tntitoly out 'of tito qucs-
ton tho relative merits of tho
Federal and the Confederate gov
ernmcnt in the treatment of prison.
ers, it is SIMPLY prHpostcrous to
hold MIR. Davis i'll any degfbo ro-
sponsiblo for the suifclings VT
Union soldiers confined in tho
South. Even had .ho ignored all
tho other duties with which ho was
surrounded, he coull not have
provided adequately for the wants
Of prisoners. The RESOURCES of
tho South, limited as they came to
DO when tho number Of Federal
prisoners i'll the Consederacy was
largest, wore insufficient to supply
the noods Of tho army in tho field,
and ut tin same time support the
women, children ind slavos ut
homo That the Southern army
was less tltn hnlf fod, and that the
sutlerings of tho people at home
wore great, are facts patent to
every candid mind. Such being
tho case, tho sutforings of Union
prisoners, dcploiuble as they were,
were not to be prevented by the
action Of MIR. Davis sr any other
Southern man. But tho truc &c
sponsibility lay upon tho United
States goNel nment. Mr.. Ord, the
Confederate commissioner of ex-
change, made 'oarnast md repeated
overtures to the Federal govern
mont, urging ION exchaRsa, ltat all
his proposals were rejected. He
even went SO far, ut last, as to pro
pose to release all tho Union pris
oncrs sick or disabled, upon any
terms. This docs not look like
cruelty to prisoners, Tho sne,'tsaary
tables, published after the war by
the surgcon-gonoral Of the United
States show decided airantagc
for tho Observation-Disclosures per
cent. Of thsir prises,ers IN Federal
hands dying, mad loss than seven
por cent of Federal prisoners dying
in Confederate hands, This does
not look much like excessive cruel
ty on the part Of the Confederate
government, and it. is SIMPLY alb
surd to hold Mr.. Davis re
sponsib!o for something t,,s:,tS
never existed. Tho truth is, Blaine
wants something with which to
mako \ sensation, and is doubtless
cmulOus Of Norton who is already
Haunting his "bloody shin t." They
will both find, boforo many months
roll Ivy, that the "outrage mill"
which they arc trying to manufac-
turo won't grind. "Ousragos' hav G
gone outof fashion, and Blaine and
Morton must keep up with the
times, if they would avoid incurrinc.
if they have not already incurred,
the contempt of all fan-minded mon
of both political parties.
! As for Mr.. Davis, the lack of full
citizenship docs him little injury.
He has shown but little evidence Of
n desire to return to public life, and
his disabilities do not lessen in one
iota tho lovo and honor in whic h
he is held by the people of the South.
His accuacrs i'll congress injure
themselves only, by rcviving, or at
tempting to revive, tho unnatural
feeling so strong against him 1T the
close Of the war. TO dcny him tho
full rights Of citizenship is to admit
that enfranchiscd and in public otfic @
no would bo an object of dread. This
ia shocr cowardice, and is disgrace
alike to Blaine and his party, and to
tho much DO oastod civilization CT
America.
| --I.---4sAesS.----..-.
Tho Sublimity OF Crime.
When Henry Ward Beecher said
to tho mutual friehd," Frank