The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-01-13

responsible Tor the rebellion. DE did mol
believe in the doctrine of vicarious
atonement III human affairs. Jefferson
Davis was no more guilty that any other
man who went in the rebellion with
equal light and intelligence. The ques-
tion vas whether he as the head of the
rebellion practiced in war the rules OF
war, or whether in appealing to war he
obeyed the laws of war, or whether he SO
violated the laws of that high tribunal as
that he did not deserve permission to come
back into his place in Congress. That
was the whole question and it was rs
plain and fair question for deliberation
as had been ever stated in the House.
He wished ths. it had been discussed
without passion and without passionate
thoughts. Coming down to Mr.. Hills
denial Of authenticity of the charges in
regard to Andersonville he remarked
that the charges, whether just or unjust,
were made by the Government of the
United States, and in that connection he
quoted communication from the Secrs.
tary OF War in May, 1864, calling attcn-
tion to the condition of large number
Of Federal prisoners who had just
returned, and stating the enor-
nifty OF the crimes committed against
those prisoners were such and So we'll
known to the civilized world that it
ought to be put on record in some per-
manent form. 1t WAS then that com.
mittee Of the two houses was appointed,
which committee had been characterized
by the gentleman from New York Cox. ]
as q humbug committee, and by the gen.
tleman from Georgia Hill as partisan
committee. There were four Democratic
members on that joint committee. They
concurred in the report, which was unsn-
imous, that it was clear from the evidence
that it was the deliberate purpose Of
the authorities of the Rebel government
SO to reduce those soldiers, by deprivlng
them of food and clothing, that they
might be unfit to re.enter the ranks. A
large number of these prisoners had
come from Belle Island and Libby
Prison, where they had been under the
very eyes of the chief head Of the Con-
federate government.
Referring TO the order for the establish
ment of the Andersonville prison, as
quoted yesterday by the gentleman from
Georgia Mr.. HIliJ, he asked how was the
order executed and to whose
hands was it committed. 1t
| 1t was committed to the hands OF Gen.
Winder, man of whom the Richmond
Examiner said the day he took his
departure for Andersonvile: Thank
God that Richmond is at last rid Of old
Winder; God have mercy on those to
whom he has been sent" Mr.. Garfield
then quoted some Of the testimony given
in the Wirz trial rs to the condition OF
the stockade, the dead line, &c, and re-
marked upon it, that in the midst of
pine country place had been selected
which had q miss mitic marsh in its midst,
| and that q small stream of water having
been found, troops had been stationed Oh
il above the stocksde so that it was defled
BY all the e1crements of,the camp before
It reached stocksde. Besides, that in
the very excess OF cruelty, and as TO the
negative every clause OF the order,
men had been detailed TO cut down every
tree IN the enclosure, and left not tree
or shrub or a leaf to show where gar.
den or forest had been.
He then referred to the report made
BY Col. Chandler, who had been detailed
to inspect the Andersonvile prison,
which was, by Adjutant General Cooper,
submitted to the Secretary of War, with
the remark that the condition of that
prison was a reproach to the Confeder.
acy, SO that the knowledge of its horrors
had thus been brought home to the
family of Jefferson Davis, but the answer
to Col. Chambers report, was the issuing
Of an order few days afterwards, pro-
noting General Winder to be Commits
sary General of all prisons and prisoners
throughout the Coniederacy, and when
the commanding general of the army SUBJ
sequently removed Winder, Mr.. Davis
revoked the order ofremovsl and endorsed
on it that it was entirely uncalled for
the British army lost in ten great
battles of the Napoleonic war, including
Waterloo, not quite 1900 men, but this
Major General WInder within his ter
rible pit of death from April 1864, TO
April 1865, pitched INTO his awful trench
the dead bodies OF his prisoners TO the
number of 1854. As TO Mr.. Hills COM
parison of the atrocities Of EImira and
| Andersonville, he challenged any
Democratic member from the neigh
borhood Of Elmira, Camp Douglass,
| or Fort Delaware 10 rise and say that
any inhumanity had been practiced,
these being no democrats doing so he
denounced the assertion as feartully and
awfully untrue.
Mr.. Plstt read telegram received by
him from b. T. Tracy, late commander at
the military port of EImira saying that
the facts justified him (Pls!t) yesterday
| in the debate of the inhumanity III the
treatment of prisoners At Elmirs.
Mr.. Walker on the Democr attic side
of the house arose and said he lived with
in Il miles OF Elmira and endorsed the
statement made in the telegram. Ap-
plause on the Republican side.
Dir. Hill disc,simed any purpose in his
remarks yesterday Of charging inbu.
tnanity on any body about Elmirs or
anywhere else. He had only read. yes-
terday, the letter from the New York
| World a. evidence Of crueltics INSOFAR.
able from prison lie, and he bad wound
up the statement by saying that the
| Official records showed
The Relative Mortality
~ be greater among Southern prIsoner
at the North than among Northern pris-
/ oners a. the South.
A member-Do you charge that the
mortality amoug the Confederate prison.
ers al the North wa. due TO cruelty.
Mr.. Hill do DOT undertake 10 say
to what the mortality on either side Of
the line was due. say tha. il was At
tribsted 70 the horrors insepsrable from
prison life anywhere, and intended nv
point 70 be sgains. striving 70 work these
horrors Of the past and TO keep alive the
strife. [Applsu.e
Mr.. Garfield remarked that even
on the testimony u an Anonymous
letter read yesterday by Nr. Hill, the
post OF Elmira h.d been located in as
| healthy place as there could be found
| 4, ,ha STATE of New York He called