Wilmington journal., 1876-02-11

a ties by ec post .facfo legislation. are
part OF the proceedn,S wn'ch mad its
appropriate end in the assumption by
Congress OF the Executive function Cf
grp ntiGg pardO S. To remove pOliti-
cal disabilities which there was not
legal power 10 impose was not an act
of SO much grace as to form ptausi-
BILE prefix for toe reckless diatrlbe of
Mr. Blaine.
The papers preserved by DR.. Steven
son happily furnish full proof of the
causes of disease and death at Ander-
sonville. They are Row, L believe, in
Richmond, and it is 10 be hoped their
publication will not be much longer
DELAYED. [ have no taste for recrimi-
d .tiou, though the sad recitals made
by our soldiers, returned from North-
ern prisons can never be forgott an.
And you will remember the excitement
these produced, aud the cepsorIous
publications which were uttered against
me because I would not visit on the
helpless prisoners in our hands such
| harbarities as, according 20 reports, had
been inflicted upon our men.
Imprisonment is had lot ut the
best, and prisoners are prone to exag-
gerate Their suffarlngs, and such was
| DEOk5@EuiV Ih6 case Otl OOSl Hk-tCS. ADh'
| we did not seek by reports of commit
| tees, with photograph illustrations,
| to iufame the passions of Our people
How was it with our enemy? Let one
example suffice. You may rem ,Inber
a published report Of committee OF
| the United states Congress which was
sent to Annapolis to visit some ez-
! changed prisoners, and which hid ap-
| pended to it the photographs Of SOM,
| emaciated subj, cts, which Vert offered
IS samples of prisoners returned from
| the South.
Wnen copy of that report was re-
| ceived [ sent 1t to Colonel Onjd, com
missioner for the exchange OF prison
ers. aud learned, as / anticipated, that
the photographs, as far a9 could u
identified, mad been taken from men
vino were Iii our hospital when they
were liberated for exchange, and whom
the hospital surgeon regarded as con
valescent but 20 weak to be removed
with safety to themselves. The aux
ietv Of fh4 prisoners to be sent to thclt
homes had prevailed over the OBJ
jections of the surgeon. Bat this 1t
not all; for l have recently learned
from a priest who was then at Annap
oils that the pzost wretched-lo0king OF
these photographs was taken from
man who had never been a prisoner
but who had been left on the ''slcf
list" at Anna oolis when tue command
to which lie was attached had passed
chat place on It's southwark march.
Whatever may be said il extenuatioI
of such imposture because Of the eEI
gencies Of war, there can he no sucf
excuse now for the attempts OF hlr
Blaine, by gross Misrepresentation ant
slanderous accusation, to revive the
worst passions OF the war; and it is Il
be hoped that. much as the event l8 tE
be regretted, 1t viii have the good IF
feet Of evokiug truthfut statements Il
regard to this iittle-uuderstood subJec
from men who would have pr, fArred tt
leave their sorrowful story untold
the subject could have been allowed
peacefully to sink i1to oblivion.
Mutual respect is needfai for th'
} common interes IS essential to
friendly union, and when slander i
promulgated from high places the pub
lc welfare demands that truth shoul'
J strip fa!sahood of its power of evil.
am, respectfully and
truly, your friend,
JEFFERsoNDAyIs.