The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-01-14


New York Cox somewhat fell into little of
the same line. He goes on to say, and the
atrocities at Audersonville do not begin to
compare with the atrocities at Elmira, and
Fort Delaware, and Camp Douglass, and of all
the atrocities, both at Andersonville and FL
mira, the confederate authorities stand aequit-
ted
Hill of Georgia, who occupied front seat
on the Republican side of the House, arose
and said, Il certainly said 10 such thing L
stated that L brought no charge against any
body, but according, to the genteman's logic,
the result followed
Mr. Blaire-That is rot the report Of the
speech at all. L am quoting thu gentleman's
speech as he delivered 1t.
Hill-You are only quoting one sentence out
of its connection.
Blaine-[ beg pardon, am speaking of it as
it appeared in the Washington Chronicle and
in the associated press report. / do not pre-
tend to be bound by the version of it which
may appear hereafter in the Congressional
Record, because l observe that the gentleman
from New York Cox spoke one speech and
published another. l suppose the gentleman
from Georgia will do the same. L admit he
has difficult roe to play to keep himself in
line with the New York Democrat, and to
keep himself in proper position for Democratic
candidate for Senator from Georgia, and it is
very difficult thug to reconcile the two.
daughter on the Republican side.) The barn
burner Democrats in 1852 found it very hard
to adhere to their anti-savery principles in
New York and still to support the Pierce ad
ministratiou, and Mr. Greeley with his inimt-
able humor which was characteristic of him
said that they had hard row to straddle, and
that they were like the military generals on
parade day in Broadway, who found it an al
most impossible task to follow the music and
keep clear of the omnibuses. (Boisterous
laughter all over the house) and that is the
case with the gentleman from Georgia. He
has been trying to keep step to the music of
the Union and TO dodge his fire-eating COL
stituents in Georgia. (Laughter)
L will read another quotation from his
speech: sour prisoners suffered 10 the federal
hands and we know bow if we chose to tell.
Thousands of our poor fellows came home from
Elmira, from Fort Delaware and other places,
with their fingers frozen off, with their toes
frozen off, with their teeth fallen out" Was
that in the line of what had said, or was it a
simple assertion from the gentleman from
Georgia?
Mr.. Hill said there were necessary Incl
dents to all prisons
Mr.. Blaine-Do understand the gentleman
now to back down from that assertion?
Mr.. Hill-No sir. l saw with my own eyes
Mr., Blaine-Tbe gentleman from the Elmira
district yesterday (Walker) and L honor him
for it, for be was not held in the lash by party
fidelity and southern sympathy, came out like a
man and indicated it to his constituents There
are on that side of the house two gentlemen
WHO fepreSeuI III pdrt the consul ueQtS tnaG
surround Camp Douglass. | refer to Mr..
CaulGfied and Mr.. Harrison, and 1 ask those
gentlemen to say whether, to their best knowl-
edge and belief, there was any cruel treatment
OF prisoners at Chicago yield to them for
that purpose.
Mr.. Caulfield of Illinois, rising on the Demo-
cratic side of the House, said, the gentleman
has seen fit to call on me for testimony in re-
gard to the treatment of prisoners at Camp
Douglass. l do not wish him to suppose from
my silence that fully acquesce in what he has
SAID
Mr.. Blaine (interruptingJ-In what who has
said? The gentleman from Georgia or my
self?
Mr.. Caulield-In what the gentleman from
Maine has sad.'
Mr.. Blaine (sneeringly)-Ob! (Laughter)
Mr.. Canlfield-I say that there were hard
ships in Camp Douglass which We're expert
enced by the prisoners from the South, but that
those hardships were incidental to the climate
and to the emergency of their imprisonment.
Mr.. Hill (without arising and in low tone)
That is right. In that l agree with you.
Mr.. Caultield-I do however say that there
were certain Instances of cruelty which occur
red in that camp to my knowledge, but they
were not of such number or of such charac-
ter as to make general charge against the
officers of that camp.
Hill (still in his seat and in low tone)-
That is right and l will make none.
Caulheld-I rember some instances myself. 1
happened to be one of a number appointed to
ameliorGte the sufferings of the prisoners at
Camp Douglass They were brought there in
the winter. think the first batch was from
Fort Donaldson. The weather was cold and it
was impossible to make them perfectly COM
Portable, and as a matter of course there was a
great deal of suffering among them but L re-
garded that suffering as only incidental to cir
cumstances which surrounded them at the
time Every effort was made to make them
nn FOR f0h 10 hnh = ~ of4
on the part OF the government but there were
some cruelties inflicted to my own knowledge
However l do not think it would be fair to
charge the government that they were chargea-
BILE to the nhumanity OF certain individuals in
charge of them.
Hill-That is all 1 meant.
Blaine, to Caulfeld-Will you state whether
the prisoners who came from Fort Donaldson
did not occupy and share the same quarters
and have exactly the same accommodations as
the Illinois troops had had who left Camp
Douglass, which was their camp, and went to
Fort Douglass, exchanging places with the
prisoners.
Caulfeld-My memory on that point does lot
serve me.
Blaine-(ronieally)-oh, Uaughter). The
lass was made for Union soldiers and was the
recruiting camp of mother Illinois,
Caulfeld-Now that you bring to my recol-
lection think the fact was so.
Blaine-(still more ronically)-Ob, my, what
a recollection. daughter on the Republican
side). That is equal to the recollection of the
gentleman from Georgia, who did not recollect
the other day whether be offered the resolution
which l read.
Caulfeld-(severely)-My dear sir, want
you to understand that when L state what my
recollection is about a certain point do not
wish you to stand on this floor and question my
veracity
Blane-I said it was a strange thing. [ dc
not question the gentleman's vtracity at all.
Caufied-Then if it is a strange recollection
l am not responsible for it,
Blaine-But do say this, that if the gentle.
man does not recollect that Camp Douglass
was the recruiting place from which these
great, noble, gallant regiments went out who
represented Illinois on SO many battle fields, be
is the only man 10 Illinois who does not recol'
lect it.
Caulfield-But, Sir.
Blsine-(waiving him down)-That is all
desire.
Mr.. Caulfeld, (persistently)-My dear sir,
you called me to the witness stand and you can
not discredit me because do not discredlt my
fully and say that when you first spoke of
the question as 10 whether atrocities had
been committed in Camp Douglass. my atten.
ton was naturally attracted to the time when
these men were prisoners there, and was no
drawn TO the point as to whether that camf
Woo hlop uiiCu NY OulOu oUluIcIS VI uOGs w
now that the gentleman has drawn my atten'
ton to the fact say that think it is so, and
may be permitted to add that the argument
which he makes against my recollection il
about as strong as any of the arguments the
gentleman has adduced before the House to
day or yesterday.
Mr.. Harrison of H., also rose on the Demo-
era tic side of the House and was speaking
very much as his colleague had spoken.
MIR. Blaine. (nterruptng)-I did not yield
for speech from the gentleman.
Mr.. Harrson-You asked me question and
have answered it.
Mr.. Blaine-No, the gentleman has not au
severed the question at all, but has gone into a
long argument not touching the point at issue
daughter
Mr.. Harrison-The gentleman has asked
question. My silence would be an acknowledg
ment that he was right.
Mr. Blaine-I asked the gentlemen whether
he knew of any cruelties at Camp Douglass.
Mr.. Harrson-No sir, but
Mr.. Blaine-Enough, that is enough. Now
will hear the gentleman on this side OF the
House from that neighborhood.
Mr.. Henderson of Illinois, rising from the
Republican side Of the House, said that his col
league on the other side OF the House was mis-
taken in the asser ton he had just made and
that to his own knowledge the rebel prisoner.
confined at Camp Douglass were confined in
the same camp from which the Union soldiers
had moved out.
Mr.. Harrison-But they were not always the
sama harrooks