Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-01-27
The Amnesty Debate

preserve Us tree from il. c. J. ABBOT.
The Amnesty Debate
Mr.. HILL. Dem. GA addressed the Hous,
substantially A. follows
He di>claimcd all desire on the part Of him
self and associates from the south to reopen
il-frcling between the sections. H. and hi.
associates had come here with the patriotic
idea to remember nothing except the country,
and the whole county. turning their backs ul,-
on al the horrors ot the past. and To look with
all oarnr>incss To find glorics for the future
The gentleman Mr.. Blainel who i, the So
knowlcdced leader q the Republican party in
the House. the aspiring leader of the Rcpubli-
can party of the country. has. however willcd
/ otherwise. and seems determined that the
wounds which were healing should De reopen
ed: that the passions which Were hu.hcd
should be- rcinaamcd. Neither BE- nor hi, a.
associates rvciprucatc the purpose oi
thu gentleman. They felt it their imprr-
aiiye duty 20 yindir1f" Tho truth II history
but do NOT intend . >aI anything calculated Lea
ad in the work of elimination and rccrimina-
iion and 81 keeping up the war by politician.
after brave men had said thai the war hal
end The gentleman from Maine had mad,
two points in his >pccch--thc magnanimijy and
grace OF the Republican party. and the brutal
n Of those whom ho pleased to term rebels
II l. useless To speak of IN" grace and magnan-
unity OF the Republican party With master
cn>laycd. with intelligence DISTINGUISHED. with
society di,ordcred. with states suhy.rtcd. with
Legislatures dispersed, the people could not af
ford 10 talk Of grace and magnanimty. liz
PRAYED God 10 save the country from such yir-
tue.
The gentleman from Maine had made the
grave indictment against Mr.. Dayi, that he WA
guilty OF the murders and crimes at Anderson.
willie, and the gentleman Blaine) stood before
the country with his very fam. in peril it, AZ
inc .1g DO
He llIiln hoped no one would imagine that he
wa here 10 eul0gize Mr.. Davis. The record
on which hi fame must rest had been m1de vi
and hi companions and friend, had reunited
tina; record 30 the only tribunal that would
give an impartial iudgment-hone>t pustcrity
In the meantime no cu!ogy Of h> could
help il, no ccn>ure from the gentleman
Blaine could damage il, and no act or rc>olu.
tIon Of the House could affect il.
The charge against Mr.. Dayi, l. that he wa.
deliberate. willful, Scheming murderer OF
thousands OF hi fcliow-cilZrns. What i the
evidence: Nothing but the partial report of 3
Congress lunal Committee. The testimony read
Wa exclusively ec pGHe testimony taken
while the gentleman now on trial before the
country was in prison. without a hearing and
without the opportunity Of a hearing. Ii there
j. any principle held sacred in the Anglo->aXou
mind. il j. that An Engiishman i not 10 be con
demned until he shall Ice confronted with hi.
witnesses. But the testimony j. not only ~
tftIFff. buI l. liluIliAlrl-lil-t huu~N lllatAtFl
papabiy muiilatcd. most adrOtly muillaied.-
DR.. Jones. one Of the witnesses on the WirZ
trlal, had been sent by the Confederate Govern
lncui To make report 10 the condition Of
Ander>on,iile. The report had never reached
thu Confederate authorities. and in the hand.
Of the judge Advocate had been mutiatcd
DR.. Jones had called the attention Of the Court
TO the fact one Of the suppre, ed statement.
being that hOmesickne>, and disappointment
among the prisoner had been more de-truc-
tive Of life than any physical cau,e. During
the whole three months II the trial the FEEDER
/ al Government with all the means al i,s di>-
+ po>al had not produced single witness TO con
( meet the name Of Mr.. Davis with = ,ingl,
/ airocity. Even on the day of his execution
i WirZ had been offered communication Of hi,
sentence if he would implcaie Mr.. Davis but
/ Nlrzs answer to hi counsel was, Mr.. Schadc
I you know that | have always told YOU that
( do not know anything about jefferson Davis
He had no connection with me a 10 what wa,
I done at Andersonyile. would not become
I traitor against him or nybodv else, even Il
+ NirZ within two hour, Of hi. execution wOulC
! not say for hi> life. the gentleman from Maine
/ saws to the country for the sake of keeping hi.
/ party in power. Sensation. Sir, Christi
I aniiy i fal-ehoOd. humanity i a lie. -ciyliza.
/ ton i a cheat. or the man " no would not MAKE
f,ll>e charge for hi life was never guilty Of
wilful murder.
/ Mr. Hill went on TO argue that, on the logi,
| of Mr.. Blaine'> speech-hoding Mr.. Davis re-
sponsible for the acts of Mr.. Winder-Presi.
/ dent Grant might be held responsible for tn,
acts of Mcdonald and joyce, and he asked
I whether Mr.. Blaine meant TO establish a rule
/ of construction that would authorize the cOun
I try 10 arragn President Grant for cOmplcit,
4 in the whisky frauds. Was Mr.. Grant respon-
sible. he asked. for Credit MObilier. for the San
born contract, or for the frauds in the District
| of Columbia: And vet Mr.. Grant had abso
! lutely sent 10 the Senate of the United State,
/ for confirmation for high office the name of a
man talluding to Alexander K. Shepherd OF
Wa>hingtonl who stood charged before tht
| country with the grossest populations anC
I frauds Of this District. after the charges hac
! been made and while they were pending. He
/ child was neither the author nor the dis
ciple of of such POLITICAL but if the gentleman.
| (Blaine) proposition with regard TO Mr.. Da,i.
were true, then by the same logic Gen. Grant
instead Of being entitled TO third term, was
/ entitled TO twenty terms in twenty penitten
/ tiaries. Laughter.
The argument is false; il is a libel on Amer
| can rules of law and without precedent. Nc
! precedent for ii could be found in any civilized
| country. He (HilD acquitted Gen. Grant Of
/ completely in the whisky frauds and the Rev
! enue frauds, and the facts acquit Mr.. Davis OF
| completely with any atrocity anywhere He
/ denied that Gen. Winder was sent to Ander.
! sonyilie to organize den of horrors. The or
ders were to select a healthy place for the pris
| on. The trouble was to get medicine and cloth
| ing, The south did not have these, and the
United States had made them contraband o.
/ war, thing the Duke of Alva never did. III,
| challenged Mr.. Blaine 10 meet him face tC
face in this discussion, declaring that the time
| was past when the country could accept the
| imppdence of assertion for force of argument
| or the fecklessness of statement for truth o.
| history.
Nr. Hill then read extracts from letter
written by Confederate surgeon who was
| prisoner of war at Elmira II WAS stated thai
| the mortality OF Elmira was no less than al
| Andersonville.
| Mr.. PLATT, (Rep. n. " asked him who
was the author Of the letter.
Mr.. HILL replied that he did not know
Mr.. PLATT declared, as living within 81
miles Of Elmira, that the statements were un-
quaIifedly false
Mr.. HILL replied that he did not say tina,
the statements were true, but only that they
were as good as the statements quoted on the
other side. But, after all, what was the test
as to the degree Of misery sunereds The test
is the result. The report of Mr.. Stanton, Sec.
rotary of War, exhibited the fact that Of the
Federal prisoners in the hands Of the Confed-
crate authorities during the war, 22,576 had
died; and that of the Confederate prisoners
In Federal hands, d. 436 had died. Surgeon
General Barnes had given the number of Con-
federate prisoners in Federal hands during the
war, as 100000, and of the Federal prisoners
in Confederate hands at 10000. The ratio was
IL per cent. Of the Confederate prisoners In
Federal hands who died, and less than nine per
cent. Of Federal prisoners in Confederate. And
now my friend, addressing Mr.. Blaine with
great emphasis, who Is the murderer; 1
would have believed Gen. Barnes in preference
to any politician over there. The gentleman
lMr. Platt) says he lives SO miles away from
Elmira, Perhaps he could have smelled the
small pox that far. He certainly could not
have seen it, and venture to say that If the