National Republican., 1878-10-10
BEN HILLS OTHER SIDE.


ing spirits of that attempt to break up the
Union, discredit the Constitution, and tear
down the Republic. He enlisted on that
side under the controlling impulses of q sell
fish, sordid, and unprincipled ambition,
which centred in the nggrandizemcnt of Mr.
HILL, no matter at what or whose expense.
HILL was n thorough truitor and rebel
that wns what we called them in those
days-nnd he is to I've forgiven that great
sin against his country and humanity only
rs he shows work meet for repentance. He
was baptized into the deepest pool Of rebel
lion, He was among the main pillars of
the COnicderlCy, which was TO be born of
iratricidal blood and erected upon the ruins
of the Republic of our fathers He shared
the honOrs of the Senate and the field on
the other side lie was an aTmor-clad
hero of the tented field and an
hoHorcd statesman in the halls Of treason-
able and rcDeliious Congress, and We'd with
his peers in hcaring contempt upon the
Government which he wns lHboring with
the best powers his Creator had given him
| to destroy. lie was vndictive in his trca-
son and bloody and inhuman in his dis
( position and purposes toward the defenders
/ of the integrity of the Union. We would
not make such an allegation if we had not
| the proof to sustain il at hand, neither
would we make it if we regarded llr. HILL
rs thoroughly purged of the virus which
poisoned his loyalty and prompted to
treason in that hour Of trial aud blood. lie
is only loyal and true to the Government of
the United States now to that point which
divides open from secret treason.
But it is our present purpose to present
BEN HILL as history painted him during
the rebellion. lie was Senator in the
Confederate Congress, and when n resOlu-
ton was under consideration expressing the
sense of the Senate in respect TO the viola
ton of the laws and usages of civilized war
by the Government of the United States,
and the joint resolution in relation to the
proclamation issued by the President of the
United States for the emancipation of slaves
and the exciting of scryile war, he submitted
the following bill. l. was entitled "An act
" to punish Indictment TO scrvile insurrectOn
" and other crimes when committed under
" the prctrnse Of war" and read, to wit
SECTION /. The Congress Of the Confederate
States of America do enact: That If any per-
son, singly or In organized bodies, shall, under
protenso .! wagiug war, kill or maiin or in any
wise iniUrr the person Of an unarmod citizen
. Of the Confederate States, or shall destroy, or
seize or seize or damage the property or invade
the house or domicile, or Insult the family of
such uuarmCd citizen; or shall persuade or
force any slave 10 abandon his owner, or shall,
by word or net counsel or inCitc TO sCrvllU in-
surrcctun within the limits Of the Confederate
States; all such persons, ii captured by the
forces of the Confederate States shall be treat
Cd as criminals, and not rs prisoners Of war,
aud shall be tried by military court, Gnd, on
C0Hriciiyu, suffer drdh
, SEC. >. That every person pretending to be
. a soldier or officer Of tho United States whu
shall he Crptured on the soil of tho COnlCdGr'
ate States after the lst day of January, leOj
shall he presumed to have entered the terri
tory of the Confederate States with intent &c
excite n3urrectiOn and abet murder, and un'
less satisfactory proof be adiucCd to the con-
) trary before the military court before winch
, the trial shall be had, shalt suffer deI'h. Thi!
section shall be continued in force until th'
proclamation issued by ABRAHAM LINCOLN
dated at Washington on the 22d day of Sep
teIuber lS62 shall be rescnded, and the policy
therein announced shall be abandoned, aud NJ
longer.
/ Here HILL proposes TO ignore and Sc
4 aside all the laws and usages of civilized
: warfare and doom to certain death all Off
| GERS and soldiers of the Union army whit
might chance to be taken as prisoners oil
the territory claimed to be that of the Con
fedcrate States, unless-which of cours
+ would be rendered mpossible-they coult
, prove that they had not entered that terri
, tory for the purpose of melting to servile in
. surrection and murder. Ii this did not be
y come the law OF the Conlederacy, and wa
q not reduced to murderous practice, MI
r HILL is entitled to no credit for the immu
% nifty. 1t was because there were othe
. men in that Congress who were imbue
n with sensibilties Of a higher humanit
4 than to invent machine for the indiscrim
. nate slaughter of the noble men who wen
!. forth in defense of the national life an
Is were held in captivity.
y That was the other side Of BEN Hill
~ and his present aspect, except as he is r.
strained by law, shows spirit in remarkab
z. concord with that which gave birth to Il
VI ahA ''OoN "
~ we have introduced to the attention of OF
'r readers. lie has returned to the Cnio
IL charged with the virus of treason and r
p bcllion. lie conceals it only for the pu
II pose of gaining nearer standpoint to Il
d national heart, that he may inject it I'M
10 the governmental system at any time al
1t as far rs it can be done with safety to hin
!. self His recent assault upon the PresidCI
II and the tenure OF his oilice-the free use
= unbecoming epithets which are draw
Is from the low vocabulary of characto
1t less and irresponsible partisan jou
u nals-is the offspring of the o
IL and unquenched spirit of rebellion. /
80 wOOed the President and iancied he III
y won and when he found he had not he I
'u belled so far as the President is conceTne
Il, as he did against LINCOLN and his COVER
~ mcnt in l-Gl, though he has not yet q
- pcaled to the arbtrament Of arms. Il
d" present spirit appears to be strictly in a
y cord with that Of his proposed law, for tn
~ he proposed to put TO death summarily t
y officers and men who CHANGED, under t
nc fortunes Of war, TO fall into the hands
oil l.. Ia,