Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-01-29
Still the Bloody Shirt

As stated ia the GAZETTE the Senate yea.
terdAy evening resumed the consideration
Of Mr.. Chand er's resolution in relation to
the maltreatment, at Aberdeen, Miss, Of
Henry J. Fanz, and Mr.. George made an
argument against 1t, declaring his belief
that the adoption cf ths RESOLUTION would
be serious infrsction of the constitution
aud very serious encroachment on the
rights OF the pc ople of Mississippi. lie said
the only end TO be obtained was to blacken
the name and reputation of State whose
sons, had honored and served the country.
Among the distinguished sons of Mississippi
Fir. George referred to Jefferson Davis as q
man who had never betrayed his trust or
failed In the discharge Of mis- duty, whether
he served the United States or the Confsd
eracy. He claimed, in conclusion, that he
had shown that the pending proposition
was without any warrant in the constitution
which Senators had sworn to support,
There was no need OF 1t.
Mr.. Spooner said that be intended to vote
for the resolution. He denied that there
existed in the North any feeling OF animosi-
ty toward the people of the South. Long,
long ago, in general way, for all the sor
row and suffering and trouble brought upon
the American people, had come full. formal
and complete forgiveness. BE e1
pressed his regret that the Senator from
Mississippi (Mr. George had felt called
upon to pronounce eulogy on
Jefferson Davis. 1t was to have been e1-
pected that homage would be peid to Jeffer-
son Davis throughout the South on the &C.
casion of his death. Il was to have been ex.
pected that be would be borne to his last
resting place surrounded by his old compaD'
ions and to the music of mt fl ID drums But
he (Mr. Spooner) had hoped that no one
would deem 1t necessary to pronounce eu'
logy of Jefferson Davis in the Senate cham.
Der of the Uuited States. 1t would strike
harsh chord in the breasts of millions of men
all through the North. The people had not
regarded him (although the chief of the Con-
federacy) as more fslae to the Union and to
it's flag and to his oath than thousands of his
confreres. But the people had not believed
what he Senator Mr.. George said to-day
about Jefferson Davis, that whether under
the Constitution or the Confederacy he had
never betrayed trust. The people be.
lisved, on the contrary, that he had eat
10 the Senate chamber betraying daily
and hourly and nightly the highest
trust ever reposed in man. But 1t
was not for that they execrated his memory.
1t was because they had held him RESPONSE
BILE for the atrocities, the unspeakable, devil.
isb, horrible cruelties visited on Union
prisoners at Libby prison, Belle Isle, Sails
bury and Andersonville. 1t was because
they charged him with the responsibility of
holding men prisoners of war to starve
them.
Mr.. Gray remarked that no greater COM
pliment could have been paid to the com.
pact, clear, lucid and exceedingly able argu-
meut of the Senator from Mississippi (Mr,
George) than the fact that the Senator from
Wisconsin, (Mr. spooner) had evaded the
issue rendered by the Senator from Missis-
sippi, and had replied to it only in an clio.
quent diatriba. The Senator from Misss-
aippi had demonstrated, with poaitiveness
which left nothing to be said, that the power
of the Senate to inquire into or investigate
any given subject was limited aud defined by
the legislative Jurisdiction committed to
Congress. But the Senator from Wisconsin
had lodged every issue thus raised.