The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-09
THE TEs- AT0H lsTOHMoND vAsUNDAY JuTY zoos


mon III Southern prisons, without being
required TO allow tho Confcdcrntcs the
Same privilege; refused 10 allow tho Con-
Tolerate government to buy medicines
for gold, tobacco or cotton, which 1t Of
fcred to pledge It's honor should be used
only for Federal prisoners in It's hands;
refused to exchange sick and wounded;
and neglected from August to Dcccn-
her, 1864, to nccedc to Judge Guilds propo-
sitlon to send transportation to Savannah
ana receive without equivalent ton To
fifteen thousand Federal prisoners, not-
Withstanding the fact that his offer was
accompanied with n statement OF the utter
inability OF tho Cpnfederncy to provide
for these prisoners, and II detailed report
OF the monthly mortality ut Anderson
vile, and that Judge Oud. again and
again, urged compliance with this hu-
name proposal. f5} G5 F&
"5. We have proven, by the most unlm-
penchabe testimony TINT the sufferinss
OF Confederate prisoners in Northern
prison pens were terrible beyond de-
scrption; that they were starved in n
land of plenty: that they were frozen
whero fuel and clothing were abundant;
that they suffered untold horrors for
want Of medicines. hospital stores and
proper medical attention; that they were
shot by sentincls beaten by officers. and
subjected to the most cruel punishment
upon the slightest pretexts; that friends
ut the North We're refused the privilege
OF clothing their ,nnkedness or feeding
them when starving; and that these OUT
ragcs were rerpetratcd not only with the
full knowledge of, but under, the orders
OF f.. NJ. Stanton. United States Secre-
tary OF War. We havo proven these
things by Federal as we'll as Confederate
testimony.
g. We hpvc shown that all the suffer,
ing OF prisoners on both sides could have
been avoided by simply carrying out the
terms of the cartel, and that for the
failure to do this the Federal authorities
alone were Responsible: that tho Con-
federate government originally proposed
the cartel, and We're always ready to
carry 1t out. In both letter and spirit:
that the Federal authorities observed its
terms only 80 long as 1t was to their
interest to do so. and then repudiated
their plishted faith, and proposed other
terms, which We're greatly to the dis
advantage of the Confedcratcs; that
when the government at Richmond
agreed to accept the hard terms of eX-
change offered them, these were at once
repudiatcd by the Federal authorities;
that when Judge Ould agreed upon !.
new cartel with General Butler, General
Grant refused to approve it. and Mr..
Stanton rcpndiatcd 1t; and that the policy
OF the Federal government was to refuse
all exchanges, while they fired tho
Northern heart by placing the whole
blame on the rebels, and by circulating
the most hcartrendng stories or rebel
bnrbarities' to prisoners.
If either OF the above points has not
been made clear to any sincere seeker
after the truth. we would be most happy
to produce further testimony. And VIC
hold ourselves prepared TO maintain,
against hll corners, the truth of every
proposition we have laid down in this
discussion! Let the calm verdict of his
tory decide between the Confederate gov
ernment and their calumnihtors.'.
we had this summary Of the discus
sion struck off and sent It to all OF the
Leading papers and magazines of tho
North, accompanied byfa personal letter.
IN which we asked for a correction OF
any mistake that might be seen, and
that any replies might be sent us. q.
There were a few fippant and iii ma
tured filings at the author, but If any
serious effort was made to refute any
point we presented, We have never seen
or heard OF It..
mako aTquasi reply to portions of our
paper but We promptly copied their en-
tire article, made, weithink, triumphant
reply, and proposed to The Nation that
we have Il courteous discussion OF the
whole question, VIC copying their articles
and they ours. They replied that want
OF space compelled their dcclination of
the courteous Offer we asked to be cx-
cused for the suggestion that instead of
want of space it was want of facts and
arguments to put In the Space and
thus the incident closed"
Frequently since there have been. rep
etitlons OF the old SANDER that the Con-
fedentes We're cruel to prisoners but the
Facts and figures are so overwhelmingly,
against this charge,swhici was made first
during the bitter animosities of the war,
in order to fire tho Northern heart" and
lniuro the Confederate cause in the eyes
OF the world. but which should BIO ADAM
doncd now that 1t has been proven to
be false. and we are seeking to cultivate
fratcrnal relations between all sections
of our common country.
Here we would rest the whole question
but for recent attempts to'deny the a,,-a
thenticity OF the report OF Surgeon Cen
cral Barnes. and tho statement made in
the Snrgcon-Gencral's Office. at the
War Department and tsthe War Rec
ords" office, to the effect that no such
report is In existence, and that DR..
Barnes never made such a report.
The reply to this Is conclusive. Letsus
calmly examine the facts. Hon. B. Fl.
Hin. Of Georgia, in his able and trum-
plant reply TO Mr.. Blaine on the floor
of the House Of Representatives. thus
puts tho figures as to the relative NOR
#tality OF Federal prisoners in Confedcr-
ate and Confederate prisoners in Fed
eral hands,
Now, will the gentleman believe tes-
timony from the dead? The Bible says:
The tree IS known by its fpuit' And
after all. what Is the test of suffering
of these prisoners North and South? Tho
test Is the result. Now call the atten-
ton of gentlemen to this fact, that tho
report of Mr. Stanton, the Secretary OF
War-Sou will believe him. will you not?
Ion the 10Th of July, 1SGG--send to the
library and get it-cxhibits the fact that
OF tho Federal prisoners In Confedcrte
hands during the war. only 2o,576 died,
while OF the Confederate prisoners In
Federal hands, 2G,43s died. And Surgeon