The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-12-24

Federal prisoners in Confederate
hands during the war were, in round
numbers 100000, while the Confeder-
ate prisoners in federal hands were
100000: and yet but $4,000 Federal
prisoners died in the South. while 26,-
900 Confederate prisoners died at the
North-that is to say more than IL
per cent. of the C~onfederates in Fed
era1 hands died, and less han 9 per
cent of the Federals in Confederate
hands died. During the speech, which
occupied several hour and com
manded unbroken attention, he
brought out other facts with such en-
ergy and power and logic that it has
been generally conceded that Mr..
Blaine came out of the contest a wiser
man.
Mr.. Hill admitted tina there were
horrors at Andersonville, but showed
that the same ratiOnS that were issued
to the Confederates in the ranks were
furnished to the prisoners at Ander-
sOnville, and quoted high medical au-
thority to show that the large death
rate at Andersonville was due, in a
great measure, to the want of medi-
cines. II referring to the fact that
Captain Wirz was offered to have his
life spared If he would only impli-
cate Mr.. Davis in the horrors of An
Jacksonville, and to the fact hat WirZ
refused the offer, he said: Sir, VIVA
Wirz within two hours of his execution
would not say for his life, the gentle
man from Maine says to keep him
self and his party in power. Chris
tianity is a fa1sehood, humanity a lie.
civilization Is a cheat. or the nan who
will not make a false charge for his
life was never guilty of murder"
After serving but a single term in
the House of Representatives, Hill
was elected to the Senate of the United
States for four years, and died be-
fore the expiration OF his term, at
three-score. His great speech, deliv-
cred in the Senate on the 10th day of
May, 1879, will rank among the best
eXpositions Of the Constitution of the
United States that has ever been lis
tened to in that great body, distin-
guished for orators and statesmen.
Exposition of the Constitution.
' believe all the angry discussion. all
the trouble that have come upon this
country, have sprung from the failure
of the people to comprehend h great
fact that the government under which
we live has no model; 1T is partly
national and party federal, one which
was to the Greeks a stumbling block
and to the Romans foOlishness, and to
the Republican party an insurmount-
able paradox; but to the patriots of
his country it is the power of liberty
unto the salvation of the people And
if the people of this country wou
realize that fact, all these crazy
wranglingS as to whether. we live
under a federal or a national govern
ment would cease they would under
stand that we live under both, that it
is a composite government: that it
was intended by the trainers that the
Union should be faithful in the de-
tense of the States; that the States
shall be harmonious in support of the
Union, and tina the Union and the
States shall be faithful and harnoni-
Gus in the support and the mainte-
nance OF the rights and liberty of the
people.
When that speech vas delivered |
had the honor to be a member OF the
House of Representatives, and never
can l forget the great impression 1t
made upon me. 1 had gone over TO the
Senate, intending to remain only a few
moments. AS [ entered the
Mr.. Hill arose. and for more than four
hours unclaimed the undivided atteI-
ton of the body.
In the course of his great ADDRESS
he made an earnest appeal to Senator's
to go back to the lessons of h fathers
and to save the Union from the prfn-
ciples OF consolidation as 1t had al
ready been saved from the doctrines
of secession. In the course OF the
discussion he referred with bitter irony
to the fact that a distinguished Re
publican Senator from one OF the
Northern States had t~elegraphed the