Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1912-02-16
Swanson's Bill. to Recompense
Southern Officers.
BLOODY SHIRT DAYS OVER
Measure Makes Charges of Cruelty
Against Federal General That
Would Have Raised Storm IN
Congress Some Years Ago.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

bles growing out of the war between
the states were a constant theme of
oratory in congress. Those were what
are known as the bloody shirt" days,
and old timers here say that it took
only the mention of the previous sec
tional strife to stir things up and TO
put Northern Republicans and South
ern Democrats into the ring to fight
1t out with bitter speeches as weap-
ons. Now everything is changed, and
it is not once in two years that any
thing approaching bitterness growing
out of the Civil war is shown either In
the house or In the senate.
During the war days there We're
Northern charges OF extreme cruelty
to Federal captives In Southern pris-
ons. There was retort from the South
that in good many cases the North
did not treat Confederate prisoners in
accordance with the dictates OF hui
mainly and in the spirit of civilized
warfare
A day or two ago Senator Swanson
of Virginia introduced a bill which, IL
it had been brought to public atten-
ton thirty years ago. would have
raised row. The Swanson measure
was read twice and referred to the
committee on claims, and its reading
caused barely a ripple. although it
had in it subject matter which years
ago would have started the Northern
and Southern brigadiers in congress
on oratorical warfare.
Senator Swanson's bill asks that
there be paid to certain surviving Off
GERS of the Confederate service the
sum of $1,000 each as damages and
reparation." The Swanson bill sets
forth that when Major General J. G..
Foster OF the Union forces heard that
some Federal officers held as prison
ers of war In the city OF Charleston
We're SO placed in prison that they
were in danger of being killed by
shells fired from the batteries, he for
the purpose OF retaliation was instru-
mental In causing some six hundred
Confederate officers who were prison
ers to be placed where they would be
in danger of death from shot aid
shell.
Charges OF Harsh Treatment.
The Swanson measure goes a great
deal farther than this in its charges
when it says that the six hundred of
ficers for forty-two days were given
no daily rations except four bareback
crackers, frequently wormy,'' one
ounce Of fat picked pork and half a
pint OF bean soup, alternated at times
with half pint of mush made from
meal that was old and wormy; while
the only drinking water was impure.
More than this, the bill sets forth
that the same six hundred Confeder-
ate soldiers were confined in cold,
damp classmates without fire or blan-
kets and that for sixty-five consecutive
days at one time they were forced to
live on a daily ration of ten ounces of
rotten corn meal to which was added
IAN ample supply of cucumber and
onion pickle which if eaten only in
creased the pangs of hunger
Congress is told in this bill that
such treatment of persons was 'un-
justifiable and contrary to all the
acknowledged rights of belligerency
and without precedent as an estab-
lished principle in civilized warfare. !"
Gardner ard Smith Happy.
In the senate of the United
States a place on the committee
OF agriculture is held in the high
est esteem Membership in the com
mittee occasionally Is much sought
after by senators who have no knowl
edge whatsoever of farming. 1t has
been whispered in the past on one or
two occasions that some of the sena-
tors have sought place ON agricul-
ture in order to give the people OF
their states an idea that they are in
terested particularly in things which
concern the farmer.
Recently there came into the senate
membership two men. both Democrats,
and both really deeply interested in
agriculture. One of them was Hoke
Smith OF Georgia, who, while governor
of that state. showed a lively interest
in agricultural matters. and the other
was Obadiah Gardner of Maine, who
Is a farmer and who for a long time
was the chief officer of the Maine
State Grange.
When these two new Democratic
senator's arrived 1t was found that
they both wanted positions on the
committee on agriculture, and both
wanted them badly. There was only
one vacancy on the committee. and
as the committee on committees did
not want to disappoint either Nj.
Gardner or Mr.. Smith an attempt was
made TO Ak things. Finally Senator
Percy of Mississippi said that he was
willing. for his service runs little
more than year, to change the con-
dition of farmer for that OF a sailor.
and 50 lie was transferred to the com
mittee On naval affairs. thus creating
two agricultural vacancies which
promptly were filed by the appoint
ment OF Obadiah Gardner and Hoke
c-.,5tt