The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1912-02-23
SWanson's Bill to ReCompense
Southern Officers.
"BLOOOY SHIRT" DAYS OVER
Measure Makes Charges of Cruelty
Against Federal General That
Would Have Raised Storm In
Congress Some Years Ago.
Ry GEORGE CLINTON.

!
! Civil war days. Once on time trou-
! bles growing out OF the war between
/ the states were constant theme OF
oratory In congress. Those were what
are known as the bloody shirt days,
and old timers here say that 1t took
only the mention of the previous sec
/ tonal strife to stir things up and TO
put Northern Republicans and South
| ern Democrats into the ting 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 were
Northern charges of extreme cruelty
to Federal captives In Southern pris-
ons. There was retort from the South
that In a 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.
day or two ago Senator Swanson
of Virginia introduced bill which, If
1t had been brought to public atten-
ton thirty years ago. would have
raised a 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 s., goo 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
were 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 and
shell.
Charges OF Harsh Treatment.
The Swanson measure goes great
deal farther than this In its charges
when 1t says that the six hundred of
fieers 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-fiye consecutive
days at one time they we're forced to
live on a daily ration of ten ounces Of
rotten corn meal to which was added
IAN ample supply of cucumber ant
onion pickle which II eaten only in
creased the pangs of hunger"
Congress Is told in this bill thai
such treatment of persons Was "un
Justiiable and contrary TO all the
acknowledged rights Of bellgereney
and without precedent rs an cstab
Iished principle in civilized warfare.
Gardner and Smith Happy.
In the senate Of the United
States d place on the committe,
OF agriculture Is held In the htzh
est esteem. Membership il the Gem
mittee occasionally Is much sough
after by senators who have no knowl
edge whatsoever OF farming Il has
. been whispered IN the past on one OF
two occasions that some OF the sena
tors have sought place on agrieul
ture in order to give the people o!
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 iHteres;
IN agricultural matters, and the other
was Obadiah Gardner of Maine. who
is a farmer and who for q long time
was the chief officer of the Maine
| State Grange.
When these TWO new Democratic
senators arrived +; was found that
they both wanted positions on the
committee on agriculture, ard both
wanted them badly. There was only
one vacancy on the committee. and
as the committee on committees did
not want TO disappolnt either Mr..
Gardner OF Mr. Smith an attempt was
made to fix things. Finally Senator
Percy of Mississippi said that he was
willing, for his service runs little
more than year. TO change the con
.ition OF a farmer for that OF n sailor
so be was transferred to the com
ne on naval affairs. thus creating
agricultural vacancies which
Ay were filled by the appoint