Year: 1878

and the lips that last uttered it, How
was it possible, ask, for man who
belonged to the army of the Conieder-
acy to have been hanged after the
terms of surrender and capitulation
had been agreed upon? Do you mean
to say that the well earned reputation
for courage and gallantry and man
hood which the soldiers Of the Union
army had illustrated by overwhelming
and conquering my people was to be
blotted and blurred for the first time
in the history of civilized warfare by
this government ignoring the condi-
tions of surrender and hanging unarm-
ed men whom it had agreed to protect
in order to induce them to lay down
their arms?


Mr. Butler--Have uttered any such
sentimenty


Mr.. Blackburn submit TO the
mind of every candid man on this
floor, whether he sits on this side or
the othersidc of this chamber, whether
| have not quoted you correctly.


Mr.. Butler--Have | stated or limited
that after the Confederates laid down
their arms they ought to have been
hanged? ? The time was before.


Mr.. Blackburn-Aye but the diff
Guilty was to hang them so long as
they bore arms. would like TO know
how many men could have been hang.
ed in the Confederate service while
they were standing in line of battle,
with glistening bayonets, on their
country's battlefield When n mem.
ber of the House asserts that this nom
mated candidate of the Democratic
party for the doorkeepership deserved
by every law, human and divine, to
have been hanged, and when that ut
terance is accompanied with the boast
that he alone stood by that law and
executed it, would like to know what
Interpretation or construction can pos
sibly be given to his language except
that Confederates were TO be hanged
when the power to hang them was
conferred.


Mr.. Butlcr-N OF after we had agreed
not to.


Mr.. Blackburn-lt is time sir, this
should stop; it is time that false
charges should cease TO be made and
that the truth should be observed it
is time that it should be admitted that,
without doing violence to the plightcd
faith which your country-or our
country, if that will suit you better
had pledged the men who bore the
uniform on the other side should no
longer be refused admission 10 every
personal right, privilege and prerogs-
tive of citizenship SO long as they OBJ.
serve the conditions Of their parole it
is time it should bc admitted that
these men, from then until now, were
not only entitled to every right of per-
sonal liberty and property under the
Constitution Of the country, but that
they should become the object of pro-
lection at the hand of the dominant
party itself and that your solemn
promise that your word, deliberately
given, should not be violated without
rendering infamous the man who
dares to do it. am sorry that II was
necessary fora member of the House
TO remind us of the exercise Of what
he chooses 10 term clemency, but
which impartial history will denomi.
nate but common fairness, and that in
illustrating this magnanimity for which
be claims such credit to his party il
was necessary for him TO parade be-
fore us boastfully the execution OF an
unarmed and helpless prisoner, the only
man, ! believe, who, in the history OF
that war, is shown to have been killed
or injured on the Confederate side by
the warriorirom Massachusetts,. [Loud
laughter and applause on the Demo
cratic side.