Newbern weekly progress., 1861-11-05
EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.


The Northern press is growing unanimous s
in insisting that the Administration shouldiex
change prisoners with the Condfederates. The
Lafayette Gud.) Courier, an Influential journal,
says:
NATIONAL PRISONERS. iII-starrcd eype-
Gtio0 from Hatteras to the camp or outpost of
the Indiana Twentieth. and the capture of
Cuarternaster |. w Hart and 25 others of
this gallant regiment, which, it will be remem-
bered was recruited in this city, brings home
the vexed question of an exchange Of prison
ers to our hearths and hearthstones.
Hitherto the Administration
has declined and wholly discouraged an ex-
change Of prisoners, on the ground that it
would be a recognition Of the Confederates as
beligerents. But, IN the single instance above
nlcnt;oncd there is enough to set aside a
such HAIR splitting technjcaIitieS, and to de
mand an exchange on the high ground
Of humanity and the nsages Of civilized war
fare.
When the exi@cncies of the hour demand
thai even the plajnest provisions Of the Con-
stitntion should be set aside, the Adtninistra-
tion is straining at gnat and swallowing a
camel in the stubborn refusal to waive a mere
tcchnicaity. Tie anxiety OF friends and the
suffering o! prisoners themselves are eloquent
in support of the plva and we trust that the
Government Will reverse its judgment this
point, and exchange some OF the ConfederateS
taken in the capture Of Fort Hatteras for the
loyal men now langusshing in the Charleston
Jail and the tobacco warehouse Of Richmond.
We are aware that there are collateral issues
involved in this formal recognition of the Con-
federates as beIhgercnt; but we hold that the
Government is equal to the emergency, and
that the protection of single loyal soldier,
and his restoration to the ranks, or to his fam
ily and friends, is of infinitely more Importance
than the nice distinctions which stand in
the way.
The n. Y. Times asserts its position on this
question in the following emphatic manner,
which, it will be observed, is directly contrary
to the policy enunciated by Lincoln:
We must, then remodel our action towards
the Confederate Government; we must treat
prisoners, in almost every respect, as prisoners
of war; we recognize the sacred character OF
the flag of truce, but viii not exchange our
prisoners for our own men taken by the enc
my How long will the administration Of
President Lincoln hug to its bosom the delu-
sion that the North and South are not accord
ing to the code Of nations, belIgerent enemies
" ho is to blame, and what is the matter?
1t follows this up by making the following
forcible demand upon the Abolition Admins
tration:
We demand, in the name Of our common
country, in the name Of civilization that the
Southern Contederocy be treatsd as q 6iIlige-
reGt poaeer, ard gallant soldiers be not
permitted to fade away under the pestlent
fevers of Carolina or rot in Southern dungeonsi
Let these men be exchanged according to the
stict letter of the rules of war, and let them
come home to their families. Who but they
are sufferers by this mistaken policy of our
Government.
The St. Louis Republican says on the sub
lject:
| The Administration seems, finally, to have
| come to the determination 20 treat the Confed-
crate soldiers captured by the Union forces as
ordinary prisoners OF war, and not as traitors.
| The order from the army headquarters, releas-
ing a number of rebels on taking the oath not
to bear arms against the Union, means this if
anything. We take it that the proceeding
named is according to rank, &C., in pursuance
of the usages of belligerent nations. There
has been good deal of squeamishness exhibi-
ted in relation to any Acknowledgements, bowev-