Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-10-31
The south as as Belligerents.

Upon the question as to whether the Lin
coin government should recognize the South
as a belligerent power, change has seemed
to come over the position of our Northern
contemporaries. At first they were disposed
to utterly disregard all the amenities of civ,
ilized warfare, so far as the South was con-
cerned. But the result Of Manassas, and
the numerous other battle fields of the pres
ent war, has convinced th.m thatthe con-
trary will be their wisest course. On this
point we take the following significant par
agraphs from the Cincinnati Times:
We have looked forward with deep inter-
est to day wher Dur government should
arrive at the eouc aston to which, not only
our own people, I ut the entire outs de world
long age arrived, that the mighty struggle
between the North and the South is not
struggle waged by savage or mi barbarous
nations, but one between two great beliiger-
ent powers. ---t-+--.ts-5 10 s-.l
This war, it is true, was the result of a
wicked and accursed rebellion; but is it not
true that nearly every war the world has
ever seen vas, in its inception, rebellion
In former ages, when was was the common
pursuit of mankind, expeditions were Or
ganized purely for the purpose Of conquest !;
; but in almost every case the struggle was
between what was termed Legitimate" au-
thoriiy and an ambitious or indignant peo-
pie. III LogTIL
The right Of revolution is not only sacred
but inalienable; and no human being en-
joys even the right to bind himself to sup
port. under all circumstances, any form of
earthly government. The government which
is right o-day may be acrong tomorrow
aud il is success, and success alone, which
haitotcs revolution and it is the magni-
tude of a popular or conventional outbreak
which divests it of the character of a rebel
ton, and imparts to it the dignity of war;
This principle is conceded by all the great
est law writer's of the world. -<a7 ~
=, - - EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS
g The Times asserts its position on this
question in the following emphatic manner,
which it will be observed is directly con ira
~ to the policy enunciated by Lincoln:
. We must, then, remodel our action to-
ward 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 will not ex
change ourprisoners for our own men, taken
oy INC SHcuy IloW louS Will Tic duIululS-
tration of President Lincoln hug to it's boz
som the delusion that the North and South
are not, according to the code of nations,
belligerent enemies! Who is to blame, and
what is the matter? fTs. Il tiso zsiaaeo
b 1t follows this up by making the follow
ing forcible demand upon the abolition adj
ministration: - as sssszsoo sSR 3 esq
: We demand, in the name of our common
country, in the name of Fertilization and hu-
msnity, that The Southern Confederscy be
treated as a belligersnt power. and our
gallant soldiers be not permitted to fade
away under the pestilent fevers of Carroll
men be exchanged, according to the strict
letter of the rules of war, and let them
come home to their families. Who but they
are sufferers by this mistaken policylof our
government. slsssi tz asafrszf sdi l.e =.