Washington telegraph., 1862-04-23

EXCHANGE OF PRIsoNERs.-The report of
Secretary Benjamin to Congress reveals an act
of treachery on the part of the United States,
unparalleled in the history Of the world. The
old Carthagenian annals can furnish nothing
like it, even at her worst, when her faithless-
ness to obligations made 90 Punica .fdes' pro-
verbal over the world.
After having authorized Genl. Wool to enter
into cartel with any one apponte by the
Confederate Government for regulating the
exchange and parole of prisoners; after Gen.
Wool, and Gen. Cobb on our part had met AMI
definit ely settled the terms, by which it was
agreed that exchange of prisoners should
be made, and each side having the surplus
should allow thea to return home on parole.
to await their exchange; after the Confede.
rate Government had in good faith released
and discharged on parole the hostages held bv
US for the privateers in their custody, and was
proceeding in good faith to provide for the exc
cution Of the exchanges, and to release on pa
role the balance, of which we had at the time of
the negotiation large --surplus-a change oc-
CURED in our affairs.
Our disasters at Ft. Donelson, aud at other
places threw into their hands large balance
of prisoners against US. The temptation was
too great, They basely repudiated the COM
pact and sneakingly pretended that Gen. Wool
had acted without authority. The Fort Douel-
son prisoners were shipped to the North and
kept in pens for the qualification of Vulgar Gu
riosity, and our Generals Buckner and Tilgh-
man pompously paraded through the country.
to the extreme position of Ft. Warren, lik c
triulnphal car.
After giving the most positive assurances
that the privateers would be paroled as prison.
ers of war, and after reoetviag the hostages ,chich
,ee held, and released upon those assurances, they
still retain the privateers in close custody.
Our men at Fl. Donelson and at other places
surrendered, with the full assurance, derived
from the negotiations with Wool that they
would be subject to exchange or admitted to
parole. They find themselves by this base alb
negation of a positive contract, separated from
their families, and condemned to the pains
and inconveniences of an indefinite restraint.
il a foreign land, where disease and death ma y
ovcrtake them far from the comforts of home
and family.
Oh. 1t is shameful! Secretary Beniamiu
closes his report as follows:
81 make no comment on these proceedings
further than to remark that it seems scare els
possible that there sho uld be any further cx-
change of prisoners during the war. We can
parole no prison ers with any expectation OF
reciprocity; and can have no reliance on any
promises that may be made. i submit, however,
that it is but bare justice to ourselves to dc.
clare discharged such Of our own citizens as
are now subject to parole, and so to inform the
enemy, and thereafter to entertain no PROPOSE
tions on the subject of exchange of prisoner.
except on delivery of those held by the enemy
and prop osed for exchange
Thati5 to say, if they propose to buy prison
ers of US, they must send the cash, in the sbap,
of our own. They canuot be trusted away
from the counter, Money first. Goods after
wards 1t is the only way to deal with liar.
and cheats.