Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-12-04
MORNING GLEADER.
way Dsos NOtrhs EEcsense of Prisoners


FRfD77 MOE7TNG DEG 4, 1888.
Wh5Dsss Notrhe e EEGSsnse ,Sss Of PfIIouor'
This question, which is in everybody's
mouth, is admirably answered in 6 letter
from General E. A. Hitchcock, one of
President Lincoln's immediate military ad.
4issTs, to the New York Times. We wish
We could copy the whole letter, but want
Of room eompels US to content ourselves
with brief extract.
The letter begins by charging the sus-
pension OF the exchange on the rebels, and
expressing the conviction that the reason
fer their reluctance to proceed with the
cartel Is their unwillingDess to account
for the colored soldiers and their officers
whom hey have captured. There is rea-
son to believe, IS the General shows, that
prisoners Of this class have been refused
BY the Confederstes all tae privileges Of
prisoners Of war. The white officers have
sitSsr been murdered or put in psaitsatidriss,
vAiIe the Blacks h1De been killed or sold into
sIGpgy Unwiilingness to confess these
d facts makes the rebsls shy Of having any
thing to do with an exchange.
The latter then takes en- advanced step
In his argument by showing that the sus-
pension of the exchange is not due to
bsckWardness on the part Of the Federal
authorities, since our Government has
made to the rebels every proposition
on the subject which would be JUS
tifable. 1t has proposed to the rebel
Commissioner to exchange, man for man,
all the prisoners now held in the South.
This proposition the rebels have refused.
They insist that the exchange shall be gen
sral, that is to say that for the Is, 900 pris-
onsrs whom they hold we shall give up the
10000 which we hold. The effect Of this
arrangement would be, as the General says,
60 leave the rebel authorities the enthe
disposition Of such cOlOred troops and their
white officers as they might cspture; to
expose Captains Sawyer and Flynn to
their fste under orders in Richmond, which
AaVe HeVeT been eountsrnandsd; to turn
loose again certain notorious guerrilla
leaders to renew their ravages in Ken
tueky and Missouri, (neitber of which
States have ever united with the SO called
Southern COnfederaoyi) to put into the
hsd fresh army Of rebels, to be resp.
fused; and, in short, we should deliberate
y neutrelizs or throw away a chief part
Of the power Of the Government at this
4 ne, through which there may be some
Of controlling the action of the authorities
in Richmond in their treatment Of prison.
erSof war, and compelling them to respect
the laws Of war, if they are deaf to those
OF humanity"
Tie General psoeeeds to say that its first
proposition having been rejected, our Gov
Srnment made another.
II offered to take ell our prisoners of
the hands Of the rebels, guaranteeing that
the persons thus released should not enter
the service until they had been regularly
exchanged and meantime not only to feed
but to clothe the rebels whom we hold.
This proposition was also refused
Thus, no tern which cur Government
could Offer were accepted by the rebels
An important paragraph Of the letter is
oeczpied with proofs that the rebels have
acted in bad faith in arrangements as to
provisions which have already been made.
Il shows that on q mere technical quibbls
the Confederates have required all their
msa who Internationally surrendered to
Banks ct Port Hudson, to break their pa
roles By re-entering the service, and that
prisoners whom Grant paroled at Vioks-
burg, and who have never been exchanged,
have just been retaken by him at Mission
sry Ridge.
We cannot but think that thO1e who will
rssd General Hitchcock's letter will see
clearly that our Government is not re-
sPonsible for the pause in exchanges which
Is causing thousands of our brave fellows
who are lying in Southern prisons SO much
suffering. We commend the account to all
Who complain that our Government is not
doing what it ought for the relief Of the
sufferers.