New-York daily tribune., 1863-11-18
EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.
TIE Erening Post has a Washington letter

EkCkkANGE OK FHGSVNGbSo'
TIE Erening Post has Washington letter OF
the 10th, which says:
"The question Of a resumption Of the exchange OF
prisoners with the Rebel authorities al Richmond Ii an
absorbing al the present time and nave i,Son W
believe that the President and Secretary ot war are
much exercised hy it, II s probable that the cxchnEe
will he made but the clamor in some oi Ihe heWs &
pauers for II is exceedingly reckless ana unjust
principle involved is one of immense Importance; ana
the Government gives way to the uhgust ucnlil"' ~
the Rebel leaders hereafter IL Is Of their mercy.
should he borne in mind that i the Go,eInmeht "cocc
10 le demands of the South now il must DO the same
thing in reference to cooicd soldiers VINO i' IN
rrisoned &C feons in the Rebel iaus IL can 90 noun.
Tor the white officers who commanded blnck troops ~
vLo have been captnred. The President, II ~ shu
eompains that the journals in the North when b,anou
MIN tmee months ago for not suspendng the EVENING"
oltogcther because the Rebels would not tnllchu'l
hie ofeers Of oolored rerimonis now blame him ior
not submitting to still more nonsirous u.nlmds
One gentleman who Is deeply interested m TINS sun
;ect and who has been on to Washington. urges the
President to submit 20 any demand rather than iea,e
onr soldiers Ia siarsc iii Richmond ias Some OF the
officials OF the War Department very properly reply 20
sucb requests as this: Then may ns Wol stop the
wor for all that jeff Davis has 10 do 10 end is 70
threaten us with the Of our troops nov IN h
hands # viii not acknow lcage the ndelchtohce o
the Coniedefacv II IS probable that the Goyerimen,
win Arrange the difficulties in way with the Rebel
Gororlmo.t j; viii doubtless give way on many
p nts 10 meet The public sentiment 81 nc country out
am slre rom what have heard from the hps NJ more
ihan one Of the members that it dskcs to rcud argu-
m@It. in icval journals attempting 10 show TINT il
shoad submit to the Rebel demands al ever! AA@aru
even AZ the expense Of manlintsS and honor
We presume that some loyal journals T" ii
the North" have pursued the strangely ncon-
sistent course attributed to them above; but
we are sure they must have been very few, ana
those distinguished neither for intelligence nor
stability. The Ccpperhcads hiss, Of course, al
whatever the Administration may do, and petit
for The case Of the Rebels, as they will continue
70 do at all events; but those which stand by
their country have very generally rerained
from any such structures as are noticed above
That our Government is doing and will do what
is right-;hat il will defer in all things TO
reason and justice, in nothing to bullying and
unjust clamor, we hope and trust. And we
lack evidence that it has departed one hairs
breadth from the straight line of justice and
duty.
Our Government is willing and anxious TO
effect further exchange of prisoners; but it
demands equity. The Rebels have. utterly
without authority from our side, released from
parole and ordered back into active service q
large number Of prisoners Of war captured by
us at yiclsburg and elsewhere, who have not
been exchanged, and for whom we have received
no equivalent. Our Commissioner refuses 20
make further exchanges until this account Is adj
justed. OF course, the Rebels blus,er, and OF
course the Copperhoad oracles take the side OF
the enemy--the country's, not theirs. So far,
all is as was to have been expected. Tire init
nation above that the President may be driven
BIZ popular clamor to conccde more than he
ought. is the only novel and alarming feature
of the case.
Up to this hour, the Rebels have never indi.
Gated their readiness 10 exchange the colored
soldiers or their white officers captured in
battle BY them. Up 10 this hour, We have no
knowledge that single one of those officers or
privates has been exchanged or forwarded for
exchange by them. They are raising a dust
to cover this point, but they DO not conceal IT,.
And. until it shall be settled, We see no chance
for exchange
The Uorld charges that our Secretary Of War
is obstructing exchanges, thinking 20 emba-rass
the Rebels, in view Of their dcstitu,ion, by com
pelhng them TO feed our prisoners Can it
imagine that the Rebels VIC would exchange for
them would eat less than Is now dealt out 10
our captured soldiers at Richmond If they did,
it would coon starve the whole Of them. But
the suggestion il blindly malicious.
Again we say, Let our Government disregard
unjust lult-fndngand DO RIGHT. Let Us have
further exchange of prisoners whenever we
can on equitable terms, but none TIL then. If
the Rebels choose 10 iamih and Kill our cap
turcd brothers, that is calamity: Jet US not
apgravate il BY wrong. II We can be driven 10
surrender our just rights by threats OF murder
ing prisoners of war, we may a. well give up
the contest al once