New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-12-17
THE EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.

TIE Rebels and their Northern agents have
recently shown that they are aware OF The
weakness Of their claim to hold negro prisoners
Of war as fclons, BY attempting 10 base that
claim on q new ground Briefly stated, 1t Is
this: The United States and the Confederate
States are equal powers. each sovereign within
ia own Jurisdiction. They arc q; war, and each
possesses all the rights which by international
law belong to bcllieercnts. Negroes are SUBJECTS
Of the Confcderacy. and il claim TO their SER
vices is inalienabe II they desert to the en-
cmy-ihat is, to us-they are liable to the pen
alty Of desortion. They, at oil events, remain
in all cases subjects, and # recaptured, may be
dealt with as their masters and owners see hi.
Lest it may be- supposed that We state this
monsirous claim too strongly, We quote from
The Richmond ETGmiDrr Of Dec. >:
Bn, the on oynsn, = slave, and free negroes r.u
mon entirely da.feri Premises, and retaliation foi such ca
po,snt como, directly under the laws 81 war Upon such
We can stand before the uatos OF tho word jet 80
". can upon th. panhnn Of any de,rl,r cE ouf ranks
OF Of ue..on upon tho pat Of any OF or p'orls."
We quote also from the journal which, in the
controversy about the exchange Of prisoners,
has maintained the position OF leading Rebel
organ AZ the North-1hs Uorii:
"when thu, ,.r,ern,n l,hr esste signed there were
no ego troop. and n had been proclamation Of free
dom The war mp to tbs, time had been speei war l.
Ia. since acquired the character Of ii Wur Our position
uo "a thu, of certain oftho subjects Of The Corf.dcf
.cy We bsv. the right 10 mai- .odi,I. and h'.b, exempt
them from the punsknen 'seEy Government do Jaf'o " Wen
20 De jyrs rncs those ~hos- services II claims when -)
ton II. enemy II ANbsnisn ,as. pilots Gen sesdo aud Is
caught and hanged would dispute Lees nsh to d" 90
bu, n he ,nl.s 6 then I. insisted ns' lie ''Ie W.
have never been sbe how he ,e could admit -ue
position without At the tine admitting thon."A''
Rebels AMI subjects Of tho United States
VIII The Horid be good enough 10 state how
the Government could admit is position with
out at the same time admitting that the Rebel'
are not Rcbels-that il, without recognising Tho
independence of the Conicdcracy Yet Tn
World in subsequent article asserts that The
Government ought to admit ths position; thai
such l. "thc conclusion to which any fair mint
must arrive on reading the most approved au
,hors on international law" That paper there
fore finds itself in the attitude of asserting tina
the Government OF the United States ought t
recognize the independence Of the Rebel Con
fcdcracy. We will do il the justice to say W.
do not suppose IL meant ~ make such an asser
ton; but in that case IL must admit that II dit
not perceive the logical result of its own state
mont. II is welcome to choice between tn
horns Of this dilemma; it must abandon It's ar
I pument, or il must abandon its claim to be n
cognaed as n loyal Journal.
! But let US look little further into the argu
mcnt itself, emitting for the present to notice
that You cannot state the argument wthou
begging the question and that it IL therefor
logically vicious. Suppose VIZ admit tn
claim of the Rebels and The Uond; admit tina
the negroes of the Southern States are subject
of the Confederacy to tho same oxtcnt that the.
were formerly subjects of tho United States
We presume II will scarcely be denied that il
the same sense and to the same extent the oths
inhabitants of those States were once subjects o
citizens Of the United States.
Now, since the United States II admittedly
Government both dc .(acfo and de Jare, il mus
have at least equal rights with tho Coufodoracy