The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-11-30
The YANKEES Prironers
From the Richmond Enquirer, Nov 2O.l

WV
We publish to day, from The New York
Tribune of November ii, An article on
"The Richmond Prisoners" The Confsder-
ate authorities have so fully justified the
course pursued by them in the matter of
exchange, Mr.. Ould has so completely vim
dicated the just, proper and humane course
pursed by him on this subject, that it may
appear superfuous to comment further on
the subject.
We are not reduced so low as to be com.
PEELED to accept tte alternative thaes We are
''desperately poor or desperately cruel, u
but we arc determined to measure the ex-
act treatment received by our prisoners to
those of the enemy in our hands, and when
they send to City Point our prisoners so
emaciated with sickness and suffering, that
many have died on the way, or immediate
lv after arrival, it is but fair to select the
same class to send to the United States.
The Tribune proposes that its Govern
ment shall send provisions as we'll as blank
cts to their prisoners in Richmond. While
we are not authorized to say that the Con-
federate Government would permit this
we are prepared to urge our Government to
permit the United States to send anything,
clothes or provisions, they may think proper.
But we would call The TribuneS attention
TO another mode of reaching the same end.
The United States claim very large excess
of prisoners; if that Government will send
all it holds to Richmond, the Confederate
Government will send all it holds to Wash
ington, the excess Oh either side to be on
parole. By such an arrangement our "dlre
poverty" will be compelled to feed many
more than by the present arrangement; the
Yankee Government will be relieved from
all apprehensions of the men starving on
our hands, as we'll as from any necessity Of
sending any quartermastsr or commisssry
stores to their prisoners in Richmond. If
The Tribune really belieyes we are "despe-
rately poor," that 'dirs poverty" that ab-
solute "want of meat and bread, : that "the
whole Contederacy is on short rations,"
then policy, as we'll as justice and humanity
to their own men, should reduce the United
States Government to tax our necessities
with the feeding of our own soldiers as
much as possible, and relieve their men
from the cruel pangs inflicted necessarily
by our straitensd circumstances.
The United States have many more Con-
federats prisoners than the Confedsracy
holds of their men. To send them all home
would necessitate the feeding aud clothing
of many more than at present Why, then,
do they keep their prisoners shut up IN q
land where people are starving, and whose
resources are exhausted2 IF they prefer to
shut up their soldiers in the midst of
starving, suffering people, they need not
charge cruelty where necessity admits of no
other course. If cruelty is practised by
either government, it cannot nationally be
charged to US, since We desire to subject
greater number Of our own men, now in
Yankee prisons, to that "dire poverty that
is now said to be starving the Yankee pris-
oners. 1t is the United States Government
that is starving its own soldiers by keeping
them in Richmond. All the Cruelty" they
suffer is inflicted by their own authorities
ell the hsrdships they endure proceed from
the policy of their own Government. An
exchange of all prisoners held by both Gov.
ernments, and an arrangement Of paroles,
would libersts from confinement, cruelty"
and Starvation" the men that have enlist
ed under the flag of the "best Government
the world ever saw" and yet that paragon
of Government leaves their soldiers to pine
and die with "cruelty and starvation" ra-
ther than perform the sacred engagements
of cartel and keep the faith pledged to
their enemy.
But there is no attempt to disguise the
fact that our resources are not desperate
w. but severely taxed by the war; that
there is, and will be much suffering among
our people this winter: but, thank God, our
people are prepared to endure it, and much