Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-03-24
rha Exchange Of PrisonerI


,oeoi Agreement, the cd cartel ia being aeiiea y Oh
served To keep 6f;y thousand men Ian gushing 10
. isOp. month afer north, is so baibar-u, a Thing,
considered in the ght OF humanity, and 50 silly thing
a. an economical qussdOn-sueh an outrage, indeed
m Christian feeling aud common sense-that it IS no
wonder the intrinsic merits Of the exchange, The siuP
claims Of tie car ell should have settled The difficulty
Which has been permitted so long TO disturb Us
Butter Is unrsoOgniz d, Acdyet the enemy have gwen
ths most uneo vooA evidence Of their intention to carry
out The provisions Of the cartel in god faith upon ths
broad basis Of s1shADgs-an prisoners ON either eide
% be delivered Up, and the excess TO be placed on
parole until s1chsgsd. All other questions are lets ID
abeyanee. Wien the absolute necessity for bslr
adjustment shall arise, they will doubtless be satstAe-
tOsy settlel In the time, sufficient unto day
10 she evil thereof
We nav c ngratua.e ourselves on the prospect Of
getd our brave boys back again. We have no more
Imperative duty at this moment than TO accomplish
this suli AID is should be accomplished upon any
terms saw. the sacrifice Of principle the forfeiture 81
80 Prospect
Two important considerations inpel Us 10 AeEROui-
edge and discharge this duty
lsl Humanity and justice make the strongest appeal
in behalf Of class Of men who have risked their lives
ald she'd their blood in the OF the ConederAcy
uao have been subjected to the ssverest ernE', AM
tiled By the strongest temptations, and Who faithful
unto the LAST have been long and patiently awaiting
the hour Of their deliVsranoe.
Hundreds and hundreds have been swept oil by
dyssneiy and other camp diseases Weare nov lOsirg
ne ny 80 men per DAY. and Of this number the larger
portion die from nostalgia the doctors cal It, tr
sighiAg for hoas hea Sickness from hope deferred,
which strikes down strong men Who have borne The
lad hips Of The Wniry bvOuac AID the eAhAustiOns
the tumue = pa'n'ul marches, without waste OF vitality
With 40 tIaceab.e sign Of acute disease, Life ebbs a'a
in unavailing signs for home and irends
aad. EEpediency and self-interest imperiOusly de-
rand the recovery Of our prisoners.
We want every muskst nov q, the 'front.' Il Is IA
to assume that We will never again sustain Disaster
similar 70 thOsS Of Vieksburg and Port Hudson, and
Judging the III uro By the pAs: may safely conclud
that with no such grand surround hereafter, the bA-
anes Of paroles vii be in our favor At distant Cay
During the last three nOalhs the Yankee surplus has
materially diminished the majority Of captures beirg
largely % ous SIDE.
Upon the adjustment OF the paroles nov in dispu
b. the COnms siOners, se shall doubt be able TO
d. clare exchanged al Of our men nov returning tor
waom We have given equivalents. This would secure
utAbOut IS 900 True, tie Yankees get the same
number but the moral advantage immensely with Is
Que greater gain is in exact proportion With the su-
perOr morale a our people, the lifelong deVotion the
intense love Of couniry she gameeOcE courage Of cur
trOO2s and if any one WishI for ocular evidence "
this lee him 20 TO City Point and witness the TRANSFER
Of the prisoners 70 ths eoors Of their respective gv-
ernments and learn iron cur Commissioner howe is
bs.isgsd By eur men for decorations Of tzchalga
6sfors the expiration Of the so days uOugh to uh Oh
every returned prisoner is tndlsd.
II The exchange Is continued under the late informal
arrangement We have nothing NOE 70 ask or TO FER
10 N but IL the Yankees persist in demanding that We
shall treat With BI,lsr CONN siOner, as siHs qaa
non Of s continuance the question Immediately arises
What answer shall We make 70 the demaLdl
Ia our Judgment which We believe to be the
Judgment Of the large majority Of the Confede-
rate people, ia aud Of the arm, 90 should not hs'i
tals 10 treat vith hihR.
We know that g,ea. deal Of sPread-sagle Orat'iy
has been spOussd in many quarters, this subject Il
Is aid hat We would be backing down, lowering our ts
~ Displaying want Of hrmness, TO receive BpteF IS
Commissioner after having officially refused to treat
utb him in any manner. Indeed large nunb,r Of
Nn.h street. ami Main street PiO.s, who sleep in ON
tort,ble even luxurious apartments, and draw Whoe-
some ratons with Communicable regularity-men Who
have never known the loahsomeness Of prison, na'er
been boEed down By the deep humiliation OF hoPele
oOaHnemengo so far TO say that it would be be-
Ter 20 let our men rot in Yankee pest than to
srecogniEs Butler" The writer's morals tell us that
it e the easiest thing in the world 10 be heartily Peri
tsnt for our neighbours sine but this is not half so easy
a. 70 bear with heroic fOrtude somebody eses suffer
ngA These unSslhsh philosophers may thus manifest
a wonderful endurance and magnanimity under the Ms
and sorrOWs mental and physical vigorously borne at
Point Lookout in Camps Chase and Douglas and on
JohnsOns Island As for the nsfaOle tWadde that Is
talked everywhere about wives patrioteAy sacrneng
thar husbands 10 this question Of Buffers recognition
and our soldiers sending word 10 the President ttst
they would rather perish in prison than TO see Butler
recognized We really need not concern ourselves Win
AZ all In point Of fact, &c is honorns Butler over
nacb 70 sacrifice TO the indulgence Ofidle against
Adrunksn wretch and brute such be is the comfort
Of $1,000 brave men, and the prospect Of putting loOO
vsteraas Ia she Geld, as time when We need At the
GOut al the force that the ConisdsEAey command
Wsshould grAVsy suspect the s-etiOu former absent
lord Of he woman Who could deliberately ask bis re-
Ion In Yankee Jail for the qualification Of an empty
add prOatess PRIDE aud he soldier If there be one,
ubO would remain prisoner, and thus shrk the dan
gers Of hA opening campaign, sueh PreteHt mis-
laksnly sOnsults bis safety a,OOs.