Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-01-27
.sHonesty the Best Po,,cy.,

have charged rs, q thousand times we may safe
iy say. with disloysIty for publishing extracts
from rebel papers giving a south side view Of
the terrible conflict in which the country has
been e,gsged since the advent Of a republican
administration. We did not give these extracts
a. our own sentiments, or did we intend By so
doing to endorse the sentiments or views they
presented. bat our sole object vas TO keep our
own people advised Of the rebel view O. the
controversy and its results.
A good general will use every efof, to ascer-
tain the strength and purposes Of the enemy,
and he will prove q poor commander unless he
does. seldom is il that advantage i gained by
Misrepresentation. Truthfulness secures conf
dence. while discrimination destroys t.. This
rule will apply with equal force in governmental
a. IN individual affairs. We are happy to notice
that our neigbbor. The Indianapolis Journal.
after vaialy endeavoring to combat il, has final
" yielded 70 the adage that honesty Is the best
policy" In an article under the above caption,
which appeared in its columns a few days ago.
il thus gracefully. although only by implication,
justifes the course Of all who have thought that
in representing the results of the fearful coptro-
vessy IN which the nation has been engaged that
honesty is the best policy. IL says:
Our military officers have at length learned
the worth Of the sadge that stands at the caption
of this article ("Honesty the best policy" ~ At
the beginuisg of the war, in our inexperience, we
thought il wise TO magnify the losses of the en-
envy in every engagement, and to minify our
own. We tried to gloss over the shameful panic
at Bull Run. and grew verv indignant when
Russell told the truth about Us. We doomed
cannon, and blazed our triumph in bon fires when
Pope. in Imagination. captured thirty thousand
of the demoralIzed foe after the battle.of Shiloh.
Each "a mrod, in the first OF the war. was count
Cd as a stand of arms. and every skiff seized,
was heralded as the capture OF an inimical yes
sell Our misiortunes, in the meantime. we're
often carefully concealed, or so modified as to
seem like trihing mistakes.
Official reports and great victories being sly
nony NOUS. the people begnn to doubt the truth
fulness of every dispatch. and many felt willing
to close up q struggle in which we were appa-
rently getting as good as we gave.
We are now thoroughly schooled in the fact
that this course will not pay For a timeit might
stimulate our hopes and fatter our vanity. but,
like eshiiarating gas, the effects soon effervesce,
and We react into dependency.
To look the facts in the face, and to act in ae
cordance with them has been the policy Of the
past two years. The result has proved It's
wisdom. The number of killed and wounded
are exactly stated, or as nearly exact as can
be ascertained. The courage of the enemy, his
numerical strength, and the advantage of his 20
sitions, are magniied rather than diminished
We prepare 10 meet our foe as he il, and doing
50, we have almost invariably come eff conquer
ors. May the day never return when we will re
lapse into false representations, TO give ourselves
little ephemeral good feeling.
We were tempted TO these remarks by the
very modest and veracious telegram from Breyet
Major General Terry. in reference TO the sue
cessiul assault upon Fort Fisher. In il he states
that be cannot give our exact loss, but fears
that, under the circumstances, it must have been
great.
IL ~e had expressed such sentiments it would
have been pronounced by our prejudiced political
opponents as copperheadism but coming from
a republican source, of course they will not be
regarded as disloyah Our neighbor having
started in the right direction exhibits the zeal OF
a new convict. We have taken the position
from the beginning that our soldiers who have
been taken prisoners should be promptly ex-
changed This is a duty which those in author
iy owe to the brave men who are fighting the
battles Of the country. There Is scarcely an
apology for allowing the soldiers to endure the
privations and suherings OF Imprisonment when
there can be even an approximation to a fair ex-
change. Thousands have been sacrificed to com
pei the enemy to place the negro soldier upon an
equality with the white soldier. with an apparent
disregard. to say the least. of the condition of the
gallant men who are undergoing the sufferings
Of prisoners Of war. Upon this subject our
neighbor expresses sentiments which all must
concede are humane and just. We quote wha,
i, says upon the exchange of prisoners and re-
,aliation,' as the sentiments do credit to the
head and heart Of the man who gave them ex-
preston
We are painfully surprised to see The following
statements uttered on the floor of the Senate
by Mr.. Hsrlsnd, of Iowa. he said che did no,
believe 1t expedieot always TO agree To an ex
change in the present state of the contest. Every
man released by us was ft to be put into the field
against Us ard thus swell the ranks of the rebel
army. 1t was to our interest to keep the mum
Der of rebels as small as possible. If we could
by retaliation. secure fair treatment for our
prisoners in the south. this would be the wisest
policy"
Hitherto il has been supposed that exchanges
could not not be effected on tar terms with the
rebels, bCt the sentiments mere expressed seem 10
Indicate an unwillingness on our part to exchange
prisoners on fair terms Mr.. Harlan. il is true,
has not the control of exchanges. hut no doubt
he speaks the sentiments of : portion of those
states who guide public affairs
The voice of the nation j. in favor of n prompt
and fair exchange, and they expect the govern
ment not 10 tride with this matter. Ii we can
not break down the rebellion but by such means
as Mr.. II. points out. better abandon the con
test
IL seems strange that there should be one voice
among loyal men TO advocate an abandonment
of these brave men TO their desperate fate for
such a c~owardly pretext
There - no higher obligation on our govern
ment than that OF eHecting a fair exchange of
prisoners OF war. Every dictate of humanity,
every sentiment of honor. every principle Of JUS
tice. call on the powers that DE 10 act promptly
and earnestly In this matter.
Let Ne have back cur men, though they be
feeble, and sick, and heart broken and let il
never be said that because they were worn down
BY famine and cold. We have left them TO perish
in captivity.
On the subject Of retaliation il may be sail
that IL is no substitute for an exchange To re
tsliats on rebel prisoners does not release our
own.
Ii our neighbos will sdhere TO such noble sen
timents. and seek diligently to give them a prac-
teal application. it will do much towards hasten