New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-02-03
ORR PRISONERS In TEE SOUTH.
WHAT CAN Be DONE TO RELIEVE Them
Immediate Exchange, or Special
Retaliation.

.,r;soners of war IL was silent like the tomb. IL
CON, hact M echo No man was exchanged from
-; few escaped. We used TO long-O how earnest
Ivl-that some intelligent and Trustworthy voice
rnight 60 up TO the North and tell the condition OF
those dying prisoners. After escape, when II
seemed impossible that we could all survive the
trials and perls which cnvironed us, We promised
each other, repeatedly and solcmnly that if any
one Of us did live to regain home and freedom he
should give to the matter his earliest and most
earnest efforts.
We have endeavorcd under the solemmues OF an
oath, to give the plain, simple facts without e1as
ceratiou or coloring, 10 the Government ana the
public. That the Rebels are deliberately killing
our men by hunger and cold, when they have an
abundance of corn and fuel truths which cannot
be denied. When the prisoners went there, they
were newly captured, and Ike the most Of our SOL
diers in the field, young men in robust health Yet,
seventy DAYS later we left them dying at the rate of
thirteen per cent month"; mortality which IN
torty-cight hours would depopuate any city in the
word and send its inhabitants flying from 1t as from
q pestilence! And my associate, MIR. Browne, who
had the very best facilities for knowing, testltos
that out of an average of nearly eight thousand
prisoners there were not at any one time five hund
red well men-an estimate which the Rebel sur
geoDs frequently and emphatically confirmed, in
any own hearing.
Mr.. Lincoln well known kindness Of heart makes
hin reluctant to adop; measures OF severity. But
surely il cannot be possible that his strong sense Of
Justice and his peculiarly logical mind, accept ior
moment the monstrous proposition: 1--WE cannot
Z i'll, aud olfr
tian thing; therefore must shut our ears 10 the
sgonizing cry which comes up from so many South
ern PRISONS"
The power is in our own hands. We hold the
long end Of the lever. We have an excess Of prs-
Oners by at least fifteen or twenty thousand We
can exchange man for man, and yet retain Rebels
enough TO insure the good treatment OF any cap
tires black or white, whom they may take hereai-
Ter. Ii exchange is impractcable, we can compel
them TO stop this atrocous andsystematic barbarity
Ifanv man believes that we can afford TO be inhu
man and unehrstan TO the last extent toward those
who wear our uniform and follow our flag and fight
our battles but cannot afford 20 exercise the least
SEVERITY toward men whose hands are rcd with the
blood Of our bravest and best-in short, that HUI
manly and Christianity require us TO eonnive at
the murder of our own soldiers, then may God mend
his understandings
It's very easy for well-fed and well-clothed Sena-
tors, in their warm chamber to rise up from their
cushioned chairs and talk about Humanity and
Christianity. wish they could be prisoners them
selves long enough TO look at this subject from the
other SIDE. | wish they could live awhile among
The daily and nightly horrors, which for sixty days
surrounded US, and burned into our memories like
& hot iron wish they could look into those foul
pens al Salisbury, which by perversion Of the
English tongue are called hospitals; where our
poorfeliows are crowded upon the cold, naked hthy
Aoors. without one word Of sympathy OF one tear
Of affection; without even that degree Of warmth
and cleanliness which We give TO our dumb beasts;
and see their wasted FORMS and their sad pleading
ewes / wish they could wake, ct any hour of the
night and hear on all sides far and near, that ter
rible "hack," "hack," hack" in whose pneu-
monte tones almost every prisoner seems to be
coughing bis life away. ! wish they coad look on
the dead cart with its rigid forms, piled upon each
other like logs-the stark. sw0ying arlns-tAe white,
ghastlv faces, with their dropped jaws and their
STARING Onv eyes-as il Tatios along, bearing away
SIS precious freight 10 be thrown into trenches and
covered with little earth. think few hours in
she stiffness Of that garrison, enlivened By no hilar-
ity or athletic game broken by no sound Of laugh
ter or Of song would change their view Of the mat
ter.
] say nothing of the deliberate murders which are
50 frequent because they are kindness itself com
pared vi,h this dying by inches, while the body
grows weaker and weaker and the morbid, vacant,
desparng mind preys upon itself until the lamp Of
life goes out If there is early relief in store for
those Salisbury prisoners believe, before God, 1t
would bea mercy TO them iftheir keepers any morn
ing. were to draw them up in line and shoot thom,
to the last man.
Mr.. Stanton's long-cherished theory-that we
cant afford TO exchange wel-fed, rugged men, foI
skeletous and invalds-tha; returned soldiers are
ten times as valuable 70 tie Rebels asto us, because
theirs. to man, viii be inexorably kept in the
arnv while the terms Of many of ours have expired
and they will not reellist-is, to characterize II
very mildly, rather cold-blOoled one; though il
has certain degree Of plausibility. It's adoption
has cost u.s. at the very least, ten thousand lives Il
1t was essential to success, the country accepts II
with bowed head and fearful eyes one Of the need
full sacrifices of the war. But if II was MT needfu
who shall measure the load of responsibility resting
apon It's author If we viii not exchange, why
don't we rotalitate and we viii not retaliate, Why
don't We exchange
Several remedies inaugurated or suggested; LET
us see if they are adequate ones.
1t is proposed to send Commissioners TO the
Rebels 10 investigate and adjust the matter.