The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-06-15
From Wilkes Spirit.1
The New American War Doctrine.
No CAPTIvEs to BE MURDERED IN
COLD BLOOD.

No CAPTIvEs to BE MURDERED n
COLD BLOOD.
Wars, great wars, such as set the
main divisions of our land in shock in
1861, and soddened the earth with
blood for seven years, seldom come to
serve mankind, or, ut least, to leave q
civilizing influence upon the Immediate
neighborhood where they INDUCED
their rage.
1t was the wal of the crusades
which smoothcd the rough visage OF
the Christian world with knightly ten
derness and honor, during the Middle
| Ages ; which disseminated the learn
ing of the monasteries among tue I'M
lettered mobiles rs 4 necessity of travel;
and which, by the intercourse that it
induced, stimulated not only learning
but commerce among the European
powers who were banded for the con-
quest of the ross
It was the war of the French Re
volution which. took the fangs of des-
Fpotism from the throat of the produc-
ing poor, and gave the world liberty,
at the cheap cost of, say q million lives.
1t was the subsequent wars between
Napoleon and Europe which, submit
ting war as a science to the criticism
of millions of poor men who were to
become actors in it, redeemed it of the
savage practices of throwing boiling
oil, molten lead, and more lattcrly, of
firing explosive bullets.
Every new war made men less and
less like fiends, until at last, the hor-
rid problem falling upon us, and be-
ing encountered in the United States
by a higher civilization than it had
ever met before, dropped at once all
the atrocities of passion, all blowing
of trembling wretches from the mouths
of guns, all supervening savagery, and
presented to the world the sublime
doctrine that no captive (whether
taken in rebellion or made prisoner
under any of the forms of war; shall
be murdered in cold blood. This is
the American Doctrine, born out of
the new humanities of liberal institu-
tons and adhered to by US, under the
most trying circumstances that ever
sprang from wanton and merciless re-
volt. This is the gentle healisg of
the wound which cut the black rot of
Slavery from out our side; and for
which we expect the same sanction
lat least upon this continent and
in relation to American citizens) as the
civilized world has always accorded
to all previous mitigations of the fe-
rocjties of war.
1t was tho good fortune of the
world that when those atrocities were
dropped there were always men in
power capable of approaching the new
principle, and of nerve enough to de-
mand adhesion to it, from the ur-
rounding Powers, as a submission to
| the advancing will of God. 1t now
remains to be seen whether the men
at the head of our Government are
capable of compromising that the
sublime doctrine which, twinned with
emancipation in the late travail of our
continent, was q portion of that will ;
and likewise, that it is our glorious
not resulted in the amelioratiou of the
sword, and in empowering Gov
crnmcnt Through its Gown "mer-
cy to alP') with the divine right to de-
clare that. "There shall be no more
murderings of captives," the blood
which was necessary to the fullness Of
its mission would have been shed in
vain.
We have said it remains to be seen
whether the men at the head of the
people, out of whose hearts this sub
lime principle was born are capable of
comprehending a law which it evolves.
But we regret we must answer the
question by showing they are not.
Had the Administration been quick to
divine this first and noblest duty
which the war imposed upon them,
they would have notified Spain, that
being the leading power of the Con-
tinent, and, consequently, having the
docorum of the neighborhood in charge,
it would not permit prisoners, and es-
pecially American citizens, to be slam
in cold blood.
This could have been gently as we'll
as firmly put The President, in the
first place, might have sent for the
Spanish Minister and explained to him
the natural temptations which a war
for liberty, under the principles of our
Constitution, would present to our
American youth. He should then
have shown him how mercifully we
had treated every Spanish subject, as
well as all other captives taken
during our war with this precedent
for a guide, should have offered to
make proclamation to our citizens
against taking part with Cuba, if
Spain. on her part, would engage that
no American citizens should be killed
when captive. Less than this the
President should not have thought of
doing or doing and exacting. But he
did neither, and this doubtless proceed
ed from the fact hat he had not dis
covered that a great principle had
been evolved from our wal nor that
the very dignity of our position as the
great Power of this continent imposed
upon him the duty of seeing that this
principle was respected in favor of our
citizens. The Spaniards were permit
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