The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-16
THE SANTIAGO PRISONERS.

The agreement by the United States to
send the Santiago prisoners back to Spain
is an event full Of interest in itself and en-
tirely without precedent in history. From
one point of view it marks the highest
advance Of civilization and humanity in the
conduct of war. Prisoners of war have been
subjected to various kinds of treatment at
different periods and stages of civilization.
They have been slain and eaten by their
captors. they have been tortured and i'm
prisoned, they have been enslaved for life,
held as permanent hostages, held for ran
som, and, in modern times, exchanged or
paroled. The original and savage theory of
war was that prisoners became the property
of their captors, to be treated as the latter
saw fit They were regarded and treated as
still enemies. The modern theory is that the
moment an enemy becomes prisoner he
ceases to be an enemy and is entitled to pro-
lection and the utmost degree of humane
treatment consistent with his detention as
a prisoner and his strict subsection to mill
tary law. Generally they are sent to the
captor's country or removed to points at a
distance from the actual theater of war,
where they can be securely held. In the
present case, for the first time in the his
tory Of the world, a great nation proposes
in the very hour of victory to send across
the ocean to their own country not less than
1900 prisoners of war recently captured
with arms in their hands, and to do this at
its own expense. furnishing transportation
and food for the prisoners on the way, and
landing them on their own shores. Nothing
like this has ever occurred before
From another point of view the arrange
ment is an excellent one for the United
States. To remove so large a number of
prisoners to any point within the United
States, to keep and guard them, to supply
them with food. bedding and medical at
tendance would cost great deal of money.
Moreover. the prisoners are doubtless more
or less infected with yellow fever, and their
Introduction into the United States at this
season of the year might be the means of
introducing that scourge. All this expense
and danger will be avoided by the humane
measure of sending them home:
The suggestion that Spain will refuse to
receive the prisoners does not seem to have
much weight. If they were deserters or still
in the military service and coming home
without orders or permission, the Spanish
government might assert a technical right
to order them away, but this is not the case.
They will go back to Spain as paroled pris-
oners of war, private citizens bound by
military honor not to bear arms again in
the war and not subject to military orders.
Under these circumstances for Spain to re-
fuse them an asylum would be an act of in
fanny which no government calling itself
civilized would dare commit. A government
may refuse to permit its officers to give
their paroles, when held as prisoners of war,
and may refuse to recognize them when CIV
EN-. In such an event it is the duty of the
paroled officer to return at once to captiv-
ity. In this case if General Toral and the
other officers of his army give paroles for
themselves and the enlisted men of their
commands, and If the Spanish government
would be the duty of the entire force off,
GERS and men, TO return to the United States
and give themselves up as prisoners of war.
This. however, is a technical point in mill
tary law and case that is not at ali likely
10 arise. If the Santiago prisoners are re-
turned to Spain they will undoubtedly be
received. If the Spanish authorities should
punish or prosecute them that will not be
our affair.