The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1865-08-30
How and WHY Virginia Seeded.

Te OBSERVE that some few individuals in Virgins
tempting to curry favor with the tederalS by rep
fasensigg themselves having been dragged" out o
ths gaon By seeessoniss" entirely against their will
These demagogues careful to represent how
8gcHatlv they predicted the disastrous results OF the
contest and how zealousy they strove to keep us out
Vi 1t. I'VE told you so, say they, "but you would
not heed u.s. And some of them have even been SO
shameless as TO claim the merit of future promotion
on the ground Of their past dupcity
The conduct of such men as these cannot fail to
cite the disgust of the heightened and the chvalrous
everywhere whatever the cast OF their past opinions
They who beray their friends when they olongeF
make them useful, are considered as the meanest of
their kind. Or, if these individuals more properly be-
long to that sort OF enemy APPLY described by Iacitus:
Odta an tongam jacies qN@ recondeTet auctdque pro
mefe then they the less odious and contempt
ibe IN the eyes of the world While the Confederacy
was in the tide of its success these men blatant
in ts advocacy. They ibeed the name of president
Lincoln daily with the paeards of "0id Abe" the
ILLINOIS ape, the obscene estern and the disgust
ing buffoon' They rallied at the whole yankee nation
than Goths and Vandas, and declared that it
not only impossible for the south to live with
4 them again. but the great wonder that they had
ever lived with them so long Some of them accept
ed Office under the Conederacy, and some were can
didates for office Had the Confederacy proved sue
cess these would have claimed peculiar merit for
their services and would have been careful to hide
in the shade of oblivion their past conduct aud opin-
ions, they to avail themselves of q nations
funeral occasion parade their disgusting political
wares before audience OF heart-stricken people
But the ConfedeTacy WIS unfortunate failure and
presto changed these enthusiastic mountebanks col
lapse into sage counSeors and like the criminal who
turns states evidence attempt 10 escape the RESPONSE
bllties of their oenses by consgning their late
companions in guilt to the tender mercies of the dun
geon and the hangman!
Do these suppose that these professions of
theirs, though true less disgusting their north
ern friends than to the and women of the
southf And have they so little regard of the good
sense OF their adversares as to suppose that they
be deceived by such miserable pretenses? Who |
dragged them out of the Union? Mr. Bolts was hot |
dragged" out neither was Mr.. Perpont nor Mr. |
Summers nor anybody else who had the courage to |
stay in. The secessonists of Virginia did drag
them or the State out for they were in lean minor I
ty, and had no power to drag themselves much less
others. 1t was said that Virginia dragged" bv
South Carolina. 1t not Virginia remained I
in the Union for months after the secession Of South
Carolina, and exhausted all her efforts to stay federal
aggression and save the Union. Failing in this, Vir
ginia was voted out by convention which over
whelmngly Union in sentiment, and it was done after
due deliberation and with the solemn resolve that
was to defend the rights, liberties and honor of the
State from unconstitutional and ntolerable aggression
If this declaration true then we have saved
honor at least from the wreck of empire, and pa
trots We visit the Meccas Of cur gallant dead in
all coming time with proud though melancholy pleas
ure and their memories the flowers OF eter
nal affection. But if the declaration be false then
there is nothing which saucthes conduct AID re-
lieves from the punishments Of our adVersaries or
the apprehension OF the world.
The proud people Of Virginia viii never dishonor
thems Ives and their gallant deeds TO make such
and false confessions these, bat will
leave that Task TO the more cougenial employment of
the free political rnud-turtles among them, who have
Kept themselves carefully concealed tor the last four
years in the mire Of their duplieity, and now
creep to their filthy backs in the sunshine OF
federal favor For ourselves, we prefer that candor
y hich acknowledges ourselves honest "rebes," and
that honor which attaches those who chung with I'M
linching fidelity to the until it down in dust
md blood under the immortal Lee.