Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1865-11-21
The Friends Of the Union.

Strange as 1t may seem, as we stated some
time since, the people of the South, who
fought SO long and SO bravely against the
Union. are better friends of the Union now
than the people of the North who sacrificed
the lives of so many thousands in its defence.
The North fought for the Union-the South
fought against it; the South tried to get
om-the North tried tokeep them an; the
North succeeded-the South failed. 1t would
seem to follow necessarily from the attitude
of the contestants, and the issue of the con-
fict, that the Union was saved-that the
South never got out-that all the States We're
Rstill IN the Union. The people of the South
eeknowledge their failure to get out, and
Claim the rights appertaining to those IN the
Unionx Whereupon the people of the North
say, in effect, "You are out of the Union
we tried to prevent you from going out, and
our efforts were crowned with success, yet
you ara out of thesU Union, and not entitled to
the rights belonging to those IN the Union
you cannot be represented, and yet we viii
tax you for the support of the Government
we1guore the sold fogy" principle Of our
revolutionary forefathers, for which they
ssfought, bled and died." that there should
not be taxation ,oithout representation
They do not say this in language, but in
conduct. If they were as good friends Of
the Union as the people of the South are
now, they would restore, Immediately, to the
citizens Of the Southern States all the rights
which they possessed before the war
Though the South can do nothing more than
claim her rights, the people of the North, in
the language of the N. Y. News, have it
"within their power to re-establish the polit-
zeal system to its normal condition; it was
that they professed to fight for; they have
conquered; how is it that they now throw
obstacles in the way of the oonsummation to
attain which they sent millions to the field
and hundreds of thousands to their graves
When the Southern States attempted to
S6coUo iTOm tu0 Oulout OfCiy Choi1 Wao iuoue
to drag them back; Eow that they are anx-
ious to return to the Union, the door is shut
in their faces. They were told that they
could not 90 out, and now they are told that
they can not come in. The janitors stand at
the threshold and demand their entrance fee.
The Union must and shall be preserved at all
hazards, was the war cry but the peace cry
is, there shall be no rehabilitation of the
Union except upon such and such conditions
and those conditions are of nature to cancel
the very essence of that republicanism that
was represented as the object of the struggle.
To preserve the integrity of the Confedera-
ton was the avowed purpose of the war I;
why then do those who carried on the war
neglect and refuse to fulfill its purpose now
that there is no impeachment? It is very
strange that the respective positions of the
contestants should be reversed; but so it is.
The Southern States are now olamoring to re-
sumo their Legitimate places in the political
household, and the Administration is holding
them back. 1t denies them the very privil-
eye that it sought to enforce upon them as a
duty"