The Van Buren press., 1866-02-10
Reconstruction, !" so.Called.


more capital or cutting burlesque than
the following " document gotten up by
the Washington correspondent of the
Cincinnati Commercial, supposed to be
the report Of Thad. Stevens g Recon
struction Committee after their return
from their proposed visit to investigate
the loyalty of the Southern people:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1866.
To THE HONORABLE SENATE AND HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Your committee, appointed to visit
the States lately in rebellion, and inyesti-
gate and report upon their condition as
to loyalty and fitness for re-admission in
to the Union, have performed the da.y
assigned to them, and beg leave to make
the following report:
Naturally, the first place visited by
your committee was Richmond, Virginia,
the capital of the late Confederacy. Our
coming had been heralded in the newspa-
pers there, and the demonstration at the
railroad depot on our arrival may be ta-
ken as, in some degree, indicative OF the
popular sentiment in that city. We found
q large concourse of citizens of African
descent awaiting rs, and as we disembar-
ked from the cars, they hailed us with
shonts of welcome, mingled with This
way to the Spottswood House Here's
your buss for the Continental. Here's
your cab for any part Of the city Bag
gage to the hotel, gents, etc. 1t was
grateful to the hearts Of loyal men to be
thus welcomed in city so lately the
headquarters Of the rebellion, while at
the same time We began to feel convinced
already that the only truly loyal people
of the South were of the colored race
We could not decline the hospitalites so
generally rendered us,iand accordingly
we selected two carriages from the large
number placed at our disposal. We were
driven to the Spottswood house by our
hospitable friends, who charged US two
dollars a piece and half dollar extra
for baggage. After so much kindness
from the colored race we were unprepar-
ed for the harsh treatment which we sub
sequently received from the white oil
garchs of Richmond. The proprietor of
the Spottswood gave us rooms in the fifth
story, back, saying to his clerk, as we have
been informed by faithful African, who
.blaeked our boots for quarter a pair,
that they were good enough for Yankee
radicals. The same feeling Of disloyal
hate was manifested to us in the dining
room, where, in response to our repeated
calls for Goldfish and pumpkin pie, we
were served with nothing but bacon and
hot cakes. We asked why this was done
and we were told by loyal waiter to
whom we had just given a postal half
dollar, that Mr.. Spotswood said he did
not keep a hotel for the accommodation
of Yankees, and therefore persistcntly
excluded Goldfish and pumpkin pies from
the bill Of fare. Your committee do not
deem it necessary to dwell upon this evi-
dence of smouldering disloyalty, NOR to
compare it with the hastily formed opin-
ion of Gen. Grant respecting southern
sentiment. Our object was to get be-
meath the surface of things in the South
to find the true character of the sub stra-
tlm We remained in Richmond few
days to study the character Of the peo-
pie. On all hands we found evidences
of distinction on account of color, eX-
cpt in a freedman's colony, where the
blacks received the whites on an equal
footing with themselves. We also no
tieed & disloyal disposition to speak of
Stonewall Jackson and Gen. Lee in terms
of praise and condemnation, while Gen.
Buffers name was only mentioned in
contemptuous connection with silver
spoons and occasionally little plated
ware, and he himself seemed to be better
known as the Bottle Imp of Bermuda
Hundreds than in any other way. Our
next visit was to Atlanta Georgia. Here
we had long consultation with Trea-
sury Agent who had had ample means
fer information on the subject of Geor-
gin loyalty. He gave his opinion that to
admit the Southern States to representa-
tin at this time would be highly injudi-
ciols. He did not believe there was a
white native in the State loyal enough to
take his place, and asserted that to re-
more him, and others similarly situated,
.wolld be not only dangerous to the vel