The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-15

struction, which was SO hastily adopted,
exclusive political power reverted to the
hands of the late rebels, leaving those
who were faithful TO their allegiance to
yet such reward as they could for their
| fidelity. This fact is worth remember
ing in connection with what follows =
The Virginia legislature, composed 10
great part of those who shared the Tor
tunes of the rebellion, adopted certain
resolutions expressing the intention OF
Virginia to keep faith with the Union
hereafter, denOuncing those VINO ques-
ltioned their sincerity as guilty OF crlmi-
nal assaults on their interests and their
character, declaring that Virginia would
NOT voluntarily consent to change in
the present adjustment of political
power, and rendering their earnest
gratitude to the President for his firm
stand against amendments of the con-
stitution having that or similar ends III
view. In presenting these resolutions,
| the delegation awaited themselves of the
opportunity TO arraign Congress on the
ground of denying to Virginia certain
constitutional rights which other states
enjoyed, and to compliment the Presi-
dent for the counter service he had rem
dered TO their commonwealth. The in
teresting and significant feature OF this
Interview, however, was not in what
they said to the President, but in his
response to them. 1t would have been
well for the President to express his
qualification at the returning good sense
of Virginia. He could easily have
avoided saying anything that would
needlessly disturb their sensitiveness or
harass their memories. He could have
told them i'm appropriate and conciliatOry
words that the interests of the states and
of the Union were identical, that they
could not come into collision without in
Jury to both, that their property, their
credit, and their power depended upon
mutual offices of good WILL and sacred
regard for the faith pledged to each
} other. Considering how recently these
men were not only his enemies, but the
enemies of all that should be dear to him
. as q patriot, and guardian of the pub
lie welfare, this would have been
magnanimous and honorable treatment.
But the Presiden. was burdened with
other and quite different sentiments,
which, even if they had been just, should
not have been poured into the ears OF
these people. But the accusation with
which hedelighted themwas neither true
nor Just. Who is there among us so dan
,, gerous or SO depraved as to deserve to be
!, arraigned 10y such an accuser, for the
. edfication of such an audience? Where
at the north is that duplicate" or coun.
! terpart of the rebellion which IS now 70
be put down? Who constitute that
"other extreme which stands in the
: way.n and Unjust get out of it," Who il
there i'm all these loyal northern COM
; munities who deserved not only to be
> classed with conspirators against liberty
and assassins ofthe country, but to be
! held by the President of the United
States to excite the amusement or the
Indignation of men who have not beer
away from the battle field long enough
TO wash their hands clean of the PATROL
blood which they shed there ? II is al
interesting question among those wht
gave to the President the pOwerhe is per.
!. mitted TO exercise to whom these sweep
ing charges apply? There were certain
representative northern men whom il
was the fashion before the war to de-
nounce as "extremists." There were
, certain sentiments, more widely disse
. minated and more generally accepted In
II some places than in others, which were
under kind of ban, 80 long Us there
; was hope for the Union with slavery
as a controlling element of its politics
and its society. But the policy of these
extremists" became in time the policy
of the country, and their sentiments
were one by one stereotyped in the law
, of the land. With all respect for the
. President, he is not competent to judge
! that sentiment which his section and
! his associates have misunderstood and
! believed from the moment the conflict Of
. northern men and southern ideas began
With all his opportunities he has failed
: to see that during the war moderate
opinions failed till 'eXtreme" opinions
came to their assistance. We under.
stood to avert the war by n prescription
J of lenitives, and it failed. We undertook
! to prosecute itwith moderation, but the
b clouds became denser and the storm
grew wilder and ficrcer, till the cry went
e up from pallid lips all over the land
when will Achilles put on his armor
, and save us from destruction? The
policy which the "extremists" had ad.
vocated with what ability they could
was tried, and the flower safety was
plucked from the nettlc danger wherever
the new principles were applied. Month
after month the so-called radical policy
continued to be denounced by all those
. who had any equivOcal interest in the
contest; and month after month 1t
gained new power over the Legislation
of the country, anti unfurled its standard
on all the important battle fields of the
closing period of the war; The Presi-
dent is not aware of that He has for
gotten that the issue of the war has justi-
fled the sagacity and the patriotism Of
those whom it was the custom in the old
times to arraign, as he arraigned certain
mythical classes before his Virginia
friends last Wednesday. He docs not
remember that the sentiment and policy
which disturb his serenity, and which
he hopes to put down, rest upon the set
tied convictions Of our people, who
believe that they are not only essential
to public liberty but are indispensable to
Che existence of the republic. Worces-
ter (Mass.,) Spy.
HEAVY ROBBERIES.