The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1866-03-22
Hoe to CMitirate Loyaltu in ~
SOHfL eNe

Ihad. SteVens's projects for disfron'
chising the white men of the South ."n,
confiscating their property. To reo" ";,u
theSouth thus to kiss the rod that sm a;a,re
as an evidence of loyalty, is to ren";s,,
what human nature in its most man ,G
and gracious state has never achievaaedH
1t is very much like the old-tashioned;
test applied to converts-they could NV
be saved till they were willing to 'i ho
damned. And yet this is the gist of y
great deal of the prevalent denunci.I;o."'
of the South. The articles copied fr",n
Southern papers as evidence of dislovaJItilll
are chiefly diatribes against the Nortfy
ern extremists, who seek the furthn
punishment and humiliation Of ' thd
South. The same papers avow tba; e
earnest purpose to obey the Constitntion
and laws, to accept all the results Of tba
war, and to conduct themselves in eve ene
respect as good citizens of the Z. S. Poy
lard's low abuse of the Virginia women
who dance with Union officers is nral
voking enough, but it is not treason. and
the suppression of his Richmond Hs
an1ine1 was a mistake that the Presi.
dent did we'll to correct. What tho
Government needs to do in the South ~
not to suppress disloyal speech and wri'
ting, but to maintain freedom of speech
and the press for all, loyal and disioval'
There was no such free dom in the South
while slavery existed. 1t has come in
with emancipation, and must be pro.
tected, wherever imperilled by the old
spirit OF cast and sectional hatred,
The same thing is true of the pre-.
judice against colored men. It cannot
be cured by an act OF Congress. Time
education, the social changes wrought
by freedom, will eventually overcome
it. Meanwhile Government must BRO.
tect all classes of citizens in their rights
and having done this, its proper work,
is done. If it attempts direct inter.
ference with liberty Of opinion it will
only increase the evil it seeks to remedy.
The freedmen are now generally at work
on liberal wages, thousands of schools
are educating their children, and if the
process of amelioration is allowed to 20
on we shall see great results, and no in
fluence will be able to exclude the freed
men from such position as their i'm.
proved character will command.
1t would be well if our impatient re.
formers understood better the real stu.
alton at the South if they could meet
with intelligent Southern men and read
the leading Southern papers. Already
the attempt to revive the old hatred Of
the South and to inaugurate hostile
measures has made it impossible that
there shall be a Republican party in the
reclaimed States. The Senators from
West Virginia are denounced for voting
against the Freedmen's Bureau bill, but
it was impossible for them to do other
wise and it is evident that if the lead
of such extremists as Stevens is followed,
the Republicans must make up their
minds to get along without Il party in
any Southern or Border State, and with
half the Western and Central States in
doubt, to say the least. Indeed there is
no certainty that even New England
can be carried unbroken for the Stevens
policy.
Another illustration of the same gene.
raj fact is found in the effect which the
exclusion of loyal Congressman from the
South is having upon the Southern
Unionists. The Republic, the only Rich
mond paper whose loyalty has never
been questioned, continues to implore
Congress to admit the Senators and
Representatives from Virginia whose
loyalty is assured, and says:
1.-The loyal population of Virginia
have cast their lot for veal or woe with
the American Union. They have no
ClVilCl Will lIOSc lew ucClCPlV
BourbOns of the South, who never can
comprehend a new idea, nor with thcse
insidious agitators of the North, VINO
are seeking again to fan the flames Of
sectional luminosity for their own politi.
cal and personal advantage. Is it not a
burning shame that the loyal men of o
State which gave birth to the Union, and
who have remained faithful among the
should be subjected to perpetual
Congress ought to listen to these APP
peals. They cogently reinforce the
appeals of the President for justice to
the Union men of the South. The at
tempt to turn aside their force by accu-
sing the President of desiring to place
traitors in Congress is too shamefully
fs lse to have any weight. He has made
it as clear as day on every occasion when
he has spoken, that he desires to see
only loyal men from the South in Con,
gress, that he would have the most rigid
tests applied, and the disloyal or even
loyal vigorously excluded
And to this Congress must certainly
come, sooner or later; and the sooner
this decisive step is taken the better VIII
it be for the peace of the country, the