The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-02-17

BACKWARDS IL is this peculiarly OF MS winch
s"Ss"s.saa or rather allowed, him TO give TO
Az .rnr,a tho crude thoughts which make up
49, arrrren, ne now submits on the subject
of " Reconstruction
AIR. Boris says that n State cannot go out Oh
the Union, but its citizens may "expatriate'
Themselves. This IL absurd, and Is evidently
NOT what he meant to say. To expatriate
ones self Ter and pdtrio) Is certainly to leave
ones country-meaning the territory or land
itself. Mr.. Boris means that we have deciti-
xepized ourselves, though he says that we can
not again become citizens except under the ope-
ration Of some law Of notwithstanding
10 impiy that we have been outof the country.
Think of applying this doctrine to the people
Of England, who were rebels for twenty years
between the first and second CHARLEsEs, ana
who were consequently "expatria'eo' u"Fihs
all that time; whereas the common idea on
the snb;ect is that CHARLES IL. himself was
the " expatriated" party, ."Loyalty to the
King means In England just what patriai noel
ity means in this country. High treason there Is
any attempt to compass the death OF the King;
here. the only treason consists in "adhering 10
the enemies Of the United States hot Oh
the President-"in time Of war" Therefore,
all CRoMwBLL's P~arliaments, and all ms Minis
tiers of State, and all the clergy OF the Estao-
lished Church, and every man who took the
oath TO support the Commonwealth, were
"expatriated' = parties, and could not again
become citizens unless under the operation OF
a naturalization law! But what has led hr.
Boris Into this slough of absurdity? Simply
the fact that, according to the fresidents
views on reconstruction, there is no possible
wav of getting rid Of the present Legislature
of Virginia, and, desiring above all Things 10
remove that body out of his way, he has gone
to work to find the means of accomplishing
his object. The President will be amused by
his as we are sure%the Legislature
must be.
Mr.. Boris argues that conviction must take
place before pardon can be lawfully granted,
and therefore the "so-called" pardons Issued
by the President to parties who have never
been indicted, tried, or convicted, are so much
waste paper. This idea is not new 1t has
repeatedly been urged by the Radicals; and
it has some plausibility. Yet practically 1t
amounts to nothing; for it would be the height
of folly to arraign and condemn men whom
the President has pledged his word to pardon.
Mr.. Boris would admit to Congress those
members elect from the South who can take
the test oath, and no others. In TINS tle Is
understood to agree with the President.
Finally, Mr.. Boris calls for a State Conven-
ton in Virginia, TO be composed exclusively OF
loyal men. But who is to order the assembling
of this Convention I? The Governor Will not
do il. We know that he considers the present
Legislature to be the legal and constitutional
successor of the Alexandria Legislature that
this llatter body has been recognized as the
constitutional Legislature Of Virginia by
Congress that our Governor considers him.
self as firmly fixed in his seat rs is the
Governor of Massachusetts; and that If he is
not mistaken, THERE'S no power outside of the
State that can, withost deposing him, order
a State Convention.