The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-12-24
" Southern LoYalists. !"

men, IL would be hard TO say. NJ any rate,
they hail from certain southern States at
present and the business Of their associ-
alton is TO instruct Congress concerning
the real wants and wishes of, themselves
principally-for they have no constituents.
Now, Congress and the rest of mankind
know well enough already what are the
wants and wishes Of persons of this stamp;
that is, persons who during the war were
hostile to the independence Of their own
States, and who were, it must be confessed,
rather avoided, suspected, and diSliked by
the communities in which they lived.
Their want and wish is 10 have their re-
venge.
In truth, those who were "Union men"
in any State Of the South during the war
were not, with some honorable excep-
tionS, counted among the best citizens and
members Of society. Neither politically
nor socially did they stand high in the cst-
nation of their neighbors, and can hardly
expect, so long as southern people are per-
mitted To vote at all, that such vote will
be rolled up for them. Southern men have
accepted the Union, and accepted it in
good faith ; but they have not swallowed
these "Union men," although that the
reputation of having been a "Union
man" is no disqualification here for State
officers is proved by the confirmation of the
appointment of ALEXANDER RlvEs, Esq, as
Judge Of the Supreme Court of Appealsin
Virginia. We fear those "loyaliStS" who
are so busy at Washington must have
labored under some other sort Of diSquali-
fcation personal to themselves. One iSnot
entitled to an office Of trust at the hands OF
his fellOw-citizeps on account of his politi-
cal opinions alone; they require something
more--integrity, for instance, a share OF
talent, moderate fidelity to engagements,
punctuality in paying debts, and the like.
Not that we are prepared to deny to the
loyalists of street the highest excellence
in all these particulars, for we know them
not; but their neghborS know them, and
have apparently not thought 1t judicious
administration of public affairs.
The remedy, in these loyalists' opinion,
is plain: and they are preparing an adj
dress to Congress and a series OF resoiu-
lions to develop and recommend that
remedy. 1t is simply to abolish all the
southern States, to diSlranchSe all Ore
bells" and TO enact universal negro vote,
to make new constitutions for each State
by authority of Congress, and (here is the
main point to select a committee of south
ern "loyalists" to assist in drawing up the
new constitutions. If this series of mea-
sures does not gain for the "loyaliStS "
place and power, and their hearts desire
upon all their enemies, the Devils in il.
New York papers favor us with an ac-
count Of a meeting of these F-Street pa
triots on Wednesday last. The Address"
was presented for approval. 1t starts with
affirming that there are no States now in
the South; but we are told that while the
document in general urged the territorial
organization of these districts, the commit
tee which prepared the address had been
SO thoughtlesS as 10 insert clause de-
claring that the new constitutions, when
such are to be framed, should cmanate
from the people, and that any others would
be anti-repubIican. A universal cutlery
was made against this, and on division
thirty of the "loyalists" against three
struck out the clause. The address is
not finished yet; but from the speeches OF
leading "loyaliStS " we can guess what its
drift will be. One Judge SHERWOOD, for
example, insists that these countries have
no rights, either as States or as Terrific
ries; that they are inSurrcctionary dis
tricts; and that they, the loyalists, having
already adopted the clause recommending
abolition of State governments, the next
thing to be done was TO call out an army of
lOO, 1000 men to march into the South as an
army of occupation-that army to be sup
ported and fed at the expense Of the peo-
pie there. Such is the new years gift this
Judge SHERWOOD is preparing for his neigh
borS.
A gentleman from Mississippi, who be-
gan by announcing that the people would
not let him live there, (why we wonder)
proposed that Congress should enact the
constitutions and send an army Of occupa-
ton to enforce them. He wanted those
"who had taken part in the rebellion to be
totally crushed out "-"he wanted Con-
"gress to select committee of loyalstS
"to assist a committee of Congress in
"drawing up these constitutions" and so
forth.
But there is enough Of this to show the
spirit of these creatures who are now repre-
senting at Washington the "wants and
wishes" of the South. These wants and
wishes turn out to be negro suffrage, dis
franchisement Of white men, and thun-
dering army to give these patriots that
power and position which their short
sighted fellow-c citizens would not confer
by their votes. Mississippi is to find out
her error in disgusting the F-street patriot
out of that State when she sees him re-
turning at the tail of a hundred thousand
men. On the whole, we think it well that
such proposals as these people make, so
naked in their atrocity, and greed OF Office,
Il Il lxyA