The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-03-11
RADIATION TO the Citizens.

| MI Albright, OF Pennsylvania, speaking Oil
the bill to protect electors ii, their rights Of
franchise, February, &c, gave utterance to the
following eloquent extracts
| When the svar ended the people OF the North,
snti especially the Republicans, were DESTROYS
| for peace aud far the establishment OF harno-
Nous relations between the different sections
Of TIE country They were anxious that
! Southern plantations sIlonld bloom With pr s.
per:ty. and thai plehty and abundance should
cover the paiiig and VALLEYS iieso!atel by the
rude tread of war; and the Republican party
stands acquitted before the world OF having
done allgit but acts OF generous hl!ldness to-
ward the people who raised their flatricitlal
| and disloye5l hands to destroy and tlismenlber
the American Republic.
The legislative enactnents for the Southern
States by Republican Congresses fully attest
! this, and challenge The history Of civilization
| for a more favorable record Of clenency and
| forgiveness Aud yet for all this the leading
statesmen OF the Republican party are held up
estyrants and pronounced craven-hearted and
cowarJly.
| Gentlemen on the other side OF the chamber
| forget that many of them hold seats that they
lhad forfeited in their efforts to destroy the Gov
1 ernlnent which to-day lives and his existence
among the nations of the earth by virtue Of the
prowes5 and alor Of Republican soldiers and
| through the wisdom Of Republican Legislators,
and that they are living and drawing their pay
and subsistence from this s,hateds Govern
ment''
| They forget that the Republican party had
the power to have conflscated the lands Of
| the men who made war upon the Government,
! and could have compelled them to pay the
debts contracted and occasioned by war.-
Germany compelled France to pay her war
debt before she withdrew all her armed iegions
| from French SOIL and the laws OF var end CT
| nations Justify Germany in this.
THE Renublican party could have disfrancii-
sod t:an.,ferl who bore arms against the U4teel
States and who aided and abetted theTns it
Iconlt,. through the military power have orsa-
lied 5arnl-head court nartiais and tried the
men who held commissions III the army an |
who deserted the flag OF their country and took
positions iii the rebel lriny the muiaeat the war
commenced. Bat none OF these things was
done, 10 man was punished for treason but
III ,va1e nartIoi,eil and freed from disability
| with' fnlt few exceptions, and many Of them
sinca have held offices of trust and responsible
~ unaer RennbIean fol.earallee and celnen-
~. The chapterof Kindness might be contin-
uetl. bat it Is not necessary; the world Knows
it all aid the future historian will be compelled
to make faithful record OF 1t. tta Will say that
hundreds OF tllo'isana o. men were traitors Due
not one was punished for treason; that though
tl,e lanf1 was made crimson with the blood Of
fine loyal and true men, THAT suffering and
peu,,ry and ospllanage and witlowhooa were
forced into thousands Of once happy homes,
but after the war vas ended nobody was pun
ished for bringing this wee, sadness, and desc
laton upon the land.
The historian will further say that billions
| and billions Of Treasure We're expended to save
the nation OF or fathers, yet the taxes fos the
saygnent OF the war expenses and debts fail as
| heavily upon the states that were loyal as upon
| States that were disloyal, and that in propor-
| tion to the population much Tie greater por-
ton of the war: debt and expenses for main
tanning the Governen5p per capita is being lev
| led from The loyal States.
Gentlemen forget. or seek to forget all this,
aud arfaicn tie Republican party before the
BAT OF public opinion as the great criminal 81
| the age
nited States. or who wee afraid to fightson tie
9th er side. elainor to-dfy aud cry out Away
with the Republican party; cruelty it, cruelty
| it !"
ty out OF power; you may turn the Government
and control OF this nation, saved BY the Rep,lb-
lcan party, over to the men who sought to tes-
trov It or who sympathi2ea with those WHO did.