Year: 1865

never could have had.


THE POLITICAL DRIFTwooD.


In every community there is large
body Of persons whose personal opin
ions have so little Of fxedness that
they readily follow the prevailing SEN
timent, and attach tbemselves with
more or less fidelity to the prevailing
government whatever it be. In the
South a large portion Of the poorer
classes we're thus blindIy allied 10 those
whom they were accustomed to look
up to in their own neighborhood, and
followed the rebel leaders as they
would have followed the Conservatives
had they been able to obtain real
control in the Government. The close
of the war has now set free these diff
erent elements, and it remains TO be
seen in what direction the opinion and
purposes Of the different elasses of So
ciety there will tend


THE PRESIDENTS poIcY.


The experimental policy of recon :
struttiOn devised by the President is
testing this The time has not yet
come when we can affirm with certain.
ty what will be the result. From a
personal acquaintance with some of
those into whose hands the work Of
reorganization has been given, / in
cline TO the belief that the conserva-
tive party, so.calIed, in the South,
will gradully collect about it enough
of the floating mass Of the people to
whom have referred to give them the
substantial control, and enable them,
for some time at least, to guide the dcs-
TIMES Of these States. l believe that
this party, in several Of the States, will
be found desirous of coming into cor
dial rapport with the Union party of
tho North-that the antagohism be-
tween them and those secessionists
who were dominant during the war,
will increase rather than diminish, and
that if those States can be brought in
10 proper relations to theft sister
States, and into a col dial acceptance
of the real results Of the war, under
the guidance OF any party formed out
OF the white population now residing
in the South, twill be through the in.
fuence and under the guidance of
these men. That they have the pre-
judices common to their class; and
false opinions with reference to tire
system of slavery, no ohe can question;
but l think it will be found that in
their midst are all those men who have
any willingness to dc justice to the
freedmen, who seek the real advance
ment and prosperity Of both races, and
to bring matters to such an ultimate
condition as would be in any degree
satisfactory to the Union party in
these States. They are those who are
most willing to receive, without
opposition, the educational effect
of the war upon themselves, to listen
with some degree of candor to the sug-
gestions Of our Northern people, and
to weigh, as well as their prejudices
and circumstances will permit. all
the reasons which we Of the North
may urge, in reference to our theories
of the true, ultimate condition of soci-
ETY. in the South. This approach to,
ward us is by no means as complete or
as rapid as we could desire; it may
even totally fail of accomplishing any
thing OF real value; but what wish
to be understood as asserting is, that
in the class to which / have referred
is contained whatever there is in South
ern white society which can be made
really available in the loyal reorgani-
cation of the Government,


THE PRESIDENTS EXPERIMENT.


In his experimental policy, there,
fore, the President was forced to fiud
, an instrument for the work of re.
construction among these men, or not
at all. 1t was simply a question:
whether the Southern whites should
have any hand in affairs there, CT
whether a direct or immediate govern
rleht by the Federal authorities either
military or civil, should be exercised
As u Union party in this State, We
have expressed our appreciation. OF
the course pursued by President john
son and in SO doing, | think we have
done wisely, for whether the expert
ment should succeed or fail, we were
under the necessity Of testing thc
question whether there wore any ele-
ments in that section of the country,
among. the white population which
could be trusted, .........


DEVELOPMENT IN VIRGINIA. g,
The recent course Of affairs in Vir-
ginia has doh6 much to break down
the faith of Northern men, that duy-
where in the South will be found a
Body Of men sufficiently in earnest in
their renewed alIegianeeand sufficient
ly strong in numbers to conduct sue
cessfully any healthy system of reor-
ganization. II should, however, in
fairness be remembered, that the CON
dition of Virginia has been such as to
cmbitter the local quarrels Of the peo-
pie to a much greater extent than in
any other State, and we have still rea-
son to hope better things from the
CarolEas and the Gulf States. Should
only two or three Of those States per-
feet their Organization and accept the
Constitutional Amendment abolishiug
slavery, the Administration plan would
pot be failure, for the complete and
lawful extinction Of the accursed sys.
tenn would we'll repay The delays and
vexations attendant upon the expert
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