Year: 1866

leave the State, just so soon as they cease to be
protected by the national power. They cannot
stay there. I am intimately acquainted with
the Union men of Fairfax county, necessarily,
and [ do not know one OF them who does not
feel that be has got to leave. l. know that al
most all of them are preparing now to leave,
and if it were possible for them to sell their
lands, even at large sacrifice, they would doso
and leave | have pretty good opportunity
ago, when we hoped for different state Of af
fairs, undertook to- act as agent there to sell
lands and the lands of these people were
nearly all for sale. They feel that they must
leave tbc country.


@. What does this arise from--irom feel
ing OF Insecurity


A Y es ir;ifthey understood that they would
be surely protected 10 their natural and poltl-
cal rights they would not only remain, but it Il
territorial government was given to us we should
have tremendous rush of immigration, end 1t
would be for little while only that it would be
III cessary for the general government to make
any special protection for u.s. especially If we
had equal suffrage We do not feel airaid OF
the suffrage OF the negroes we do not teal
afraid that they would give their votes to Their
old masters.


@. In case the negroes were allowed to vote,
would they not be likely to be controlled by
their old masters, and vote in his interest and
| according to his dictation and desire?
A. [ presume that would be true to certain
extent, and in certain localities; but these col
ored people who have mixed with northern
men would be controlled by them. | infer that
our influence over the negro would be tar great
er than that OF the rebels. Probably on some plan
tations in the more southern States the masters
might have an influence over the freedmen Tor
the time being, but we do not feel any danger
in Virginia in that respect think there is no
difficulty in reaching them, and especially IT we
can have a territorial government long enough
to let the freedmen get little education, which
they are very anxious to get.


@ How do the Union mea feel in regard to
the policy of Mr.. johnson, in granting pardons
50 liDerally?


a. They dc not approve of it, and never
have approved of it,


Q. Is the present government of Virginia
generally acceptable to the people of that State?
| A. 1t is acceptable to those who were active
| in the rebellion.
Q. But is it acceptable to the Union men?
A. 1t is very unacceptable. They consider,
in fact, that the government, as it was reorgan
lied, and out Of which grew West Virginia, is
entirely destroyed, and that that has been done





made by the convention at Alexandria: though
I AIN of the opinion that even with the provis-
ions of that constitution, the white Unlonlsts
could not have sustained themselves against
the influence Of overpowerng numbers. They
egislate now without the slightest regard to
that and are there without having taken the
oaths required by that constitution. They have
been elected by men who were disfranchised by
that constitutions and this has been done by
the approval and assistance of Governor Peir-
point, whom we consider an apostate. He was
advised to it, as [ am credibly informed, by a
man who, it seems to me, has more influence
in this city than he ought to have, who never
did anything for the benefit of the Union till
after the surrender mean ohm Minor Bolts
The Union people feel all this very much, es
pecially those native born Virginians who risk
ed their lives and property and everything, in
order that the nation MI ght not be hurt


Q. What effect has the liberal policy of Pres
ident johnson exerted over the public mind Of
Virginia. whether upon rebels or Unionists?


A. The effect upon Unionists has been to
discourage them; it makes them doubt whether
they are going to be protected hereafter; it
makes them feel as though those who had been
against the government during the war were
more sought after and more cared for than they,
and that they would continue to be in their
power. The effect Of it is this, that many who
were Union men, aud who desired, when the
fall OF Richmond came, to have it known that
they were Union men, are now afraid to have
it known that they were loyal They feel that
they must deny their master On the other
hand, that policy makes the rebels impudent,
exacting, intolerant, boastiDg, and vain-glorl
GUS That is the effect of it.


@. On the whole, do you think that that pol
icy has done any good?


A. | would say this i: that if it had been To-
tended, and was acted upon, as an experiment
to ascertain the aninauS of the people, it may
have had good effect in that way; but having
ascertained that dntn1us the further practice OF
the policy, 1t seems to me, should stop


Q. You think the experiment has been fully


A. I do, certainly; and it has proved fail
ure, unless it were for the purpose of ascertain
ing what effect it would have My own opin-
ion always has been, and still is, that they should
have been treated as rebels, and should have
been made to feel that to be a rebel was dishon-
orabe; that they have lost their caste among
men, and the leaders ought to have been made
to feel that they were, and ought to be, out
casts.


@. Do they exhibit any such feeling now?


A Not the slightest. They claim that they
acted honorably and well. They act in all their
movements upon the principle that those who
took the most active part in the rebellion should
be first cared for in the way Of civil Offices, OF
anything of that kind. Their Legislature has
already proposed to pension the widow Of Stone
wall Jackson.


@. You mean the legislature Of Virginia?


A. Yes [ said ''their" legislature. because
it is theirs it is not ours; they have proved
that. They say that Lee shall be the next Gov
ernor Of Virginia, and they even think that he
ought to run tor President.


@. Do you know Of anything else you wish
to state to the committee?


A. I cannot think of anything particular.


Q. What would be the fate of the freedmen
in case the Freednen's Bureau was abolished
a,.d the taaeral fnrcns EithdraMn2