Staunton Vindicator

Mathew F. Maury, ex-director of the National Observatory at Washington, and present colonizer in Mexico, has written a letter to the London Morning Herald , in which he gives the following estimate of the losses of the South, caused by the war:

"I estimate the amount of the pecuniary losses incurred by the people of the Southern Confederacy, in their late attempt at independence, to be not less than $7,000,000,000 (seven thousand millions of dollars,) viz

"This loss falls upon less than eight millions of whites, who have, moreover, in addition to contribute largely towards the support of the four millions of blacks who have been suddenly turned loose among them and who, for the present at least, are incapable of earning for themselves.

"This $7,000,000,000 of money was the accumulated wealth of centuries; it constituted nearly the whole industrial plant and capital of the South."

In another column will be found the result of the labors of the Reconstruction Committee, and a more nefarious and reckless scheme for party aggrandizement and power never disgraced the history of any country or age. It is divided into three parts. The first is a Constitutional amendment, which would ingraft into the Constitution the features of the Civil Rights Bill, force negro suffrage upon us, or cut down the basis of representation, disfranchise those who sympathize with secession, as far as voting for members of Congress and electors for President and Vice-President is concerned, until July 4th 1870, (a most disgraceful attempt to secure the election of Stevens, Sumner, or some other radical to the next Presidency,) prohibits the payment by the United States, or any State, of any obligation incurred in aid of secession, or any claim to compensation for slaves emancipated, and gives Congress absolute power and control over the whole subject.

The second part refers to the restoration of the Southern States to their full (?) political rights in the Union. The conditions of which are, that, the amendment having become a part of the Constitution, any Southern State adopting it and modifying its Constitution in accordance therewith, and electing duly qualified Senators and Representatives, who can take the test oath, shall be admitted, and offers a bribe in the shape of a postponement of the payment of the direct tax, assumed by such State, for a period not exceeding ten years from the passage of the proposed act.

The third part declares ineligible to any office under the United States Government those who have aided the Confederate States, occupying certain positions under it and under the State Governments. This latter part would deprive us of the services of the ablest statesmen among us, in a Federal capacity, and force us to elect a set of incapacitated upstarts, who could be manipulated at will by the vile tricksters who now disgrace our National Legislature.

We, it seems, are to have no hand in making or refusing to make the proposed amendment a part of the Constitution. When three-fourths of the States now represented shall ratify it and make it a part of that instrument, we may adopt it and thereby secure the postponement of the payment of the unpaid direct tax for a period not exceeding ten years. Most generous Congress! Tremendous bribe!

For the privilege of representation in Congress by men who would fail in every particular to represent us, we mist disfranchise our best citizens, and lose the service of many [MISSING LINES] capacity, and the payment of the direct tax of 27 cents on every one hundred dollars' worth of taxable property will be postponed for ten years. Our people have already paid a vast portion of this direct tax, and supposing the other States have been treated like Virginia, the remainder unpaid, judging from this particular community, would not exceed one-twenty-seventh of the direct tax, or one cent on every $100, for the postponement of the payment of which we are to barter away your constitutional and "full political rights."

The amendment may be made a part of the Constitution yet we doubt that 19 of the 20 States represented will ratify it, but we are not so lost to manliness, that, for the sake of being relieved for a time of the payment of the remaining direct tax of 1 cent on every $100, we would adopt this abominable production of the Reconstruction Committee. Better be unrepresented forever. Those who claim all the rights may do as they will and we are powerless to prevent it, but we can at least have the proud satisfaction of knowing that we had no hand in riveting on ourselves this diabolical scheme.

In this day of recuperation an earnest desire is shown to throw aside the old Fogyism of the past and take advantage of every thing nature has placed in our midst.

Left without a dollar at the close of hostilities our people have addressed themselves to the work before them with an energy equal to their undertakings and to the wants of the time, which is noticeable to the merest observer who drops into our community, and has been heralded by more than one of our cotemporaries elsewhere as a stimulus to their communities.

Our Stores have been refitted and opened with goods admirably suited to the wants of our people, our workshops are again sending forth the pleasant sounds of busy industry, and the main spring of all, the plain, plodding and patient husbandman, with half the labor of the past, boldly prepares his land for the coming seed time, and carefully plants his crop in the hope of an abundant harvest, with which to supply his wants and keep in active motion the vast business machine of our community.

As we have before intimated, not content wich the old combination of wheels in this business machine, which we have run for so many years, new wheels have been added and we notice builders' establishments and Iron works in active operation and with a prospects of brilliant success.

Situated in the midst of an iron district, and in direct communication with many portions of the State by the Virginia Central and connecting roads, and to be made more accessible to others by the Valley Railroad, Staunton must develop her advantages in the manufacturing line, and being at a point adapted to supply readily the wants of the country North West, West and South West of this, will ultimately be the centre of a considerable wholesale business, which must necessarily build her up to a position not secondary to any in the State. While we write, [UNCLEAR], are preparing to open [UNCLEAR], and others in [UNCLEAR] will follow suit.

We noticed in the proceedings of Congress on May 1st, that Senator Trumbull presented a petition of 146 "citizens" of Staunton, Va., representing that, the troops being recently withdrawn from that place, the "Union" men are being persecuted by the "rebels" and praying that the troops be returned for the protection of loyal men.

That 146 citizens of Staunton ever signed such a petition is a falsehood, and we desire to brand it as such before our cotemporaries by publishing it, give it credence elsewhere [UNCLEAR] "Union" men are not and have not been persecuted by any person here, and we unhesitatingly assert that no one in Staunton, who claims to have been a "union" man is in danger of or really fears any such persecution, or desires the return of troops to this place for his better protection. We believe that Mr. Tukey, Asst. Sup't of the "Bureau of Freedmen, refugees and Abandoned Lands," whose duty it is to see that "Union" men are protected, will bear us out in the above assertion.

This is doubtless the same petition which was originated and secretly circulated in the country by Wm. J. Dews, which we mentioned at the time, and heard denounced, as was Dews himself, by sever of the "union" men of Staunton. Its assertions are without the shadow of truth, and it was only intended by its originator to harass our people.

IN noticing the many improvements in our town, the visitor is particularly struck with the neat and comfortable appearance of our hotels.

The Virginia, during the past week has been re-opened by its worthy proprietors, Messrs Geo. L. Peyton & Co. Being remodeled and refurnished, from top to bottom, in the latest style, the proprietors, by prompt attention to the wants of their guests, hope it will attain a greater degree of popularity than it enjoyed in former times. From the dinners served up on several occasions, at which we were present, we can truly say that, in the eating line, the well deserved reputation of the proprietors is fully sustained, and that the traveler, either on business or pleasure, will be well cared for at the Virginia.

Col. C. T. O'Ferrall, the indefatigable proprietor of the American, not willing to be in the rear in improvements, has, with his accustomed energy, papered, painted and refurnished the American with new and elegant furniture, and is now ready to entertain, in good style, all who may favor him with a call.

Staunton can now boast of two as good hotels as can be found in the State, and being easy of access from the Cities, North and South, and located in the healthful region of our beautiful Valley, offers great inducements, as a stopping place, to those visiting the mountains in quest of health or pleasure.

We trust that the worthy proprietors of our hotels will receive from a discerning public that patronage, which, in their efforts to please, they so richly deserve.

IT has been proposed to appoint some day on which the ladies of the South might unite, annually, in an ovation to our departed heroes, by strewing flowers on their graves planting evergreens &c., and otherwise showing their regard for those who fell in the late war in defence of our cause. The 10th day of May, the anniversary of the death of our beloved "Stonewall Jackson" has been suggested, and, as we deem it most appropriate, we invite our ladies to unite on that day in paying homage to our Confederate dead.