Staunton Spectator

The Radical Congressional Committee have issued an address to the people of the South. The intention of the Reconstruction acts, and the policy of Congress are defined. It declares that the Radical party will exact compliance with condition making renewal of civil war impossible, and that it will secure the freedmen the full and equal rights of citizens. It asks the freedmen to sustain with their votes, this policy and all the people of the South to freely accept universal suffrage, to unite in the establishment of public schools, and to favor the distribution of lands. It affirms that "if the people of the States lately in rebellion shall cheerfully and in good faith reorganize their governments upon the principles of the laws passed by Congress, there will then remain no causes of difference between the various sections of the country."

This is a brief abstract of the address; and the following is an extract. It will be seen that the finality is not yet, according to this:

"Congress reserves to itself the full and unrestricted right of judgment whenever a State presents itself for admission into the Union.-That right will be exercised fairly and generously. But yet in the interest of peace and loyalty certain conditions an precedents are laid in laws. These must be met. But beyond these conditions Congress must be satisfied also that the people of the proposed States respectively are, and are likely to be, loyal to the Union, by decisive and trustworthy majorities; that the institutions are framed upon the basis of equality, and that they will, from year to year, and from age to age, contribute to the peace, progress and prosperity of the States and of the country."

The amount of all this is, says the Lynchburg Republican, that when the people of the South obey all the requirements of he military bills, and then elect a Radical delegation to Congress, and then do any thing else that may be required of them, they may, perhaps, be admitted to the Union. This is what we have predicted all along would be the case, and, therefore, we are not surprised at the new demand. If our people can see anything encouraging in this we confess we can't. We see nothing but fresh humiliation, outrage and final ruin so long as the Radicals rule.

"We sincerely trust that the people of Virginia will take care that not a vote be lost by their failure to register. We do not advise them to neglect their agricultural pursuits, to meet at the cross-road ground, and upon the court greens to listen to gaseous orators, but we do implore them to register in their magisterial districts without delay. The white race cannot lose the ascendancy which it has enjoyed in Virginia since the settlement at Jamestown, unless our people are criminally indifferent or apathetic. The stake which they have in the approaching elections is not one of those empty political triumphs which, before the war used to excite such intense interest among all classes. Their political rights, and the safety of life, liberty and property are all involved in the issues which have been thrust upon us by the military act. Every white man who fails to register will deserve to be execrated as an enemy of his race, and as an unnatural husband and father, whose name should be held in reproach by his descendants as one who failed to defend his birthright when it was in jeopardy. The rich and the poor, the great and the bumble, are alike interested in the registration of every white voter in the State."

The triumph of a party like that, which has made a terrestrial Inferno of Tennessee, would crush the mechanic by completely paralysing the energy of the capitalist, and drive the wealthy from the State by the wolfish agrarianism which it would inaugurate. We do not ask every Virginian to aid us with all the force of talents, energy, public spirit and mans which God has blessed him in making the registration as complete as possible, for the purpose of denying to the negro a single right which can be claimed for him as [UNCLEAR] of his liberty. By no means. But we wish, when a complete and thorough registration has revealed the strength of the white men in this State to teach the blacks, by our liberality towards them, that their best friends are their former masters. When we have demonstrated to the deluded negro followers of the demoralized white men who have poisoned their minds against us, that we are master of the situation, we can afford to make the lesson of our magnanimity and justice impressive.

"If the white men of this State, who have not been disfranchised, will take care to register and vote, they will not only secure, beyond the possibility of danger, their political rights and property, but they will be in condition to aid in the work of speedy reconstruction upon terms not as disadvantageous as they would be made by the triumph of Radicalism."

WHEREAS Larceny of horses in this community having become a common and crying evil, bringing great loss of property and the depredators, in most instances, escaping arrest and punishment; and, whereas, in order to remedy the matter as far as in our power by effecting an organization, we have

Resolved, That we who hereunto subscribe our names hereby associate ourselves into an organization to be called the "Mt. Meridian League to prevent and punish horses stealing," That whenever, we have notice that a horse has been stolen from any of our body, we will immediately aid in the pursuit and capture of the property and thief, That we offer a standing reward of One Hundred and Fifty Dollars for the arrest and conviction of the thief who may steal a horse from any member of this association, and that members be obliged to brand their horses with the letter "O," on the right side of the neck under the mane.

June11-3t*

On the 3rd inst, the Lyceum discussed the question "Is there any truth in spiritual manifestations or witchcraft." Debated in the affirmative by Rev. J. L. Clarke and Prof. Powers; in the negative by Prof. Hewitt and Y. H. Peyton, Esq. The vote stood affirmative 4, negative 14. The same question was selected for the meeting on the 10th inst. The term "spiritual manifestations" was construed to comprehend all kinds of spiritual influences, angelic or otherwise. The question for the 17th inst. Is "Do labor-saving devices benefit the laboring classes."

Of three negroes tried for this term of the Circuit Court for the detestable offence of houseburning, two were acquitted and one sentenced to the mildest penalty allowed by the law. The circumstantial evidence indicated that each was guilty, and it was obviously the sympathy felt for the ignorance and helplessness of the negro that induced the benefit of the doubt in his favor. If they had been white men, on the same evidence, they would have "gone up," sure. Our people do what they think right, and will never punish prisoners in defence to "public sentiment," much less to political prejudice.