Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-09-08
GOVERNOR LETCHEg,S MESSAGE,
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
RICHMOND, VA, Sept. 7, 1865,


| .ency in public affairs. The wax has now
| Been in progress for more than two years and
half, and has been prosecuted against MS
| with n ferocity unparalleled i'll ali past strus-
| sles between contending parties. 1t has been
conducted upon the avowed principle OF sub
iusatine US, either by force OF arms or by vas
| thug uuon our people the horrors oi famine.
Hence it is that ioiled and defeated again ami
again upOn the field Of battle, they have adopt
I'd the policy Of dcsolatiuc our farms, destroy
| ing our crops, burning orr dwellings,, stealing
| and CARRYING away oar property, leaving our
wives and children to perish by the SLOW tor
| ture of starvation 1t Is h. longer war tor
| the preservation rr the old Union, rs ii was
| originally proclaimed - be, but 1t has degene-
.a.c.l into Il war tnr the emancipation I'll our
slaves and this purpose the Administered"
1T Washington propose tOaccompil3h,e even II tie
determination of tic white race U all ages. sexes
and conditions, of the Southern Confectionery
| shall be the result We have no alternative
| therefore, but to defend ourselves with all hle
pnwer energy aud ability we can command
| I'VE must succeed, if we would be q free and
| independent people, worthy Of the iliuStrlous
| ancestry from which We descended. 10 sue
coed, we must have union, harmony. concert,
Cancellation, courage, energy AND determined
resolution on the part of rulers and people,
! We must cultivate one towards another the
uoblo virtues Of prudence, toieration' charity
and forbearance.
With these general remarks, proceed to
| the consideration OF such subjects Is are Of
| special interest III this time, and in my .ud5-
itncnt demand Legislative action.
The subject FIRST in Importance, :" Ear rs
F, the Commonwealth is concerned, i the best
!! means Of providing al adequate force Tor the
] local defence of the State against Invasion or
! raids, and for tie execution Of The laws in
case a resort 70 Iorce shall at any time becom"
necessary. The entire military force nj IL"
| State has been absorbed ly the CONSUMPTION
lax, and we are thus left, in a time of great
est peril. with 20 militia organization for the
defence of the Commonwealth. This want
can lie and must be supplied will. as LITTLE d.
Law as practicable.
AS to the plan of raising This .orcc | am
aware there is much diversity Of opinion.
! The difference, however, is rcc2nciiahlc. il
! the subject IS considered aud discussed in Il
patriotic spirit.
Let n force to consist ufati ahIe.b0Aic@ ncr.
sans between the ages Of siSteca and sixtr,
not in the Confederate service, he organize J,
corresponding with the fnrcc now organ col in
the cities OF Richmond. Petersburg an! Lynch.
burr. Let them he regularly carpci, fnrulGi
! into companies, llt'a'ioTs and rcglmcat*. and
0tccred in such manner Is ayiil ht mt.st Hsciv
| q secure efficient, intelligent AMI cncrgr:.c
men. They should be drilled mt proper inte,.
| walls. 50 as ~ be well instructed III the rv"lu-
tinn. and tie manuel, and prepared for eli 'icHt
service whenever the necessity shall arise
| The net should also define what II Ia 81 d"nncN,
! a. there is much c"ntrariety nLopinion in rc-
4! card to it, Some think local defence consists
| in remaining a. home, and nn!nr no cir:iIm-
stances TO be taken out Of the city or county in
which the company is organized. This, inmT
| view, is q most mistaken notion otthe meaning
Of the term local Defence" and If j. is tnrre-
vail, will work grea. mischief. ard render the
organization of LITTLE value in giving protection
| 70 our people. My opinion is, that if the city
| OF Richmond can be defended mere certainly
! fifty miles from it then Immediately around it
Or in it. that locality is the proncT p'ace FOR it'
F, defence, and the local militia should DC rcGuir-
| ed to make the dctenca there Tic officer
! charged with the defence IF any ."'icu'Gr
|; locality is presumed to he batter acquainted
with the mode OF defending it, and tic best
! point for defending it successfully, and lie
should direct all troops 50 aS best 10 sccnrc
! the end desired.
The object Of s,ich organizations should be,
| to give adequate protection u al! parts of the
| Commonwealth. We mist not only provide
! for the defence OF the counties. cities and
! towns by the local forces in and Immediately
! around them, bu. we must, under the ia;'
which is proposed to bc passed, have authority
! to order others from contiguous counties 10
! their aid and support. \ force, whose opera
J 10 pai hV ,.ir tn,rD
boundaries, can prove Of but little ~aue in
; checking raids. or III executing and enforcing
! obedience 20 rilc laws.
! This organization should be made TO en-,
brace the foreign population who are located
amongst U.S. This foreign population may lie
] said to consist of three classes: First, those
! who have been regularly naturaizei. end who
! are therefore ctizers embraced by our la@s
; -alatiug 10 the public Defence; s"ccnd. those
| who arc domicilia.cd amongst Us, and have
| leen living in our midst ard prosecuting va
rious branches Of business, and whn Lett thcir
| native land with no PURPOSE or iu;cct"n o!
returning to it; and lastly, those who are tr'n
noraril; sri0urning amongst u. The first
class arc in service under our miltl@ i?wS, AND
the second class should be required t. - into
service for public defence Of the sol on wac
| thcv reside The latter class, who are so.
| ;nurncrs, engaged in no REGULAR business
should be exempt. | recommend, therefore,
that in your legislation upon tits subject. Tho
sccDnd class above referred TO, shall DC cleary
and distinctly embraced.
! On this subject desire to present anothe,
recommendation, in regard % the ac5 pc S"d
b7 your predecessors IN tho ?p;h day Of y"
! yemiher, lSG2. authorizing persons q certain
I RELIGIOUS denominations in the Safe II rTcnlr,
! themselves from military service in the war
| h7 the payment Of five hundred dollars each
/ Subsequently, Congress passed an act 81 ilk:
character: and these persons awaited them
selves of it. and were discharged from liabil
/ ~ to all military service in the Confederate
army. I regard this provision as substantial
" violation of the CONSTITUTION, innsrucl
~ it grants exemptions to certain classes n
persons, which are not granted to others.
| In this war, all classes who reside amnag Isl
u. should he required to perform duty of some
sort, if they are within tn" military age. i
they are unwilling TO bear arms, there are va
| ri,us other duties connected with the army
ard the general defence which they can per
form, and which they should be required IL
! perform. They are citizens, property holders
tn largo extent, interested therefore in al
that concerns other citizens and should be re
qured to perform their part. In somo coun
| tries this class Of persons are required to aid
in the construction of Publications, and | sef
no Just reason why they should not be re
ouired to do so here This branch If defence
must be maintained by somebody; and If theil
religious convictions will rot allow them tc
go into the ranks for the defence and ralnte
nance of the common cause, why cannot they
do this?
1t will not do to say tina. they ere opposed
to war, and can do nothing that will tend IL
| its prosecution. The law is based upon the
principle that they are bound 10 rio some
| tbinn-otherwisc thcv would not be taxed the
sum of 5000 each That money goes into tho
treasury. md is drawn theretrnm 20 dciray