Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1864-12-16

Owing to the great length of Gov. Smiths
Message, we can only publish the following
synopsis Of its most important topics
Exemption of state Of1cers.
One of the first duties of the Legislature.
be says, will be the consideration of meas
ures ''to bring into the field all able bodied
men, who are not necessary to the State
Government" On the subject, he says"
1t is utterly impossible for NE to under
stand the logic which exempts State officers
who are not necessary for the State Gov
ernment; and yet it is fact that the
judges are undertaking to turn loose from
the grasp Of military authority, men with
out any duty to perform, upon the ground
that they are officers provided by the con-
ssitution and the laws There are some
forty or fifty counties of Virginia within
! the eDemy's lines, most of them under
regular government of the enemy. The
State officers therein have been where
loyal. of course expelled from Office, and
are refugees Most of them have acquired
new homes aud formed new social and bus
mess relations, and may not return to their
equities until this war shall terminate.
Many will never return, even with peace,
al it may be question, if they should do
81, whether t"y would have a srightto re-
sumo their office. Under the laws end the
const tuition the counties will average about
sixty officers, furnishing within the encmys
lines number equal to about two thou
sand constituting force sufficient, it may
be, to turn the tide of a great battle. Yet,
according to the decisions of some Of the
Judges, these officers would be exempt from
military duty, although Without civil du
ties to perform. and with a great probabI
ity that they will have nouo during the
continuance Of the war.
The doctrine contended f may lead to
the most fatal results. !fsll the officers
designat 10 the constitution, and in the
laws made in pursuance thereof, are to be
exempted because they are State officers
if all the justices of the peace, who, by the
bye, were never exempted until the LIST of
October, 1862. having from the revolution
to that period been required to perform
military duty-if all sherifs aud clerks.
and their deruties-all commissioners Of
the revcnne-all surveyors and common
wealth's attorney Sail constables and
overseer's of the poor, all county agents
for supplying soldiers families, all salt
agents, commercial agents, etc, all employ.
ees of banks, cities, towns, etc. are 10 be-
exempt indscrimin .tely, and without ref
erence to their necessity, then, indeed, in
the language of the decision SO frequently
quoted, ''the spectacle might be presented
Of nation sutjugatcd and destroyed at a
time when it had within its limits citizens
amply sufficient to defend it against all the
assaults of its enemies, but whose services
could not be commanded because fo sooth,
the Government had contracted with them
that they should not be required to serve
in the army" So far, in this State, the
number of exempts is comparatively small;
but in other States We are told it is widely
different. At this time powerful army Of
the enemy is sweeping over the State Of
Georgia, in which, under the doctrine con-
tended for, there is now an army of ex-
mpts-exempts because they are officers
and employees IF the State Government.
At this time the pressure Of the service
inspires very common desire 10. escape
from it; and the remedy by habeas corpus,
designed for extraordinary acts of official
tyranny or individual acts of oppression. is
daily resorted to, to extricate the citizen
from the holy duty Of defending the coun-
try. Lawyers of every degree HE to the
feast thus spread before them, and judges,
in chambers and in court, feel constrained
to apply the principles of the writ to those.
but little better than moral de,erters frem
the standard of their country; and st q
time, too, when she is struggling in death
gr'pp'e y with her gigantic : foe.
| respectfully suggest for your consider
alton the passage of law which will d.
minish the number of these officers and re-
strict their selection to persons of an age
beyond the period of military, service. [
propose the passage of law diminishing
the. number of the districts in the several
counties and coufning the eelction of mag
istrates to persons over IS years of age.
NEW MILITARY BILL REPORTED.
=, The Governor suggests new military
bill, which proposes: 1st, That the re-
serve force of the State should be organized
by the Governor, and when completed. to
be reported to the Assembly for such change
as it may see ct to make. End, That the