Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-06-29


ADJOURNED PUBLIC MEETING AT TIE CITY
HALL.-An adjourned meeting OF the ciuzens Oh
Richmond, and Others interested in rebuilding on
the burnt district of this city, took place yester'
| day afternoon at the City Hall. u...L
The Chairman. Mr.. ]. l.. AppersoI, calieu the
/ meeting to order shortly after b CLOCK.
M lanes Alfred ZONES. from the committee sp.
pointed TO prepare business, rep )rtea tne lonoS.
| ing memorial, which was read by mr. ho"ison'
| MEMORIAL.
To His Excellency, ANDREW JOHNSON. President
of the United States:
Your memoralsts, citizens Of Richmond, In the
| State of Virginia, respectfully represent
That on Monday the Cd day OF April, 1900 our
| city became the victim OF lire WHICH, III iess
| than twelve hours, reduced o large part OF IL 10
ashes Nine bundled buildings were destroyed
| embracing the largest and most costly ware
houses, Touring mills, stores and factories, WIN
| a number of dwelling houses and rooms occupied
by families. Not only were the buildings puInsuI
but the horror and paralysis OF that eyen'lui Jay
| prevented the removal Of the contents OF tue
| houseS and stores and thus clothing, proysion+,
furniture, as we'll as the merchandise and produce
| which constituted the trading capltaIoi lhe Guy
| all that could minister TO want or avert suner'
ing-were swept away. II is estimated that ionr
ifths Of the whole supply oil 1000 then 10 hicn,
| mond was destroyed, and but for the humane
exertions Of the United states officers ana Keller
| Aseocintion Il is certain that not only the poor
and destitute but many who had previously been
| above want, would have eXperie need tls greatest
| suffering.
This heavy calamity following Immediately
the pressure of q war Of four years, and attended
| by the collapse aud destruction oil the currency
| which had long constituted our only money, lett
our people PROSTATE, impoverished and desPon'
i dent.
But we did not yield to despair.
4 nv 80 PrpgiQant
i coins proclamation OF December Sth, 1860, and
i March goth, 1864 and OF which there was re-
/ newed tender in Richmond after its occupation
by the United States authorities, was taken by US
/ and in the full belief that we had thereby secured
/ the pardon they offered, with immunity from SUI
Gring In our persons or loss OF our property, we
| commenced earnestly and successfully the work OF
| rebuilding Of our city.
Money began TO foy from the Northsrn and
| Middle States for TO attract it, we had rs was
supposed, property TO sell or to mortgage, and we
| we've earnestly at work and making progress
But hardly had we begun, when the opinion oil
the Attorney General OF the United States was pub
lished TO the effect that we had not secured par
/ dom as we supposed, by taking the Amnesty Oath
| as prescribed in President Lincoins proclamation
and administered by The United states authorities.
Startled as we were by this opinion, whatever
might be our own views and those OF our advisers
| upon the question il discussed, yet the source
whence it emanated entitled II TO respect, and az
| once a painful doubt seized us whether we had IN
/ fact, secured pardon and amnesty.
Our minds were in this disqgieted state when your
Excellency's Proclamation0 of May goth, lS6b, was
promulgated. By clause therein, amnesty except
| upon special application, is expressly Withheld,
/ from "ail persons who have voluntarily partlci.
mated in the rebellie n and the estimated value OF
i whose taxable property is over twenty thousand
dollars" -. A..
/ Attorney General and with the express exclusion
/ from the general amnesty rendered In your Tx
i cellencys Proclamation, the credit OF per-
/ sons owning taxable property estimated to be
above the value OF 5000 failed. The title to tie
| property being Iegaried as Insecure the credit
i founded on the tit necessarily went down,
The consequences were not felt only by tnose
| who fell within the exception.
| The clau.e has operated with an unhappy ana
ruinous effect upon ell our interests and all classes
of our population. II prevents sales oil property
prevents The negotiation of bills OF exchange or
| promissary notes prevents raising money by
| mortgage, and fills our community with gloom,
| apathy and forebodngs fatal to that energy and
| Lappiness which, we feel sure your Exceency
desires to see pervadng the people over whom
you preside.
| Accompanying this memorial, We present mum.
/ bar of letters IRON business men, representing
eysry phase OF our city life from which the fatal
effects Of this exception will appear. II viii be
seen that these effects are not confined TO the rich
to those worth over twenty thousand dollars in
taxable property. They are felt by the poor and
| needy even in q sadder form than by Others. In.
/ dnstry ia parayZed work is discouraged, energy
| ia annihilated. The poor tradesman or me-
j chauic the woman who eafns her bread with
| her needle, the freedman seeking honest elm 1loy-
| ment, all are discouraged and detected. Their
ordinary engagements are gone, because the prop
i erty OF thcCountry is insecure and pa-y has
stricken the hands once ontstretohed to give them
| work and compensation.
| Your memorialiss are persuaded that II was
| not your Excellency's design in Incorporating
| this 18Th Exception in the proclamation, TO ar.
rest mme:cial enterprise or cripple the m 'chani.
| cal classes and VIC are encouraged 70 unfold TO
| you its operation in these particulars In the
! strong belief that you will not be unwilling to
consider how far q clause having such operation
| unforeseen and not in accordance with your de-
sign, ought 10 be continued in your offer Of am
nesty. And though We would fain hope that
upon reconsideration your Exceency will deter.
| mine TO open yet wider the door OF amnesty, not
only for the benefit Of the commercial and me-
chanical classes, but all Others, by Withdrawing
entirely this Exception, because events, since the
date OF your proclamation, show that IL Is not In.
consistent with its spirit now TO do SO yet should
we be disappointed in this we earnestly petition
| your Excelency so TO deal with this unfortunate
| city that its indus ~, commercial and mechani-
cal NAV be speedily revived; and 10 this end that
Won will either consider the special application
Tor amnesty of persons in this excepted class here
resident or interested, more exPeditiously than
might in less urgent need, be done or by some
regulation suited TO the CAGE, heal the paralysis
which now Expresses us.
On motion OF Mr. s. P. Mitchell, the memorial
was adopted.
| Mr.. Jones said that the committee had in.
| structed him TO offer resolution for the appoint
| ment of a committee OF three, whose duty IL
| should be to wait upon the Executive Of Vir-
L -ent, md nh mi IN
/ val aud afterwards to convey and deliver the
same 10 the President of the omitted States. The
/ proposition was agreed TO, and the Chairman was
| authorized TO appoint the committee at his
On motion of Colonel Walter D. Blair, the
| Chairman of the meeting was added to the CON-
mittee.
/ communications from various prominent bankers,
merchants, aud real estate agents in Richmond
/ ptesenting their views as to the effect OF the
| g $4,000 clause" of the Amnesty Proclamation.
/ We subjoin several Of these letters
FIRST NATIONAL BANKO OF RICHM0ND.l
| RICHMOND, VA. June 81, 1866.
| To Messrs. j. Alfred Jones, Robert r. Howison,
| H. l.. Kent and Others Committee.
| GESTLEMEN IL have received your communica-
ton of Yesterday requesting my experience OF the
| effects upon the business Of this city Of that
clause of the Presidents Proclamation Of the 29th
| NAV, 1865, excluding from general amnesty
| those persons the estimated value OF whose tax
| sbIs property exceeds $40 600. As President of
| This Bank, there is hardly day that there does
NOT arise some embarrassing financial question
growing out of the clause referred to. These EN-.
| barrassments are not confined TO the excepted
class, whose taxable property exceeds $4,000 but
practically the clause paralyzes all pecuniary
transactions of citizens Of this State whether the
partjes are within the clause or not. Persons of
| large and small means, to great extent, during
| the war, converted their available means into
foreign bills and old registered State stocks. The
amount of money held on the other side by citl.
which. converted into our currency, would realize
| sl10000O0.
These balances held on the other side were be-
ing drawn for, but the proclamation Of the Presi
dent has caused the holders of the bills to stop