Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-05-01

0ensrRl'S Decision. ..
A careful reading Of the answers made
by Attorney General Speed to the questions
of Secretary Stanton, show that it is not
the understanding of the former that reb.
Gle of any sort, soldiers or citizens, have
any right to return to any portion of the
loyal States. Those who went from local.
tiles like our own, are, according to the
ruling of the Attorney General, debarred
from returning. Secretary Stanton asked
specifically whether rebel officers who once
resided in the city of Washington, and
went to Virginia, or elsewhere in the south
and took SERVICE. can return to the city
under the stipulatiOns of the cspitulation
and reside here as their honest" a.
To this question Of Secretary stanton's,
Attorney General speed answered, "tbat
residents of the territory in rebellion cau-
not be regarded as having homes in the
loyal States. A mans home and his res-
idence cannot be distinct the one from the
other. The rebels were dealt with by
Gen. Grant as belligerents. AS belliger.
ents their homes were of necessity in the
territory belligerent to the government Of
the United States. The officers and SOL
diers of Gen. Lees army, then, who bad
homes prior to the rebellion in the northern
states, took up their residence within
the rebel states, and abandoned their
homes in the loyal states; and when Gen.
Grant gave permission to them, by the stip-
ulation, to return to their homes, it can.
not be understood as permission to return
to any par of the loya states.
The second question of Secretary Stan
ton was in relation to citizens and other
persons not in the rebel army, who voluu-
tarily left localities like ours and went
south and remained there during the war.
His question in his own words was:
Whether persons who resided in Wash
iugton about the time the rebellion broke
out, left the city and went to Richmond,
where they have adhered to the rebel
cause, catered into the civil service, or
otherwise given it their support, comfort,
and aid, can return to Washington, since
the cspitulation of General Lees army
and the capture Of Richmond, and reside
here under the terms of the Cspitulation7
To the above question the Attorney
General made answer as follows:
AS to your second questionable stipu-
lation of surrender made betwixt Generals
Grant and Lee does not embrace any per-
sons other than the officers and soldiers Of
General Lees army. Persons In the civil
service of the rebellion, or who had other.
wise given it support, comfort and aid, and
FAaiHanka nf fhnr ahal
tainly have no right to return to Washing
ton under that stipulation.
If rebels have no right, under the above
ruling, to return to Washington. it follows
that they have no right to return to Wheel
ing, or any locality in any loyal State. In
fact the Attorney General only uses the
word Washington as an illustration, and
says in 30 many words, in one place above,
that rebel soldiers, citizens, or aidsrs and
abettors of the rebellion, who have volun-
tarily resided beyond our lines, cannot
return "to any part of the loyal States" The
necessity of some such probationary ruling
to the whole slave State border is obvious.
We have seen it stated in print within a
few days that an attempt is to be made in
this State to thwart the legislation of last
winter, whereby parties engaged In the
rebellion are to undergo purgatorial pro-
baton before being allowed to vote. There
are counties In West Virginia that would
be overwhelmed at the polls by such re.
turning parties and their sympathizers,
were it not for the legislation alluded to-
1t is. now decided by the:Attorney General
that those who have been absent are not
citizens or residents of any loyal localities.
They can only acquire citizenship by q
new residence and that new residence can
only be had under the laws of the Btate.