Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-02-20
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ttroIf inc hlchTlono ENanl1ner
THE FIRGINIA1DEIEGATION BEFORE THE
RECONSTRuGFION COMMITTEES -

cluded their interview with the President,
they received q summons from Mr.. Jacob NJ
Howard, Senator from Michigan and Pres
idento the subj Committee on Reconstruct
tt<tion for Virginia and the Carolinas, -requir-
ing them to appear before him on Tuesday,
the 18th instant, for purposes of examination.
Nlr. Pendlcton did not receive this summons,
feaad MARSHALL declined t6 appear unless
sergeant>at arms were sent to conduct him
by force; but the other members of the com
mittee, z4afessrs. aidMin,. Keen, Gray,SDa4e
Carter, Joyues aud .Grattan, waited on Mr.
/ Howard, and informed him that their official
duties required their immediate presence in
Richmond Mr.. Howard then consented to
SO on with the examination at once. A stem
| ographer was sent for, and so soon as he ar
rived the proceedings commenced.
- lNessrs. Joynes and Carter were examined
ISsnparately, -but'when their evidence had Teen
heard, the proceedings took the form of Sc
ries OF ordinary catechetical questions and an
swers, all the members of the committee
being, however, upon oath.
ti' After some preliminary remarks, Mr.. How
ard asked whether, if the Judge of the United
States Circuit Court ruled that the commission
of certain acts amounted to treason, and that
those acts were not justified or palIiated by
any action of State Convention; or the pro-
visions Of an ordinance of secession, and if it
were clearly proved that J Jefferson Davis was
guilty of such acts, whether, under these cir
cumstances: any jury in Virginia could be
found to bring in verdict Of guilty of trea-
son, involving his condemnation to death
Mr.. Grattan thought that no jury could be
found in Virginia to bring in such sentence
This opinion was disagreed to by the other
members olthe committee, who stated unani-
mo1sly that the Virglniaus were law>abiding
people, that they respected the obligations of
an oath, and that if any person were found,
clearl y and Enthusiastically guilty of crime,
the jury would so decide, however great the
| Importance of the accused person might be,
or however painful and distressing the result
to their own private feelings.
.Mr.lHoward appeared to be gratifed at re-
ceiving this assurance, and then asked wheth-
er there were many secessiOnists in the Vir-
ginia Legislature. a member of the commit
tee replied that there were in the Legislature
gentlemen who were heartily opposed to Sc
cession before the publication of MIR Lincoln's
proclamation there were gentlemen who had
been secessiOnists in principle and conduct,
during tho war; but there was not one now in
the Legislature who thought of further re-
sistance, or who was in fancy or feeling SC.
cessionist The ncxt.question was, whether
any of the Virginia Legislators had held Office
or borne arms under the ''rebef" government
In reply, Mr.. Howard was informed that some
of the members had held such Office. aud. in
deed, some of the members Of the committee
then under examination had done 81, but that
three-fourths of the members of the Virginia
General Assembly were too old to have taken
up arms.
Mr.. Howard then asked whether any or
GanlSation was in existence i'll Virginia for the
purpose of encouraging secession" princi-
pies, and with the intention of supporting, at
, convenient time, a new act of secession p
TO this the reply was cmphatically and dis
tinctly, No? and Mr.. Baldwin stated that if
any man made an assertion that such an or
ganization did exist, he would tell him that he
lied. Mr.. Howard then asked whether the
''rcbcP' debt had any value in Virginia, and
whether there was expectations that it would
be ultimately paid, and was informed that
| Confederate bonds and currency uid be OBJ
tanned by the bushcl for the asking
| Some general conversation then ensuci, in
| the course Of which the committee stated that
! people in the North did not understand the
relations of the white and the negro in the
| South that the Southern people were wilIin"
and anxious to do the negroes justice; but
asked that they themselves might by the re-.
rnoval OF the Frccdmen's Bureau and the rcs-
toration Of civil law, be given fair chance Of
remaining quiet and working for their lveli-
| hood.
Mr.. Howard ncxt asked, whether if the
constitutional amendment were adopted, OK
| Guiding from the basis Of representation all
such classes in any State as were not allowed
to vote, the South would then give the negroes
the right ofsuffTee? y member ofthe COM
mittee replied that in his opinion the South
could not afford to give up any portion of the
representation to which they were entitled
under existing laws, but that, as the negroes
| could not by mere stroke Of the pen or
presidential proclamation, he made intelligent
and enlightened citizens, the South would
not be willing to give the negro the unQuali-
| fed right to vote The same member Of the
committee further said, that lie believed that
the two difficulties might be reconciled by
! fixing standard of qualification for voters,
which would exclude the negroes from the
right Of suffrage, but at the same time cause
them to be counted in the basis Of representa-
ton. Also, that no qualification could be
prescribed that would not exclude many white
men as we'll as the negroes from voting, but
that this would be inevitable, when the test
of colour could no longer be maintained The
members OF the committee then said that the
South had presumed, in accordance with the
| assurances conveyed in the pr0camations
and speeches Of Mr.. Lincoln, that the only
object Of the war was the restoration of the
Union; and that when General Lee had SUR
rendered, and they were prepared to ack nowl-
edge the end Of the contest, they we're met
with new and more stringent proclamation,
which left it questionable whether even a
mans breath was his own. This caused
some rcvuision of feeling, for all that the
Southern people asked was freedom Of thought
and speech and the right of representation,
that they might show by their actions their
fealty to the obligations which they had deli
! berately incurred.
Mr.. Baldwin was then asked If he remem-