The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-07-16
The New Reconstruction Law-Who
are now DISTINGUISHED

We published yesterday morning the
reconstruction law as it passed the TWO
Houses Of Congress on Saturday. 1t VIII
have, wo think, but little effect in Vlrg''
MIA. seeing that the old Law has been al,
uinistered here in almost every respect
lust rs the new one requires 1t herea'1er
- be administered in all the southern
states. Let us examine this law in detaii'
and see how It agrees with General ScHo-
FIELDS orders.
The first section declares that the 60
vernment existing in Virginia is "not .
legal State government" This IS just
what General SCHoFIELp said when ne
was asked to disfranchise those persons
whom the Alexandria Constitution hao
attempted to disfranchise. NO man can
he DISTINGUISHED by an illegal govern
ment.
The second section gives the district
commanders power to remove and appoint
officers State or municipal. General
ccuor,r1p construed the old law as giving
him this power. He reappointed our
present City Council, or rather continued
the members in Office, forbid any election
has appointed number Of State officers
and done generally whatever this section
authorizes.
The third section gives the same powers
70 General GRANT as those exercised py
=, ,..-;o+ commanders.
The fourth section confirms the acts OF
ceneral SCHorIELD which we mentioned
above. 1t also makes it his duty to remove
from office "disloyal" persons and per-
sons who obstruct reconstruction.
The fifth section makes the boards OF
registration judges Of the qualifications Of
voters. They exercised the power here
under General ScuoFIELD's order, and re-
fused TO register number of persons.
The sixth section is in exact accordance
with General SCHoFIELD's orders, except
in its latter clause, which is as follows
aTbe words executive or judicial, office
in auy State, in said oath mentioned, shall
he construed to include all civil Offices
created by law for the administration Of
any GENERAL law of the State or for the
administration Of justice"
This language clearly implies that mu-.
nicipal Offices are not included, and there
fore no person is DISTINGUISHED or disquali-
fed for holding Office because Of having
held city Office at the time Of the rebel
lion or before. We understood General
ScHoF1ELD's order to make the same ruling,
but we have heard that the registrars re-
fused to put down on the list Of voters the
names of some Of the officers of this city.
The words "any general law Of the State"
mean laws operating upon all persons in
the State, and therefore in force in every
county. City officers are not included in
this description. But General ScHoFIELD
included aldermen because they are e1-
oHicio State officers, and this section also
includes them by employing the words
cor for the administration of Justice
These latter words (Which we have put il
italics in quoting them) were not in the
bill US it originally passed the Senate. The
Senate stopped at the word State
Tho words cor for the keeping of the
public peace" were struck out Of the
House bill on Saturday, and the words "ol
for the administration of justice" added
What they were added for it would be
hard to determine, unless to remove
all doubt as to whether the aldermen
Of town or city were included among the
dsfranchised. The language of this sec
ton, taken in connection with the debates
in the Senate, shows that directors in
banks, in railroad and canal companies,
and in other corporate bodies, as well as
notaries public, commissioners in chancery,
&C., &C., are not disfranchised. "Inspec-
tors of fish and other commodities, whose
duties are confined to locality, as Rich
mond, Petersburg, Norfolk, or any other
county or town, are not included. In this
one respect the new law differs from &C.
neral ScHoFIELD'S orders under the old
one; and as this section repeats the
words "afterwards engaged in insurrec-
"tion or rebellion against the United
Estates, or given aid or comfort to the
"rcbellion,'' we would just here remark
that the debates indicate that the sense
of the Senate was decidedly against hold
ing a vote for secession at the polls to be
such an act ofrebellion aswould disquallfy
or disfranchise any man. On "Wednesday
last there was an interesting discussion
nnon these points, from the report o
which we make the following extract:
aMr. Howard moved as an amendment
TO the sixth section provlso thatthe more
act of having voted for the ordinance OF
secession shall not of itself be deemed un-
der this act engaging in rebellion or inSur
rection, nor shall any person be deemed
DISQUALIFIED merely by reason of his having
held an office as justice of the peace, no.
tary public, trustee, officer or agent of any
institution Of learning, or commissioner OF
banks or canals, etc.
"Mr. Howard said General Schoiield
had made ruling which rendered the
above necessary US regards those who
voted for the ordinance of secession.
"Mr. Buckalew desired to know if mem
bers Of the bar were included in this
amendment. They were judicial officers
in certain sense, and might be excluded
under the stringent laws in operation. He
regarded it as dangerous to attempt al
enumeration in case like this, because
all who were not included in it would be
regarded as coming under the exclusion OF
the bill.
"Mr. Howard modified his amendment
hu insartinr altar the words ordinance al