The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-07-11
Neoroes as officers.

Negroes as officers.
W. have more than once argued that
nooroes are not eligible to Office in Virgil
ia even under the most liberal construc-
,ion OF the -Shelabarger act.
The law Of tho State stands as it did pre-
viously in regard to all matters concerning
which that act does not alter it. so that
tho very fact that negroes are by act OF
Congress made voters, whilc that act says
not a word in reference to their holding
office, proves that they are not eligible to
any post of honor or profit in Virginia or
auy other of the States whose institutions
prohibit Africans from filling Office.
We have never had any expression OF
opinion from General ScEoFIELD upon this
point; and it is really much more i'm
portant to know his opinion than to know
what the act Of Congress provides; for
whatever he declares to he the law is the
law whether we think it ought to De or not,
and whether the Attorney General thinks
it IS or not, and whether Congress intended
it SO to be or not. But General SCHo-
FIELD has proved himself to be an expert
in expounding the law, and shown that he
understands it as it is understood by those
whose business it is to expound it, to wit,
the lawyers. II, then, Congress has any
"policy" upon this question-if it means
,loN bf. alfalfa m IF
if it means that they shall not be-we not
only Invite the expression OF that inten-
ton in the supplementary act which that
body is about to pass, but wo insist upon
it that It is question as to which no
doubt should be left upon the minds
Of any of the commanding Generals.
We here declare that, according to
our understanding of the reconstruction
acts, negroes arc NOT eligible to any Of
fee, and we challenge Congress to make
them so. This is question which must
ere long sir up in this country, from one
end of it to the other, the fiercest pas
sons Of the human heart. The cry OF
"America for Americans" which was
used with such powerful effect some years
ago by the Know Nothings, was as nothing
to the cry Of America for white men,"
which is destined soon to be heard from
Maine to California. There is no such
thing as lodging the issue. 1t has to be
met. We ask Congress, then, to relieve
General ScuoFIELp of oil responsibility in
this matter by declaring whether it con-
siders negroes eligible to Office or not. He
will probably hold that they are not, aud
il Congress holds the contrary opinion he
might be censured. There is no reason
why there should be any doubt upon so
important q question--onc much more
important than some Of those which
the new supplementary bill under
takes to settle. We, therefore, on
behalf of tho people Of Virginia,
ask Congress TO legslate upon the subject.
1t will not do to overslaugh this question at
tho present session, and then refuse us ad-
mission into the Union next winter upon
the pretcxt that we have made discrimina-
tons on account of race and color. All OF
the States in the Union, North and South,
do the same thing, we believe. We claim
the right to keep up these determinations
unless Congress shall say TO us nay. And
we hereby give notice to CHARLES SUMNER,
TuAD. STEVENS; B. T. WADE, and the rest
of the extreme Radicals, that unless they
pass some act or resolution to the contra
ry, we shall continue to hold that negroes
are ineligible TO Office in Virginia. So
: that if CulIec is left out in the cold it will
be by Congress.
Does anybody believe that Congress will
declare negroes eligible to office? Per-
haps it will. 1t has done many things
which we had not thought it would do.
But NO do not believe that even this Con-
gress, so bold in denunciation, SO brave IN
The field OF legislation, and SO devoted to
the colored race, oiR dare to pass reSoEu-
ton making negroes eliuiJle to office.