The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1867-07-18
LETTER FROM GEN. s1czLEs.


Trumbull, Chairman: Judiciary Com
mittee, United States Senate:
CHARLESTON; S. G. July S, 1867.
My DEAR Sin: I have decided not
to begin registration in this district
until Conrgess determines who shall
be registered. I trust, therefore, that
it will be the pleasure of Congress to
extend the time for the completion Of
my registration, until November. If
proceed now, and disregard the
wishes of the President, my action
would be regarded as sinsubordination;
if I follow his intimations, many
would probably be registered not eli
gible according to the true intcrprc-
tation ofthc Acts of Congress.
If it is meant that all who have held
any of1icc-Fcderal, State Or muni-
pal-having taken an oath of Office
to support the Constitution of the
United States, and afterwards en-
gagged in rebellion, or given aid, COM
fort, cct., are disfranchjsetl, this
should be expressly'declared; other
wise, if left to construction it may be
held that no other officers arc inclu-
dcd than those classes enumerated in
Article VI of the the Constitution,
and that even as to these a full par
don removes the disqualification.
If it is meant to exclude lawyers,
they should be expressly mentioned,
or else described by some classifca-
ton; as, for example, after the word
"oSce,". add "any licensed calling or
employment or profession" Other
wise, if the eligibility of lawers be left
to construction, it may be held that
LAWYER is not public officer, al
though functonary ola court or
other judicial body:
The, truth is we have now in ope-
ration two distinct systems of recon-
struction, originated by Congress,
and cngrafted upon the Presidents
plan Of reconstruction. The first
Congressional plan is expressed in
the Howard constitutional amendment
leaving suffrage to be regulated by
the several States, and imposing upon
certain classes of persons disqualif-
cation for office, as a punishment for
the future. That plan having been
refused by the rebel States, Congress
passed the reconstruction Acts, which
form second scheme of reconstruc-
ton, entirely distinct in principle and
plan from the former. In the Sc
cond plan, Congress assumes the con-
troll Of the question of suffrage, which
is extended to all who. can take a
disqualification for Office, which would
have been penal and conservative
feature of the first plan. Now it
seems to Inc that the true conscrva-
tive guarantee against reaction is in
the addition made to the loyal vote
by the enfranclliscmcnt of the color
cd people. That being done, the oc-
casion for the disqualification clause
ceases. Hence, the trnc solution, I
believe, is to declare with universal
suffrage, a general amncsty-naming
the exceptions. A moro liberal am
nesty is, in Judgment, essential to
the success of the Congressional plan
of reconstruction. Il will enlarge
the range of popular choice for the
important judicial, executive and leg
islative departments ofth State Gov
crnments, otherwise inconveniently ly
confined to classes very few Of whom
are fit to hold Office.
The people can surely be entrusted
to judge and select from those who
took part in the rebellion, the men at
once qualified and sincere in their
adhesion to the new order of things.
Such men, being eligible. to office,
will have motives to identify them
selves with reconstruction, and to
support the views Of the majority.
Now, more than ever, men, of ability
and experience in public business are
needed for the State governments in
the South; and it is truly unfortunate
that at such a moment nearly all who
know anything of public affairs, and
especially those who could Eli judicial
stations, are disfranchised,r;,T .ex-
poses the experiment of general suf-
frage to needless hazards. If the
experiment fail, it is most likely, to
fail from inability of the people to
put in office those who could and would
assure success. 1t would:have been
advantageous, perhaps, to have re-