The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-03-08

said, "She only loves, find,
~ e''N' ~ '' MARGARET BROWN.
EXTRA sEss ION OF VIRGINIA LEGIsLA-
TURE.
The Governors Message.
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
RICHMOND, March 4, 1867.
To the Senate and House Of Delegates Of Vsrgtnsa
GENTLEMEN: 1 deem it my duty to call ,our at
tantion to the recent act of Congress- entitled an
act to provide for the more efficient government OF
the rebel States." The last six years have made
an eventful period in our history One crlsas mas
scarcely passed, before another OF greater magnl-
tude has arisen During the canvass OF 1850 for
President and Vice President, scarcely a press,
and but few politicians advocated the secession OF
the from the n Samga1 vbe5 doS
at the capitol on the 18th day of February Of the
same year. A full vote of the people was cast at
The election for delegates to this Convention. Inc
subject OF Union and Secession was then distinctly
before them, and twothirds of the votes cast were
for the Union candidates. A vast majority. thus
declared, that they we're unalterably attached to
the Constitution and Union of their fathers. They
were happy, with all their rights fully protected.
The declaration was made by q leading newspaper
of this city, that the State should be dragged
out'' Of the Union. In less than seventy days
from the assembling Of the Convention, the "ordi-
nance Of secession" was adopted, and the terrlo.e
civil war through which we have just passed, ~
aueurated. From that day to the present, my
whole energies have been devoted, in the fear OF
God, to do what could for the benefit OF my ma
five State In no instance have suffered caprice,
resentment or ilwill to govern my public action.
N Iune Of 1866 recommended the removal, by
The. General Assembly, of the disqualification OF
the voters, imposed BY the State Constitution, as
then in force. This action was dictated by Two
reasons: First, because became satisfied that, IN
the majority Of the counties Of the State, there
conld not be found half the requisite number OF
qualified men to fill the Offices necessary to admin
lister the laws. AT least ninety per centm OF the
taxes Of the State would have been Raa py yea men
under the provisions of the Constitution. 10 at
tempt to organize and carry on Republican Coy
arnnent, under such circumstances, was out OF the
question. In the second place, l was prompted to
isted in the hearts of vast majority of the people
of the Northern States, all Of whom rejoiced at
tho termination OF the civil strife, which p bad
brought sorrow to 90 many homes; and believed
tion in good faith. This opinion is confirmed by
e recurrence to the history of the times. The
terms imposed by the Commanding General were
considered maGnanimous, and approved by the
less Resep's and sn'' Genera S'l 's'a.'' ms ps'
Previously to the action of the Virginia Legisla.
ture, the President commenced the establishment
OF: civil governments in other Southern States,
II
mon terms even more liberal than the policy
adopted in Virginia. He rehabilitated the people
In those States who had been engaged in the re.
beIion. He also entered upon o liberal policy OF
granting pardons, under an act Of Congress, to
those who had taken up arms against the govern
ment Of the United States, and had, otherwise be-
come liable to the penal laws. While these acts
w66fe transpiring in the summer and fall OF 1850,
committees from all parties in the Northern States,
and, I believe from all the States, waited on-the
President, to express their full confidence in his
patriotism and their approval Of his administra-
tion. Not q convention north~M Mason and Dix-
on's line, met to nominate candidates for county
or State officers, but psssed resolutions commen-
dstory Of Presi6snt johnson and his policy. These
resolue75, with the eulogies Of the press OF both
political parties formed part Of the political lit
erature Of that summer and fall On the assem-
bling Of the present Congress, joint committee
Eons' in regard to reconstt uchon we're referred
That committee continued it's Investigations for
seven months, which resulted in the proposition
to add the proposed fourteenth article 10 the Con-
stitution Of the United States md the section Of
the act of Congress under which the President
was granting pardons was not repealed for thirteen
months after Congress had il in its power to stop
these pardonns by Q repeal Of the law.
Shortly after psrdons and amnesty began to be
freely granted by the President. the Southern
press assumed bold, defiant, bitter and vindic-
tive tone; memorial associations and various other
movements were inaugurated, which afforded op.
portunties for infammatory lectures, orations and
essays, all calculated to stir up and keep alive IN
the memory of tho people Of the State, hatred OF
the people Of the Northern States and the gov
vernment Of the United States. The most OBJ
jectionable parts Of these performances have been
circulated through the Northern press. Some OF
our Legislation has not been Of the most fortunate
character to produce good impression. Two
!. freedmen have fallen by the hand Of violence, and
the offence was scarcely noticed by the officers OF
the law.
j The proposed amendment as the fourteenth ar
ticle of the Constitution Of the United States was
submitted to the Southern States for their adop-
ton or rejection. Tennessee adopted it, each OF
$ the others almost unanimously rejected it. All
these acts impressed Congress with the idea that
the situation WIS not accepted by the Southern
people in good faith, and it IS now proposed to in
the Stats in the. hope Of remedying the evil. The
terms ir the amendment to the Constitution pro-
posed were considered, in Europe and In this coun-
, LY the most msgnanimous offer to people situa-
sidared it when addressed to you my annual
message at the commencement Of your present
session. 1 then said :; s.Ihe conditions are not
nearly so hard as they might be. The person Of
by con6scation; It is not proposed to administer
our LAWS by strangers, the power over the ques-
ton Of suffrage is left with the States. =
For the sake Of securing peace with it's blessings,
portion of the old and middle aged citizens to
yield gracefully to necessity they cannot ayerts
e only brings the young men 8 little earlier into
public life, and will tend to the earlier development
iof their energies" Ideeply regretted your action
ON this subject: That opportunity is past; We
have now;to conform our action to the new terms
proposed in the late act Of Congress above re-
3Hred to.
I Now the person Of the citizen may not be safe;
his property is threatened with confsca6on; our
laws may be administered BY strangers; and the
power over the question Of suffrage is virtually
taken from the State, It will be observed that in
the preamble to the BILL it is declared that no
{ legal State Government or adequate protection
for life or property, now exists in the rebel States
ct Virginia, &c. In this declaration Congress re-
serves to itself the power to say when the legal
State Government in Virginia ceased; and for
what acts. In the sixth section Of the bill it is
declared ssThat until the people OF the said rebel
States shall be by law admitted to representation
in the Congress Of the United States, any civil
governments that may exist therein shall be deem
ed provisional only, and shall be in all respects
subject to the paramount authority of the United
States at any time to abolish. modify, control or
supercede the same. The theory Of this bill is, that
for acts heretofore done by the people of Virginia,
they have placed themselves in condition in
which the Organization Of the government may
be broken up. The State Constitution may be
abrogated and its laws rendered nulity, in which
event the people may lose their character as a
whole people united in one body pGtlc apd eaS se;
takes place the Commonwealth is dead. The ten
ure by which the lands are held dies with it. The
Commonwealth, grants the land and guarantees the
title and possession to the grantee The power OF |
the State is wielded for his protection. But in this
case the guarantor may becoms helpless under
superior power. One Of the ways in which State
or Commonwealth may be destroyed, is by q supe-
rior power in arms, or by the power Of war. When
destroyed in this way, the power Of the conqueror
annuls the organic and statute laws Of the State,
and substitutes new laws in their place, and with
the destruction Of the law, the title to the proper
ty may die with it, and the conquerer may divide
the property therein among oil his followers, or
give it to designated persons or he may sell it to
the highest bidder, in large or small parcels. Then
he becomes the new guarantor of title so granted
This is no new theory, nor the indication Of any
new practice. The greater part OF England has
been divided out in this way several times. The
most OF their present tenure were derived and held
in this way. The same is true Of la1g ge part of
the continent Of Europe. Nor is this theory new