The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-03-25

Med hy the following message, giving his
reasons tor NO signing IL:
To the House u Representatives
Ihave considered the bill entitled can
act supplementary to an act entitled
IAN act 70 provide for the more efficient
government Of the rebel States, passed
March 2d, 1861, and TO facilitate restora-
ton and now return il TO the House Of
Representatives with my objections.
This bill provides FOR elections in the ten
States brought under the operation Of the
original act 70 which ii is supplementary
It's details are principally directed to the
elections for the formation Of the State
constitutions; but by the sixth section of
Of the bill "all elections" in these States
occurring while the original act remains in
force ara brought within its purview. Re-
irrriug TO the details, il will be found that,
first Of all, there is TO be a registration Of
tie voters. No one whose name has not
been admitted on the list is to be allowed
70 vote at any of these elections. To as
certain who is entitled TO registration, re-
ference is made necessary, by the express
language Of the supplement, to the original
act and 10 the pending bill. The fifth sec
ton Of the original act provides, as to
voters, that they shall be "male citizens
Of the State, twenty-one years old and up
ward, of whatever race, color, or previous
condition, who have been resident of said
State for one year. This is the general
qualification, followed, however, by many
exceptions. No one can be registered, ac-
cordng TO the original act, "who may be
DISTINGUISHED for participation in the re-
bellion," a provision which left unde-
tcrmined the question as to what
amounted to disiranchisement, and whe-
Their, without judicial sentence, the
act itself produced that effect. This
supplemental bill superadds an oath,
TO be taken by every person before
his name can be admitted upon the regis
tratiOn, that he has "not been diSfranchised
for participation in any rebellion or civil
war against the United States" 1t thus
imposes upon every person the necessity
and responsibility of deciding for himself,
under the peril of punishment by military
commission if he makes a mistake, what
works diSfranchiSemcnt by participation in
rebellion, and what amounts TO such parti
cipation. Almost every mantle negro
as well Is the whitc-abOvc twenty-one
years Of age who was resident in these ten
States during the rebellion voluntarily or
involuutarily, at some time aud in some
way, did participate in resistance to the
lawful authority of the General Govern
mcnt. The question with the citizen to
whom this oath is to be proposed must be
fearful one for while the bill does not
declare that perjury may be assigned for
such false swearing, nor fix any penalty for
the offence, we must not forget that martial
law prevails, that every person is answera-
bic 10 aluilitary commission, without pre-
yious preSentment by a grand jury for any
charge that may be made against him and
that the supreme authority of the military
commander determines the question as to
what is an offence, and what is to be the
measure Of punishment.
The fourth section of the bill provides
"that the commanding general of each
district shall appoint as many boards Of re-
-istTatiOn as may be necessary, consisting
Of three loyal ,ilicerS or persons" The
only qualification stated for these officers
is that they must be "loyal." They may
be persons in the military service, or civil
ianS, residents of the State or strangers.
Yet these persons are to exercise most i'm
pUrtant duties, and are vested with I'M
limited discretion. They are to decide
what names shall be placed upon the re-
CiSler, aud from their decision there is to
be no appeal. They are to superintend
the elections, and 10 decide all questions
which may arise. They are to have the
custody of the ballots, and to make return
of the persons elected. Whatever frauds
or errors they may commit must pass with
out redress. All that Is left for the COM
manding general is TO receive the returns
of the elections, open the same, and ascer-
tain who are chosen according TO the re-
turns of the officers who conducted said
elections" By such means and with this
sort of agency are the conventions of dele
gates to be constituted.
As the delegates are to speak for the
people, common Justice would seem to re-
Quire that they should have authority
from the people themselves. No conven-
ton so constituted will in any sense repre-
sent the wishes of the inhabitants of these
States; for, under the all-embracing eX-
ceptions of these laws, by construction
which the uncertainty of the clause as to
Acknowledgement leaves open to the board
of officers, the great body of the people
NAV be excluded from the polls, and from
all opportunity of expressing their own
wishes, or voting for delegates who will
dlkillNllN ltNtCl lHtil
do not deem ii necessary further to in
veStigate the details Of this bill. No con-
sderation could induce me to give my
approval TO such an election law for any
purpose, and especially for the great pur-
pose Of framing the constitution OF a State.
Ii ever the American citizen should be
left TO the free exercise OF his own Judg
ment, il is when he is engaged IN the work
of forming the fundamental law under
which he is to live. That work is his
work, and it cannot properly be taken out
of his hands. All this legislation proceeds
upon the contrary assumption that the
people of each of these States shall have
no constitution except such as may be
arbitrarily dictated by Congress and
formed under the restraint of military
rule. plain statement of facts makes
this evident.
Iu all these States there are existing
constitutions, formed in the accustomed
way by the people. Congress, however,
declares that these constitutions are not
"loyal and republican" and requires the
people 70 form them anew. What, then,
in the opinion of Congress, is necessary TO
make the Constitution Of State "loyal
and republican p The original act au-
swers the question: Ii is universal negro
suffrage-a question which the Federal
constitutions leaves 10 the States them
selves. All this legislative machinery Of
martial law, military coercion, and politi-
cal Acknowledgement is ayowedly for that
purpose. and none other. The existing
Constitution Of the ten States conform to
the acknowledged standards of loyalty and
there a.