The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-10-31
2ithn1ond nlspatth.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 81, 1867.

OF ElClulOilu,
Below is a portion Of the official report
which General SCHoFIELn made TO General
GRANT upon the subjects Of the rcgistra
ton Of voters and the apportionmcnt Of
representation in this State. 1t shows,
what indeed We stated weeks ago, that no
appo-tionment could have been made
nndcr which the blacks would not have
had the voting power OF clcc;ing large
majority of the delegates. We have never
attached the least blame to the command
ing General in respect of this matter, and
we deem il simple act Of Justice to him
to let the people know the inSurmountaoIe
obstacles with which he had TO contend
and the attention which he has bestowed
upon this troublesome question.
But we have had somewhat against
General SCnorIELD notwithstanding. We
blamed him for keeping the polls open in
this city, and allowing the negroes TO over
come by fraud the white vote which had
been fairly cast in the two days appointed
election. Even in this matter, however,
we learn that he holds himself hlamelcss.
No Radical, black or white, approached
him on the subject. But on the first day
OF the election, wien the blacks were
hocking 10 the polls in unmanagcablc
masses, n number of Conservative white
men waited upon him, and, representing
that the negroes were crOwdng the whites
away from their own voting places, and
that i would he impossible under such
circumstances for al the whites to deposit
,h,ir ballots in two days, asked him to
ip,crposc to secure their rights. lie pro
missed them that every man should have
an opportunitv 10 vote if it took week
Bearing this request III mind, ana be-
ing satisfied from personal observation
and from his knowledge of the number OF
registered voters that there were hundreds
Of whites and still more blacks who had
not voted on the first two days, he of his
uyn motion and without solicitation from
anv one ordered tie balloting to be con
,inued the third day. We understand
also that TIE keeping Of the polls open in
Petersburg the second day was considered
by the whites Of that place as favor TO
them and not TO the negroes. In both in
stances General SruorlEI.n claims that lie
acted with sincere desire to do justice to
both whites and blacks, and without any
desire to promote the success OF either the
Radical or the Conservative ticket.
And now We come to the convincing
point. 1t gives us much pleasure to be
able to state that General SCWolIELD is
determined 10 prove that he was right in
allowing these negroes l. vote on Thurs
dav last or that he was wrong. lie
will, we learn, order to be taken without
DELAY new census Of the voting popula-
ton Of Richmond, in which the name and
exact place Of residence OF every man will
lie recorded. When this shall nave been
completed, if there are any names upon
the present lists of voters which shall not
have been obtained by the censuS-takeTS,
he will in & proclamation call upon the
owners Of the missing names TO come for
ward and prove their residence in the city
upon penalty of having the same stricken
from the lists. BY these means he will
secure a purced Isl OF true voters aud
will also satisfy every person, both white
and black. that lie is anxious to administer
tn" laws without fear, favor, or affection.
aud afford to the people Of Richmond an
opportunity 10 have something like Il fair
vote upon the question OF ratifyin@ the
Constitution.
As the terms Of the act Of Congress of
March Is require that I0j delegates be
elected 10 the Convention, and there being
4lG,il0 registered voters, it will be seen that
2,OGl electors are cntitledt0 one reprcsen~
taiiye to the Convention, and in order to
ascertain the number or fraction of mum
Der Of delegates to which each county and
city was entitled the total number Of votes
in the county or city was divided by 1000,
rs being most convenient and sufficient
ly accurate for all practical purposes.
Where the number Of registered voters in
any county or city entitled the county or
city TO within u small fraction OF one or
more delegates such apportioDment was
made and where the fraction OF a dele
gate To which any county was entitled was
not sufficient to warrant giving such county
one representative, or where the number OF
voters was so great as TO make ii mantcStly
unjust to give it only one representative,
the county was comhiucd with Il county
or counties adjoining and having as nearly
as possible the same number OF voters
into AN election district, when the district
was given one or more delegates, as the
number of voters in the district might
cutitle it. Ii will be seen that the princi-
pie governing the apportionmcnt was to
make the county or city the unit Of repre-
ScntatiOn Tor representative dlstricD, and
that the rule has been departed from only
when actually necessary TO give the coun-
ties or cities not entitled to within it small
fraction Of one or more delegates Il Just
and fair representation in the Convention.
"An examination the returns Of regis
tratloa and of the several modes OF appor-
tiopment authorized by the acts OF Con
gross develores the following results-viz.,
There are ltty-two counties and cities
which have lriite maiorities Of registered |
voters, and fifty counties and cities which |
have co!ored majOriticS. The aggregate |
number OF registered voters (ooth white |
and colorcd) in the fii;y-two Of the FIRST
class is only 90,55j, while the aggregate
number IN the nifty counties and cities OF |
the second class is l25,S9j. The number
oil electors entitled TO elect one dclccate
is2U6l Hence the ay,yr.ca, q ,.,,,.Is..