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

AU0otu A'A ~ SSo'
' 1ats s4S so!a oshe no9 only VI loves, y hnd
MARGARET BROWN
EXTRA sEss ION OF VIRGINIA LEGIsLA-
TURE.
n,-y4..f. Tho Governors Message.
,-i'l II. Gl75 EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, a
. RICHMOND, March A. 1857.
To the Senate and House Of Delegates of nsrqinia
GENTLEMEN: deem it my duty to call your at
tenton to the recent act Of Congress- entitled esan
act to provide for the efficient government Of
sne evan eroa The last six have made
scarcely passed, before another of greater mngni-
tude has arisen: During the canvass Of 1860 for
and but few politicians, advocated the secession Of
the State from the Union. In January, 1861, the
4Sa Assembly called Ie which met
same year. full vote Of the people was cast at
the election for delegates to this Convention The
before them, and two-thirds Of the votes cast were
for the Union candidates. A vast majority, thus
the Constitution and Union Of their fathers. They
we're happy, with all their rights fully protected
The & declaration lar, was made BY leading newspaper
out" Of the Union In less than seventy days
from the assembling Of the Convention, the ssord-
civil war through which we have Just passed in
augurated. From that day to the present, my
WHOLE energies have been devoted, il the fear Of
tive State. In no instance have suffered caprice
resentment OF il-win to govern my public action. i
the General Assembly, of the disquali6cation Of
the voters, imposed by the State Constitution, as
then in force. This action dictated by two
reasons: First, because became satisfied that in
the majority Of the counties Of the State, there
could not be ioHna % m bali the requisite number Of
a4ann@ea @ men TO ~ the Offices necessary to admin
taxes of the State would have been paid by men
who were disqualified from voting or holding Office
under the provisions of the Constitution. To at-
tempt to organize and carry on Republican Gov
ernment, under such circumstances, was out OF the
aIessi9n c In In the second place wes prompted to
listed IN the hearts OF vast majority of the people
Of the Northern States, all OF whom rejoiced at
the termination Of the civil strife, which had
brought sorrow to SO many homes; and believed
tnas me Southern people had accepted the situa
terms imposed by tho Commanding General were
considered magnanimous, and approved by the
people, and that General still retains his popular
Previously to the action of the Virginia Legisla-
t9re, the President commenced the establishment
OF civil ,goyernments il other Southern States,
(where he declared no State governments exsted1
upon terms g. even more liberal than the policy
adopted n Virginia he 1ehabi!itated the people
bellion. He also entered upon q liberal policy Of
granting pardons, under an act of Congress-, to
Of the United States and Gnd otherggse be-
CON, come napae TO the penal laws While these acts
were GaansPlr1ng II the summer and fall of 1865,
committees from all parties in the Northern States
a1d, believe, rom all the States, waited on the
President, to express their full confidence in his
tion: Not convention north Of Mason and DiT
ons line, met to nominate candidates for county
Or 9e sSate m 9eers bIt passed resolutions
resolutions with the eulogies of the press Of both
Taa e fSst formed part Of the Political lit
bling Of the present Congress, a Joint committee
ol Doth Houses was appointed. to whom all ques-
lions lions IN regard to reconstruction were referred.
seven months, which resulted in the proposition
to add the proposed fourteenth article to tie Con-
etitution Of the United States and the section Of
the ac6 OF congress under which the President
months after Congress had il in its power to stop
shortly after pardons and + annestT mn a began to bo
Freely Freely @ granted BY the President. the Southern
press assumed bold, defiant, bitter and 7indic-
tive tone: memorial associations and various other
movements were inaugurated, which afforded on
Portunataes for lectures, orations and
Of people ee Of aRe teeeP Pha1sa aes
the people Of the Northern States and The GOV
vs1Rept of the upited States The most OBJ
circulated through the Northern press. Some Of
our legislation has not been OF the most fortunate
freedmen have fallen by the hand af yoience og9 m9
me onence was scarcely noticed by the officers Ct
The proposed amendment, as the fourteenth ar
icle Of the Constitution of the United States was
submitted to the Southern States for their odon
non Of rejection Tennessee adopted it, each Of
these acts impressed Congress with the idea that
the sltuatlon was not accepted by the Southern
oaneea ge% gGod fee and it is now
the State in the hope Of remedying the evil. The
terms N the amendment to the Constitution pro-
try, the most magnanimous offer to people situa
ted as ours were, recorded in history T so con
sldered it when I addressed to you my annual
n7nd ndrfonp <-P1
session then said: s'The: conditions are not
nearly so hard as they might be. The person Of
by confseation; it is not proposed to administer
ton af suffrage is EFT with the States. ef 'is aaes-
may it not be an act Of exalted patriotism for a
portion Of the old and middle aged citizens to
ea aasg g1psSsgy ybs 70 NECESSITY they sanRo
public life, and will tend to the earlier development
OF their energies" 7 deeply regretted yopr action
have now to conform our action to The new ' terms
proposed in the late act of Congress above re-
Now the person Of the citizen NAV not be safe.
his property is threatened with coniscatfon; our
laws may be administered by strangers; and the
taken from the State It viii be Observed " thaa y
the preamble to the bill, it is declared that no
legal State Government, or adequate protection
Of Virginia, &c. In this declaration Congress- re-.
serves to itself the power to say when lie Ierol
oIato OoVel1lnent IN virginia ceased; and for
what acts: In the sixth section Of the bill it is
declared sThst -2t; 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
cd provisional only, and shall be in all respects
subject 70 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
1or acts heretofore done by the people Of Virginia
1hey; nave placed themselves in condition in |
winch the organization: Of the government NAV
pc broken No.. The State Constitution. NAV be !
aDrogated and its laws rendered nullity in which
event the people may lose their character as q |
whole people united in one body poiitic and each
stand stand alone il his own individuality: when this
lakes place the Commonwealth is dead. The ten |
gre y which the lands are held dies with it. The
GoSmmonRealth ZOE grants the land and guarantees the
~ Ttle and Rossesa5o9 to the grautee The power Of
Ine state ls welded for his protection But in this
t case me guaranto%s = may become helpless under
Or or commonwealth maybe destroyed, is BY supe-
destroyed in this way, the power Of the conqueror
ana sn3stltntes new laws in their place, and with
the destruction Of the law the title to the proner
Y may o1e with it, sad The conquerer may divide i
the property therein among ali his followers. or
Eve 70 sodesignated persons, or he may sell it to
ne Decomes the new guatantor Of title SO granted,
aan the title depends on his ability to defend ii.
mus ls no new theory, nor the Indication Of anv
new practice. The greater part Of ENGLAND bass
been divided out in this way several tnes Ths hs
most OF their preSeyfG EenSyra uaro I.-:,.e