The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-07-31
To the Editors of the Richmond Dispatch !:

To the Editors Of the Richmond Dispatch:
You saw in this mornings issue: " 1t is
just to ourselves to say that We never pup
| lished the telegram of Messrs. boutwell,,
W;lson. Farnsworth, and Paine, to Cover
nor Yarmouth, because that telegram was
sent after Louisiana had been admitted 10
representation in Congress, and therefore
could have no possible bearing. upon the
question raised as TO the policy of requiring
the test-oath in Virginia, which ls not YET
fully reconstructed"
| As it is of the last Importance that no
maintainable point on our side OF this ques-
ton be lost or compromised, let me call your
attention to the fact that although the tele-
gram to Governor Yarmouth is dated June
40 1868. and the omnibus" bill under
which North Carolina, South Carolina,
Louisiana. Georgia, Alabama, and Florida,
came into the Union, is dated 18th of Juno:
lS6S-thc telegram thus appearing to be OF
n later date than the act-yet that act ana
not " admit these States to representation"
Had il done so, there would have been no
further use for Provisional Governor, nor
for the telegram; for upon that event lad
mission to representation the reconstruc-
ton acts would have become imperative
in said States' The "omnibus bill
merely approved the constitutions OF the
States named in it, and provided that they
should thereafter be entitled to representa-
ton, when they should have adopted the
fourteenth amendment and fundamental
condition that by no action Of the State
should the political status of the negro be
| 81 hn
scribed. Nothing is said about prescribing
the test-oath to the Legislatures.
In fact, by the only historical evidence
have (the World and Tribune AtmandcS),
the Legislature convened, by order OF Gen
eral Grant, June goth. General Grant
June 30th) sent telegram to General
Buchanan "asserting that members OF the
Legislature are required only to tohe the
oath prescribed by the State constitution p
the same date, you see, with the telegram
to Yarmouth, showing agreement and con-
cert of action.) July lst the members
were sworn in without the test-oath July
I'd the Legislature adopted the fourteenth
amendment and elected United States
senator's. In November following reprcsen-
tatives were elected, and these senators and
representatives were afterUdrds admitted
but not by any act of Congress, only by the
votes of the two Houses respectively.
1t thus appears that Grants telegram
and that to Yarmouth were sent before
Louisiana was admitted to representation,
and while the Government was still PRO
visional'' and the State yet "unrecon-
structed."
Yours truly, K. L. d.
July 30h, 1869.
The reason we gave as the one influencing
us not to publish the telegram alluded to
was the true one, as the secretary of the
State Central Committee knows. He knows
that that telegram was in our possession
days before it ever appeared in any paper
in Virginia. We did not make this e1pla-
nation sooner because the tcst-oath ques-
ton was up to yesterday a live one. Yes
terday, so it was supposed, the Cabinet was
to decide the question; and so VIC thought
it proper to state why zee had never pub
lished n document to which other persons
had seemed to attach so much Importance.
Now, as to whether the reason was good
one. The writer of the foregoing letter
says:
"That act did not admit these States to
representation Had it done so, there
would have been no further use for Pro-
yisional Governor, nor for the telegram"
This is singular statement in view of the
title of the act itself, which is as follows:
"An act TO admit the States of North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia,
Alabama, and Florida, to representation an
Congress-"
This was the act that was passed June
25th. No other act has since been passed
on the subject. The members Of Congress
we're admitted under this act. Without
this act neither House would have dared to
allow the Louisiana members to take seats.
Under this act Louisiana, in November,
1868, voted for SEYMOUR AND BLAIR, thus
showing that she was considered as having
been fully restored to the Union by this act.
Under this act one or more Of the States
named had representatives In Congress IN
less than three weeks after its passage.
But if our representatives elect were to 60
to Washington and ask for seats they would
be told to wait until Congress had passed an
act for their admission.
But we are not left to conjecture on this
subject. Congress expressed its own views.
In Joint resolution first passed July 18th,
only few days after the date Of the tcle-
gram, is the following language:
RESOLVED, de-, That IRE of the States
whose inhabitants were lately in rebellion
shall be entitled to representation in the cleo
toral college for the choice of President, or
Yice-President of the United States nor shall
any electoral votes be received or counted
from any of such States unless AZ the time
prescribed by law for the choice OF electors
the people of such States, pursuant to the
acts of Congress in that behalf, shall have,
since March 4, 1867, adopted constitution
of State government under which q State
government shall have been organized and
shall be in operation, nor unless such cleo
ton of electors shall have been held under
the authority of such constitution and 60
vernment, and such State shall haze also
become entitled to representation IN Con-
qress pursuant to the acts of Congress an
that behaF."
The object and effect of the above reso-
luton, says the World almanac, "was to
"exclude the electoral votes of Virginia,
Mississippi, and Texas, and to prevent
"these States from participating in the
Presidential election of 1865" No one
in Congress or elsewhere supposed that the