The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-05-27
TE,eVirGinia Election.


ton published elsewhere that the Vlr-
GINA election will occur on the 9th of
July The real issue is the adoption
or rejection Of the subjoined clauses of
the new Constitution. They are the
only sections to be submitted separately.
The following is the fourth clause of
the first section Of the third article
- Every person who has been senator or repre-
sentative III congress, Or ElectOr of president or
vice president or who held any Office, civil mil
itary under the United States or under any state
who, having previously taken an oath as n mem
Der OF congress officer of the United States.
or az member of the state legislature, or as an
executive or judicial officer ofany state shall have
engaged in instruction or rebellion against the
same, or given aid or comfort thereto. This clause
shall include the following officers: Governor,
Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor
of Public Accounts, Second Auditor, Register of
the Public Land Office, State Treasurer. Attorney
General Sherifs, Sergeant of a city or town, Com
missioner of the revenue, County Surveyor, Con-
stables, Oyersccrs OF the Poor. Commissioner OF
the Board of Public Works Judges Ofthe Supreme
Court, Judges OF the Circuit Court, Judges of the
Court of Hastings. Justices of the County courts.
Mayor, Recorder, Alderman. CCunc; linen of city
or town. COroners, Executors. ms pcctors of To-
bacco and Flour, and Clerks OF the Supreme, Dis
tric Circuit and County Clerks, and OF the Courts
of Hastings, and attorneysfor the Commonwealth,
provided that the Legislature may, by vote Ofthree
ffths OF both houses. remove the disabilities incur
red by this clause from any person included there
by separate vote in each case"
The test oath feature, which is the
seventh section of the third article, is
as follows:
''In addition to the foregoing oath of office. the
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, members of the
General Assembly, Secretary of State, Auditor of
Public Accounts State Treasurer, Attorney Gener-
al and all persons elected TO any Convention to
frame Constitution for this State, or to amend or
revise this Constitution in any manner. the Mayor
or Council of any city town, shall, before they
enter on the duties of their respective Offices take
and subscribe the following oath or affirmation.
providing the disabilities therei1 contained ndi-
viduay removed by three vote ofthe Gener-
al Assembly: l., do sOlcmny swear, or at
firm. that never voluntarily borne arms against,
the United States since have been citizen there
of; have never voluntarily given aid count ;nance
counsel or encouragement 10 persons engaged IN
armed hostility there to- that have never sought
or accepted attempted to exercise the functions
OF any Office whatever under any authority or pre-
tended authortyin hostility to the United States
that have not yieldeda voluntary support to any
pretended Government, authority, power or Con-
stitution within the United States hostile mimi
cal thereto. And do further swear. or affirm, that
to the best of my knowledge and ability, /
will support and defend the Constitution oil the
United States against al enemies. foreign and do
nestle; that | win bear true and faithful allegiance
to the same; that have taken this Obligation
freely, without any mental reservation or purpose
OF evasion and that will well aud faithfully dis.
charge the duties of the office on which am about
to enter, so help me Ged.'
This oath must also Zee taken by all
city and county officers, before enter
ing upon their dulles, and by all other
state officers not included in the above
provision. State officers only will be
chosen. The Constitution itself provi-
des for Congressional election in No
vember. The first thing to be done
now is to register From the present
indications, it would appear prob BILE
that the contest will not be very spirit
ed ; but the parties will be likely to
warm up as the appointed day ap-
PrOaches.
The clauses quoted are substantially
the same as those In the states already
reconstructed but the spirit Of lenies-
ey gains ground as the memory of the
rebellion grows dim. Many now are
hardly less forsiving than johnson,
who two or three years ago were as rad
ical as Phillips. Take, for example,
the Chicago Tribune. There was a
time when rebel disfranchisemert was
ono Of lis hobbies, now it says "the
time for such wholesale disfranchlse-
ment has long since passed. away, and
no reconstruction upon such basis
will ever be lasting. Unless the late
rebels can be trusted without iron-clad
oaths, they do not deserve to be trusted
with them But, however this
may be, the Tribune is certainly mis-
taken in saying ''these claues disquali-
fy, virtually every white person resi-
ding within the rebel lines during the
rebellion and will, if adopted, confnc
the eligibility of Office to those who had
no opportunity of aiding the rebellion,
or who have moved into Virginia since
, the war closed" This is not even half
true. Any one at all familiar with the
situation in Virginia during the rebel
: lion knows that very large proper
ton, if not majority of the native
Vlrglnians were not voluntary rebels
/ The state was carried out of the Union
by fraud and kept out by force. In
! no other state could so many put in
f the plea Of necessity and thus secure
exemption from the Acknowledgement
But even if these clauses were voted
3 down, Congress will probably admit
: Virginia to representation, provided
4 only her legislature ratifes the fifteenth
: amendment. That will, we are conf
e dent, be insisted upon, and most justl,
: too, for that amendment Is the capshea
{ of radical reconstruction. - Chicag
Q Times.