The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-03-24
f,orernor Walker and the Lieutenant
covernor~Thc Richmond Troubles.

The Washington correspondent Oh 'n'
INV York Times has been indaccd by some
falsihcr Of facts to give what purporT to
nc history Of the troubles in this city,
iut which is as utterly destitute ot truth
MS anything could be that hos any truth IN
il. The reputation of the Times itself 'o'
candor and fair dealing is such that We
deem it not labor thrown away t" endea'of
TO make it sensible Of the injustice which
is correspondent has done our people.
Fist, ms to the Lieutenant Governor.
article 4, section 5, Of the new Constl'u'''"
authorizes the Governor to fill pro 'e"Po.''
during tho recess Of TIE General Assembly,
all vacancies in Office for wE:ch the 'ohs.A
tn.;on and laws make no provision-the
crnoiutment to hold good only until thirty
DAYS after the meeting of the General As
.o,nhlv. The action of Governor WALKER
was no, without precedent. Mr. "iSt
himself. when Governor, appointed ". l..
JACKSON ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. JACKSON
was subsequently, elected by the people.
We have no registration law Ill lorce IN
,his State as vet, the General Assembly
no, having reached that subject. besldes'
the immense expense Of an election to DC
held all over this State to fill vacancy IL
one Office was considered unnecessary;
especially in view Of the fact that MT
M,RYE would unquestiouahly have been
elected bv the people, and the further iac'
that no doubt was entertained as 10 tue
power of the Legislature under the Consfl-
tuition to I'll the vacancy itself. fur-
.hcr A vacancy in the same office IL not
likely TO occur again. Al thcse facts
show that it is mere Islander, or viilhcatloh,
or fa!.chool, 10 charge that The General
Assembly was actuated by any desire 10
deprive the people of the privilege OF elect
ing any of their officers, or by any fear that
the negro party would defeat ours at the
ballet box. The Times of course Knows
that the Consultation is TO he read and con-
st,ued as n whole. Now, whilst the tonstl-
tuition provides thar the LieItenant-Gov-
arnor shall be elected by the people, 1t also
rrov;.ies how vacancies in that and other
Offices shall be filled, just as the Const'tu-
ton of the United States, though II provides
shat the President shall lin effecD be
elected by the people, nevertheless autho-
rizes the yice-President to succeed him
in case Of q rncnncy in the office, and
ulso nlo,cS the Speaker Of the House OF
Representatives to succeed the Eice-Presl-
dent in the Presidential Office. and the Pre-
sident of the Senate 10 succeed him, and
the Chief Justice to succeed han. With
these facts in its mind, let the Times read
the following. which is the provision of our
Constitution for filing vacancies III Office,
and it will at once see that both IN electing
Lieutenant Governor and in providing for
Mnvor in this city the General Assembly
has but exercised its undoubted powers
under the Constitution. Article 5. section
%, ia as follows
"The manner Of conducting and making
returns Of elections, Of determining con-
tested elections, and of filling vacancies in
Office in cases not specially provided for by
this Constitution, shall! h" prescribed by
Law: and the General Assembly may de-
clare the cases in which any office shall be
deemed vacant where no provision is made
Tor the purpose in this Constitutions"
Now, the Constitution makes no provision
for filing vacancies in the Office of Lieu
tenant-Governor. Surely, the Times Gun see
that its correspondent, has grossly wronged
the General Assembly and the Governor of
Virginia.
Just here let us say that the "enabling
act" wua passed merely to supply the State
with legal officers from now until the regu-
lar elections by the people, which, take
place Tor city and county officers III May
next, unl for State officers in November
Dext. The pretcnce that there is any de-
tign OF desire to take any elections out Of
the hands Of the people is too absurd to be
considered as worthy Of denial. The en-
tire election laws Of the State arc to be re-
modelled. \ registi alton law is to he
passed, and the voters are to be registered
before the people can vote. But it was
never heard Of in any State that the enor-
nous expense of An election by the people
VAS to be incurred whenever II vacancy
happened in any Office.
Now, as to the Muyoralty ot this city.
Congress was asked to do SO, but refused to
insert III the law admitting Virginia to re-
presentation in Congress II proviso continu-
ing the military appoiutees in office until
their successors were elected and qualified
Congress refused to do thip ,t0y lie Simpl,
reason NW Hhuti no i,o,cer to DO 50. Yet
Mayor CHAnooN claims that General CAN
BY's mere order has conferred upon him a
title to office, which title Congress itself had
not power to confer upon him. We need
not tell the Times how absurd such pre-
tension is.
Congress having declined (anl for the
best of rcusons) to continue the military
uppointees in Office, the duty devulvcd upon
the General Assembly, 'tnuer the pt0iIt pro-
riSion Of tie Constitution quotrd dJoue, to
"declare the cases " III which the offices
were vacant, and 10 provide the manner"
Of filing them. Here was clearly Il con
,ingency not provided for elsewhere in the
Constitution. The General Assembly was
compelled 10 act. Under the above consti-
tutional provision the Office held by II. b.
BCR>HAM, a military officer, who was act
Ing as Judge Of the Supreme Court of ip-
peals, was by joint resolution of the Gene