The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-28
State Commissions of Officers.

The Journal says that we attempt to hur!
at it reductso ad absurdun, only to invoke
ourselves in greater absuTdity. 1t hurls this
one at US:
ave answer back, that If Governor
Walker is the proper person to commission
any one officer whose official term commences
on the 1st of January, 1874. then he should
commission aN officers whose terms com
nencc on that day, even to the official ap-
pontuents made b. his successor"
There's logic for you. If Governor
WALKER ought, as we claim, 10 commission
county judges elected in March or Deem
Der, 1872, he ought, says the Journal, to
commission officers who arc to be appointed
| by his successor!
Again: As to commissioning the county
Judges, the State Journal OF yesterday says
"Tne county court judges who ought to
| DC elected neyt December 1--WE quote ap-
p-ovinglr from the DISPATCH should he COM
mi>sioncd by the Governor to lie elected
next November, and their commissions
should date as Of The first day Of January,
1874 The Dispatch ianeies that there would
VI SStllC Ill vi tuiss tsS LIZ
Governor docs not enter upon his Official
duties until that day, and commissions could
not well lie printed and Issued On the same
day, or on the fraction Of day transporting
after Ills Inauguration or qualification, and
before the commissions could be signed.
But practically there is no difficulty 10 the
way of this being done, any more than there
is in commissioning large number of other
~.,to D}}i, vhoep official forms commence
on the first day Of January at each succeed
ing change Of State Administration"
Here is our answer. 1t is from the State
Journal Of day before yesterday, furnished
ready to our hand by its lawyer editor: e.
"To commence on day is to begin with
it, and, in the Gaze of q seXennial office, to
continue through il, and for six years less one
day after 1t. No matter how inhnitesSimal
portion Of day may intervene between the
expiration Of the term Of one officer and The
appointment CT another is his successor, if it
is allowed to intervene, there is an intcrreg-
nun, and the vital functions Of government
are for the time being suspended. We care
not what the practice may have been i'll the
past. Whenever the Constitution requires
an officer to enter upon his duties on par
tlCuluf QaN, IFOfiSiOil lItSl DC lIduc ioi uiS
appointment or election before that day; and
especially is this true of an officer i'll which
his predecessors term is made to expire the
day before"
Just substitute commissioning for
appointment" We say bacl; to our neigh.
Dor. in its own words, that "no matter how
" intinitessimal Il portion Of 4 day may in
"terycne between the expiration of the
"term of one officer and the commissioning
"of another as his successor, if it is allowed
"to intervene, there is az intcrrcgnum, and
"the vital functions of government are for
"the time Jeing suspended !" And tho
Journal admits above that us 1t would take
perhaps bull dizzy OF more TO inaugurate the
new Governor, there would be, not az g in
.initessima fraction OF a day." but half
day or more when the "vital functions of
government would be suspended" This
would never do. Try again, neighbor.