760 



VIRGINIA. 



force to enable them to discharge their duties. 

 The commissioned officers of the Freedmen's 

 Bureau in the district were also appointed 

 military commissioners for the several counties 

 under their jurisdiction. 



On the same day (June 3d) further instruc- 

 tions were issued for the Boards of Eegistration. 

 After quoting the provisions of the Eeconstruc- 

 tion Act of March 23d, which relate to persons 

 disfranchised, including executive and judicial 

 State officers, the order proceeds : 



4. The following will be regarded as executive and 

 judicial officers ot the State of Virginia, within the 

 meaning of the law, viz. : Governor, Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor, Secretary of State, Auditor of Public Accounts, 

 Second Auditor, Eegistrar of the Land Office, State 

 Treasurer, Attorney-General, Judges of the Supreme 

 Court of Appeals, Judges of the Circuit Courts, Judge 

 of the Court of Hustings, Justices of the County 

 Courts, mayor, recorder, and aldermen of any city 

 or incorporated town, who are ex officio justices, coro- 

 ners of towns and counties, esoheators, inspectors of 

 tobacco, flour, and other commodities. 



5. All persons who voluntarily joined the rebel 

 army, and all persons in that army, whether volunteers 

 or conscripts, who committed voluntarily any hostile 

 act, were thereby engaged in insurrection or rebellion. 

 Any person, however, who was forced into the rebel 

 army, but avoided, as far as possible, doing hostile 

 acts, and escaped, from that army as soon as possible, 

 cannot be said to have engaged in the rebellion. 



6. All who exercised the functions of any office 

 under the Confederate government, or the govern- 

 ment of any one of trie Confederate States, which 

 functions were of a nature to aid in prosecuting the 

 war, or maintaining the hostile character of those 

 governments, and all who voted for the ordinance of 

 secession, engaged in the rebellion, or gave aid and 

 comfort to the enemy. 



7. Those who voluntarily furnished supplies -or 

 food, clothing, arms, ammunition, horses or mules, 

 or any other material of war, or labor, or service ol 

 any kind, to the Confederate military or naval forces, 

 or money by loan or otherwise to the Confederate 

 government, or aided in any way the raising, organi- 

 zation or equipment of troops, gave aid and comfort 

 to the enemy, and participated in the rebellion and 

 civil war against the United States. 



8. To give individual soldiers food or clothing 

 enough to relieve present suffering, or to minister to 

 the sick or wounded, are simply "acts of charity or 

 humanity, and do not constitute giving " aid or com- 

 fort to the enemy." A parent may give his son who 

 belongs to the hostile army food and clothing for his 

 own use ; but if he give him a gun, horse, or other 

 thing, to be used for hostile purposes, he thereby 

 gives aid and comfort to the enemy. 



9. Whenever, after the examination required by 

 paragraph 12 of the regulations of May 13th, the 

 Board is still in doubt as to the right of the applicant 

 to be registered as a voter, and he is then willing to 

 take the prescribed oath ; the Board will give to that ' 

 oath its full weight, and register the applicant as a 

 voter. 



10. In the lists of those who are "registered after 

 challenge and examination," and those who are "re- 

 jected upon challenge," the Board will state in each 

 case what office or offices the person held previous to 

 the late war, and what insurrectionary or rebellious 

 acts he committed, and what kind of aid or comfort 

 he gave to those engaged in insurrection or rebellion. 



11. The challengers provided for in paragraph 12 

 of the Eegulations of May 13th will be selected by 

 the Board 'from the most respectable and intelligent 

 voters of the district or ward^ those who have the 

 most extended acquaintance with the people, those 

 who are interested in securing a fair and just regis- 

 tration, and who will be most likely to detect and ex- 



pose any attempt at fraudulent registration. The 

 challengers may be changed at any time, at the dis- 

 cretion of the Board ; they will not be entitled to any 

 pay for their services. 



12. Boards of ^Registration will adhere strictly to 

 the regulations published for their government, and 

 will spare no pains to secure a just and fair registra- 

 tion according to these instructions. If any who are 

 entered upon the lists as rejected by the Board after 

 challenge and examination still believe they are en- 

 titled to vote, and are willing to take the prescribed 

 oath, that oath will be administered (if it has not al- 

 ready been taken by the applicant), and the fact of 

 his having taken the oath will be recorded opposite 

 his name on the register. Much diligence will be re- 

 quired, especially in* cities, on the part of members 

 of the Board and challengers, to prevent fraudulent 

 registration of persons who are disqualified from non- 

 residence, minority, or felony. 



13. ^Registering officers are hereby empowered to 

 administer oaths to witnesses who may be summoned 

 by the Board in any case of contested registration. 



The registration will be commenced in every coun- 

 ty and city, without unnecessary delay after the re- 

 ceipt of th'is order. 



By command of Brigadier and Brevet Maior-Gen- 

 eral J. M. SCHOFIELD, U. S. A. 



S. F. CHALFIN, Assistant Adjutant-General. 



The following is the clause of the previous 

 order, providing for the challengers mentioned 

 in Section 11 of the above: 



Three white and three colored persons, voters of 

 the district, shall be selected by the Board, who shall 

 be allowed to remain with the Board, and who shall 

 have the privilege, and whose duty it shall be, as 

 well as that of each member of the Board, to chal- 

 lenge the right of any person to be registered, who, 

 in the opinion of the person challenging, is disquali- 

 fied as a voter by reason of any of the causes set forth 

 in said acts of Congress. Upon such challenge being 

 made, the Board shall examine the person presenting 

 himself for registration, in reference to each cause of 

 disqualification mentioned in said act, and the act 

 supplementary thereto. Evidence shall also bo heard, 

 if offered, to substantiate the cause of challenge, or to 

 rebut that offered in support of it. 



A week later the following appeared : 



RICHMOND, VA., June 10, 1867. 



The commanding general directs that the registra- 

 tion of voters be prosecuted with as much dispatch 

 as may be consistent with a full and fair registration. 

 It is his opinion that not more than six days will be 

 required for the first session of the Board in any dis- 

 trict, and not more than one or two days for the sec- 

 ond session. He desires the whole work to be com- 

 pleted, and the revised returns sent to BJthmond on 

 or before the last day of July. Very respectfully, 

 S. F. CHALFIN, Assistant Adjutant-General. 



After the passage of the Act of Congress of 

 July 19tli, an order was issued amending the 

 section of the order of June 3d which desig- 

 nated the disfranchised officers of the State. 

 The amended list was : 



Governor, Lieutenant- Governor, Secretary of State, 

 Auditor of Public Accounts, Second Auditor, Eegistrar 

 of the Land Office, State Treasurer, Attorney-General, 

 sheriff, sergeant of a city or town, commissioner of 

 the revenue, county surveyors, constables, overseers 

 of the poor, commissioners of the board of public 

 works, Judges of the Supreme Court, Judge of the 

 Court of Hustings, Justices of the County Courts, 

 mayor, recorder, and aldermen of a city or town cor- 

 poration, escheators, inspectors of tobacco, flour, etc., 

 clerks of the Supreme Court, District, Circuit, and 

 County Courts, and of the Court of Hustings, and at- 

 torneys for the Commonwealth. 



