The Daily Phoenix

COLUMBIA
Friday Morning, August 9, 1867

We published yesterday the regulations for registration issued from the headquarters of the 2d Military District, and as far as the people of that district are concerned, they are of binding force. These regulations have been published for some time in the columns of our Charleston contemporaries, and we both the Mercury and News, of Wednesday, say that many citizens are still at a loss to know their status with regard to the approaching registration. It is the same in this District, and we have heard many anxious inquiries on the subject. The great difficulty appears to be what former State officers are disfranchised, as the original reconstruction Act and the last or second supplementary Act differ, the last explaining the former.

For the information of our readers, we give the classification of those entitled to register made by the News, which we believe to be about correct:

1. All colored men twenty-one years old, who have resided in the State one year next preceding the date of registration.

2. All white men, native and resident here, who have attained the age of twenty-one years since the close of the war.

3. All men, whether they were engaged in rebellion against the United States or not - provided they did not before the war hold any office under the United States Government or held any civil office created by law for the administration of any general law of a State, or for the administration of justice.

Those who come under either of the above classes will be entitled to the privilege of registration. According to the original Act, all men who have either borne arms against the United States, or aided and abetted in the rebellion, after having (at any previous period of their lives) taken an oath as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State Legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, are disfranchised.

The last Act of Congress, passed at the recent special session, qualified and explained the above as follows:

That the true intent and meaning of the oath prescribed in said supplementary Act is (among other things) that no person who has been a member of the Legislature of any State, or who has held any executive or judicial office in any State, whether he has taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States or not, and whether he was holding office at the commencement of the rebellion or had held it before, and who afterwards engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof, is entitled to be registered or to vote; and the words 'executive or judicial officer in any State,' in said oath mentioned, shall be construed to include all civil officers created by law for the administration of any general law of a State, or for the administration of justice.

These extracts, together with the regulations published yesterday, furnish all the light we have at present upon this important question. We hope, however, with our cotemporary of the News, that the Commanding General will, at an early day, clearly specify in a general order who are really entitled to register.

This would bring order out of confusion, and clear up the doubts of many citizens who desire to comply with the law in every particular, but who are afraid lest they might, through ignorance, register wrongfully and incur the penalties prescribed. In the meantime, we advise our readers to carefully peruse the official announcement of the regulations which we have published.

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