[Non-Sequitur]

Oh come on, 4CJ, you'r really reaching now. That passage from Article I, Section 2 pertains to Congressmen, not state representatives. The Constitution does not give the federal govrnment the authority to tell states how to fill vacancies in their legislatures. And since the Federal government should be working with local authorities to combat rebellion, then it should make every effort to identify and recognize those authorities. Since much of the Virginia legislature were ringleaders in that rebellion Congress recognized those who didn't and allowed them to partition the state.

[4CJ]

Oh come on, 4CJ, you'r really reaching now. That passage from Article I, Section 2 pertains to Congressmen, not state representatives. The Constitution does not give the federal govrnment the authority to tell states how to fill vacancies in their legislatures.

The STATES always fill their own vacancies - in both federal and state offices. The federal government cannot fill either. That's exactly what I previously stated (if I miss the boat please tell me where ;o)

Unless I am mistaken, once the states seceded - they did not have representatives in Washington. Lincoln et al refused to recognize the legally filed declaration of secession as legitimate which would mean the seceding government was still officially the government for the state. Instead of accepting them the federal government recoginized a separate group as legal when they seceded from the state. They can't have it both ways.