Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1864-08-20
SIOUX CITY, IOWA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 90 1864

military resistance to the United States
shall have been suppressed in any such
State, and the people thereof shall have
sufficiently returned to their obedience to
the constitution and the laws of the U.
States in which case Military Governors
vii! be appointed. with directions to pro.
coed according to the BILL" ~.
A more studied outrage on the legisla.
tive authority Of the people has never
been perpetrated.
Congress passed . bill; the President
refused to approve it, and then by procla.
nation puts as much in force Of it as he
sees fit, and proposes to execute those
parts BY officers unknown TO the laws of
the United States, and not subject to the
confirmation Of the Senate.
The bill directed the appointment of
Provisional Governors by and with the
advice and consent Of the Senate.
The President after defeating the law,
proposes to appoint without law. and
without the advice and consent Of the
Senate, Military Governors for the rebel
States!
He has already exercised this dictate.
rial usurpation in Louisiana, and he de.
tsated the bill to prevent its Limitation.
Hencetorth we must regard the follow.
ing precedent as the Presidential law Of
the rebel States:
"ExEcuTlvE MANSION,
Washington, March l5. 1864.
" His Fxcellency Michael Hahn, Governor
of Louisiana.
Until further orders, you are hereby
invested with the powers exercised hith.
evto by the Military Governor of Lonisia
ma. Yours,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN"
This Michael Hahn il no officer of the
United States; the President, without
law, without the advice and consent Of the
Senate, by a private note not even coun-
.ersgned by the Secretary Of State makes
him Dictator of Louisiana
The bill provided for the civil admins.
tration Of the laws Of the State-till it
should be in fit temper to govern itself
repeating all laws recognizing slavery,
and making oil men equal before the law.
These beneicent provisions the Presi.
dent las aunuled. People will die, and
marry and transfer property, and buy aud
sell; and to these acts Of civil life, courts
aud officers of law are necessary. Con-
gress legislated for these necessary things
and the President deprived them Of the
protection Of the law!
The Presidents purpose to instruct his
Military Governors Ito proceed according
to the bill'-a nakeshi.t to calm the dis.
appointment, its defeat has oecasioned-is
not merely a grave usurpation. but o
transparent delusion.
He cannot proceed according to the
bill,' after preventing it from becoming a
law.
Whatever is done will be at his will and
pleasure, by persons responsible to no law
and more interested to secure the inter>
es,s and execute the will Of the President
than Of the people; and the will of Con.
gress is to be "held for naughi,' "uuless
the loyal people Of the rebel States choose
to adopt it,"
If they should graciously prefer the
stringent bill to the easy proclamation,
still the registration will be made under
no legal sanction; it will give no assur'
ance that majority Of the people of the
States have taken the oath; If administer.
ed, it will be without legal authority aud
void; no indictment will lie for false
swearing at the elections, or for admitting
bad or rejecting good votes it will be the
farce Of Louisiana aud Arkansas acted
over again, under the forms Of this bill,
but no. BY authority Of law.
Bu: when we come to the guarantees Of
future peace which Congress meant to
enact, the forms, as well as the substance
OF the bill, mus. yield to the Presidents
will that none should be imposed
1t Was the solemn resolve of Congress
to protect the loyal men Of the nation
against three great dangers. ~ the re-.
turn to power OF the guilty leaders of the
rebellion, the continuance Of slavery,
and (3) the burden OF the rebel debt.
The President ''holds for naught' that
resolve Of Congress, because be is unwil
ling ITO be inllexibly committed to any
one plan of restoration and the people
Of the United States are not to be allowed
to protect themselves unless their enc.
mics agree to it.
The order to proceed according to the
bill is therefore merely at the will Of the
rebel States; and they have the option to
reject il, accept the proclamation Of the
Sth of December, and demand the Presi.
dents recognition!
Mark the contrast The bill requires a
majority, the proclamation il satisfied
with one tenth the bill requires one oath,
the proclamation another j; the bill a.cer-
tains voters by registering; the proclama.
ton by guess; the bill exacts adherance
to existing territorial limits the procla
nation admits Of others; the bill governs
tho rebel States BY lar. equalizing all be-
fore it.; the proclamation commits them
to the lawless discretion of Military Gov.
ernors and Provost Marshals; the bill fer
bids Electors for President, the procla.
nation and defeat Of the bill threaten us
with civil war for the admission or exclu.
sion Of such votes the bill exacted exclu.
sion Of dangerous enemies from power and
the relief Of the nation from tho rebel
debt and the prohibition Of slavery forever
so that the suppression Of the rebellion
will double our resources to bear or pay
the national debt, free the masses from
lbs old domination of the rebel leaders,
and eradicate the cause Of the war tho
proclamation secures neither Of those