The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-04-07
Passage of the Civil Rights Bill over
the Veto Ofthe President.

WASHINGTON, April 6.-The Senate
has passed the Civil Rights Bill over
the Presidents veto, by vote of 50
yeas to 10 nays.
The President transmitted commune
cations from the Secretary or the Treas
ury and the Postmaster General, ad-
dressed to him by those officers, sug-
costing a. modification of the oath OF
office prescribed by the act of Congress-,
approved July I'd, 1862. He fully con-
ours in their recommendations, and as
the subject pertains to the efficient Rd-
ministration of the revenue and postal
laws in the Southern States, he earneSt-
w commends it to the early considera-
ton of Congress. The letter of the Sec
rotary of the Treasury confirms the
names of collectors of internal revenue,
assessors, assistant assessors, collectors
and surveyors of customs, DC, appoint
ed since the overthrow of the rebellion
in Southern States, who have not been
able to take literally the oath of
Office prescribed by the act, and as
consequence they have served without
compensation, rs their accounts
could not he audited by the accounting
Officers of the government. Many OF
these officers have performed very inn
portant duties with fidelity, and not
few are in great distress by reason of
their inability. When the appoint
ments were made it was found that 1t
would be difficult to find competent
officers in many of the southern reve-
nue. districts who could take the oath
referred to, but so important did 1tseem
to the President and cabinet, for the
purpose of eQualiZing public burdens,
that the revenue system should De es-
tablished throughout the recently re-
bellious States with as little delay as
practicable, and Il was determined to
appoint them. This was not done
from any disposition TO disregard
the law, but an honest and sim
Cere purpose of collecting the reVe-
nue. with as little trouble to the tax
payers as possible. The country was
in peculiar condition, the rebellion
had come to a sudden close, all resis-
lance to the authority of the United
States had ceased and some seven mil
lion of people in II state of utter disor-
ganization, were left without any civil
government whatever, and without
even an adequate military protection
against anarchy and violence. Under
these circumstances it showed clearly
to be the duty of the executive to pro-
coed at once to establish Federal
authority and civil government
in these States so that it seemed
revenue laws of the General Govern
ment, as the country was passing from
state of war to II state of peace and
emergency seemed to be too pressing TO
admit of delay until the meeting of
Congress. 1t was thought that the test
oath might, in view of great objects to
be attained, in some cases dispensed
with, or rather that persons might be
permitted to hold ofrevenue offices who
could take it only in qualified form,
None regretted more than the Presi-
dent and the members of the cabinet
the necessity which existed for this
course, but there seemed to be no
alternative, and it was confidently
hoped that under the circumstances
of the case it would be approved by
Congress. Among those whose names
are presented to the President. The
Secretary has no reason to suppose that
there is one person who can justly be
censured for being instrumental in in
stigatiug the rebellion. although few
may have contributed to its support
and continuance. Some with strong
attachments for the Union had follow
ed the States in which they lived into
the war against the United States, un-
der the baneful influence of the doc
trine of State sovereignty. Not one Is
. ] d