Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-06-14
The Joint Committees Report.

We gave yesterday brief summary OF |
the report of the Joint Reconstruction |
Committee all that we could then make |
room for. But as the report is very |
important one, involving the conclusions |
reached by the committee after pro-
tracted and laborious investigation OF
the condition of the South, and will oc-
cupy prominent place in the history OF
reconstruction we make room below |
for the statement in the committees
own language of the results of their in
quiry.
The statements in the body of the re-
port concerning the condition OF the
South have been given TO us substan-
tally in previous reports of the COM
mittee and in Congressional speeches.
AS to the action of President Johnson,
the committee say that the rebellion left
the Southern States without any civil
government, and that the President had
no right to do anything more than hold
them under military rule until Congress
should meet and provide for the reorgan-
ization of State governments. ave must,
therefore" say the committee, regard
the various acts of the President in re-
lation to the formation of local govern
ments in the insurrectionary States, and
the conditions imposed by him upon
their action, in no other light than as
intimations to the people that, as COM
mander-in- chief of the army, he would
consent to withdraw military rule just
in proportion as they should, by their
acts, manifest disposition to preserve
order among themselves, establish gov
eminent, denoting loyalty to the Union,
and exhibit settled determination to
return to their allegiance, leaving with
the law-making power to fix the terms
of their final restoration to all their
rights and privileges as States OF the
Union. That this is the view Of his
power takenIby the President is evident
from expressions to that effect in the
communications Of the Secretary Of
State to the various provisional COVER
nors, and the repeated declarations Of
the President himself. Any other sup
position. inconsistent with this, would
impute to the President designs Of en-
croachment on coordinate branch of
the government which should not be
lightly attributed to the chief magis-
trate of the nation"
The summary Of the report given yes
.terday in the HERALD, presented suffi-
GENTLY the reasons that induced the
committee to make the protracted in
quiry in which they have been engaged.
The conclusions at which they have ar
rived are thus summed up by the COM
mittee
First-The seats of the Senators and
Representatives from the eo-called Con-
federate States became vacant in the
year 1861. during the second session of
the thirty sixth Congress, by the volun-
tary withdrawal Of their incumbents
with the sanction and by the direction
of the legislatures or conventions of
their respective States. This was done
SRs a.hostile act against the constitution
and government Of the United States,
With declared intent TO overthrow the
uarne by forming Southern confedera-
tinn. This act of declared hostility was
speedily followed by an organization OF
r. ;x,ta
which levied and waged war by sea and
land against the United States. This
was continued for more than four years,
within which time the rebel armies be-
seige6 the national capital, invaded the
loyal States, burned their towns and
cities, robbed the citizens, destroyed
more than 250000 loyal soldiers, and
imposed an increased national burden Of
not less than e3,500,000 1000, Of which
seven or eight hundred millions have al
ready been met and paid. From the
time that those Confederated States thus
withdrew their representation in Con-
gress, and levied war on the United
States, the great mass Of their people
became and were nsurgents-rebels-
traitors and all of them occupied the
political, legal and practical relation of
enemies of the United States. This po-
,sitiOn is established by acts Of Congress
sad judicial decisions, and is recognized
repeatedly by the President in public
preclamations, documents and speeches.
,Second-The states thus confederated
prosecuted their war against the United
States to final arbitrament, and did not
cease Entil all their armies were cap
tured, their military power destroyed,
their civil officers, State and Confede-
rate, taken prisoners or put to flight,
every vestige of State and Confederate
government obliterated, their territory
overrun and occupied by the federal ar
mics, and their people reduced 10 the
condition Of enemies conquered in war,