The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-06-14
THE NEUTRALITY LAWS.

| Dy congress IN 1918, Is the material provision
of the neutrality laws, to which the Fenians
have rendered themselves liable by the re-
cent invasion Of Canada:
THAT if any person shall, within the ter
| ritory or jurisdiction of the United States,
| begin to set on foot, or provide or prepare
| the means for any military expedition or en-
| terprlse, to be carried on from thence against
| the territory or dominions of any foreign
prince or State, or of any colony, district or
| people, with whom the United States are at
peace, every person, so offending, shall be
deemed guilty of high misdemeanor, and
| shall be fined not exceeding three thousand
dollars, and imprisoned not more than three
years.
REPORT OF THE RECONsTRUCTION
COM MITTEE.
The following is the conclusion or summing
up of the case by the Reconstruction Com
mlttee in the report accompanying their pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution of
the United States
We now propose to restate, as briefly as
possible, the general facts and principles
applicable TO the States recently in rebellion.
Flrst-The seats of the Senators and Rep
resentatiyes from the so-cailed Confederate
States became vacant in the year 1861, during
the second session OF the XxAVIth Congress,
by the voluntary withdrawal of their incum-
bents, with the sanction and by the direction
OF the Legislatures or Conventions OF their
respective States. This was done as a hostile
action against the Constitution and Govern
ment OF the United States, with q declared
intention to overthrow the same by forming
Southern confederation This act Of declared
/ hf.pt, t. cxII-
! zation of the same States into confederacy
which lived and waged war, by sea and land.
against the United States. This war contin-
ued more than four years, within which time
the rebel armies besieged the national capital
invaded the loyal States, buried their towns
and cities, robbed their citizens, DESTROYED
more than go 600 loyal soldiers and im posed
| an increased national burden of no, less than
$500, 000, 900, of which seven or eich, hun
dred millions have already been met and paid
From the time that these confederate States
thus withdrew their representation i'm Con-
gress. and levied war on the United States
the great mass of their people became and
We're insurgents, rebels, TRAITORS and all Of
them occupied the political. legal and practi
cal relation of enemies to the United States
This position is established by acts of Con
gress and judicial decisions. and is recognized
| repeatedly by the President in pubic proela
nations, documents and speeches.
Sscond-Ihe States thus confederated
prosecuted their war against the United States
to final arbitrament, and did not cease until
all their armies we're captured, their military
power destroyed, their civil officers, State
and Confederate, taken prisoners, or put 10
flight, every vestige Of State and Confederate
Government obiterated. their territory over
run and occupied by the Federal armies, and
| their people reduced to tho condition OF enc
| mics conquered in war, entitled on'y, By
| public law, to such rights privileges and con
dtlons as might be vouchsafed by the con-
queror. This position is also established by
judicial decisions, aud is recognized as sound
by the President in public proclama,ions
/ documents and speeches.
/ Third-Having voluntarily deprived them
selves of representation in Congress for the
criminal purpose of destroying the Federal
! Union, and having reduced themselves by the
act of levying war to the condition of public
enemies, they have no right to complain OF
| temporary exclusion from Congress, but. on
| the contrary, having voluntarily renounced
the night to representation and disqualified
!! themselves by crime from participating in the
! Government, the burthen now rests on them.
before claiming to be reinstated in their for
mer condition. to show that they are qualified
| this, they must prove that they have establish
/ ed, with the consent of the people, republican
! forms of government in harmony with the
| Constitution and laws of the United States !:
that all hostile purposes have ceased, and
should give adequate guarantees against future
! treason and rebelhon guarantees which shall
! prove satisfactory to the Government against
which they rebelled, and by whose arms they
were subdued.
| Fourth-Having by this reasonable with
drawal from Congress. and by fragrant rebell-
ION and crime, forfeited all civil and political
/ rights and privileges under the Federal Con.
/ sitution. they can only be restored thereto by
the permission and authority of that consti-
tntional power against which they were sub
dued.
! Fiflh-Those rebelious enemies were con-
quered by the people of the United States.
acting through all the co ordinate branches
| OF the Government, and not by the Executive
Department alone. The powers of the con-
! queror are not SO vested in the President that
he can hx and regulate the terms of settle.
ment, and confer congressional representation
on conquered rebels and traitors Nor can
he in any way qualify the enemies of the
Government to exercise its law making
power. The authority to restore rebels tp
/ political power in the General GovernmeRi
could be exercised only with the concurrence
of all the departments in which political
poweris vested, and hence the several procla
nations of the President to the people of the
Confederate States carmot be considered
declared, and can only be regarded as provis
ionai permlssions by the Commander in .Chiet
OF the Army to do certain acts, the effect and
validity whereof is to be determined by the
, constitutional Government, aud not solely b,
| the Executive power.
Sixth-The question before Congress il
then, whether conquered enemies have tht
right, and shall be permitted, at their owl
pleasure and own terms, in making terms fo
their conquerors-whether conquered rebe
may change their theater of operations from
the battles in which they were defeated ant
overthrown, to the halls Of Congress.
Seventh-The history of mankind exhibits
no example of such madness and folly. TIL.
+. instinct of selfpreservation protests agains
it. The surrender by Gen. Grant to Lee
and by Sherman to Johnson would have beer
disasters of less magnitude, for new armie
could have been raised, battles fought and th,
: Government saved. The anti-coercive polio,
under pretext of avoiding bloodshed, allow
. ing the rebellion to take form and gathe
force, would be surpassed in infamy by tn,
matchless wickedness that would surrende
! the halls of Congress to those 90 recently i,
rebellion, until proper precautions shall hav
been taken to secure the national faith ant
the national safety.
Eighth-As has been shown in this report
Fl and in the evidence submitted m ,roof l. -