The Daily clarion., 1867-04-02
THE LAST VETO.
The Presidents objections TO the
supplementary Reconstruction
BiII. tti" .N%

9 The Presidents objections TO tn
supplementary RecOnstructiO
BiII. EF
To the House Of Representatives:
l have considered the bill entitle
can act supplementary to an act t
provide for the more efficient gov
ernment of the rebel States, passe
March 2, 1867, and to facilitate resto
ration" and now return it to the Hous
of Representative with my ojections
The. bill provides for elections il
the ten States brought under the op
Grafton of the original act to whicl
it is supplementary. Its details ar,
principally directed to the elections
for the formation of the State con
stitutions; but by the sixth section o
the bill all elections in the States oc
curing while the original act remains
in force, are brought within its pro
visions
Referring to the details it will bt
found that, first of all, there is to be {
registration of the voters. No one
whose name has not been admitted on
the list is to be allowed to vote at any
of these elections. To ascertain who
is entitled to registration, reference is
made necessary, by the express Ian
guage Of the supplement, to the origi
nal act and to the pending bill.
The fifth section of the original act
provides, as to to the voters, that they
shall be male citizens of the State,
twenty one years old or upwards, OF
whatever race, color or previous con-
dition, who have been resident in said
State one year. This is the general
qualification, followed, however, by
many exceptions. No one can be
registered, according to the original
act, who may be disfranchised for par
ticipation in the rebellion--a provis-
ion which left undetermined the ques-
tion as to what amounted to disfran-
chisement, and whether, without a
judicial sentence, the act itself provid-
ed that effect
This supplemental bill superadds an
oath, to be taken by every person be-
fore his name can be admitted upon
the registration, that he has not been
disfranchised for participation in any
rebellion or civil war against the Uni
ted States. 1t thus imposes upon
every person the necessity and re-
sponsibility of deciding for himself,
undel the peril Of punishment by a
commission if he makes
what makes Acknowledgement
by participation in rebellion and what
amounts to snch participation. AL
most every mantle negro as well as
the white-above twenty one years of
age, who was resident in the State du-
ring the rebellion, voluntarily or invol-
at some time and in some
way, did participate in resistance to
the lawful authority of the general
government. The question with the
citizen when this oath is proposed !
must be fearful one for while the bill !
does not declare that perjury may be |
assigned for false swearing, nor fix |
any penalty for the ofGense, we must |
not forget that martial law prevails
that every person is answerable to a
commission, without previous
by a grand jury, for any
charge that may be made against him,
md that the supreme authority of the
commander determine the
question as to what is to be the meas
ire ofpunishment.
The fourth section of the bill pro-
rides that the commanding general
If each district shall appoint as many
boards of registration as may be
necessary, consisting of three loyal
officers or persons. The only quail
ication stated for these officers is that
hey must be loyal; they may be per-
ons in the military service, or civil
an residents ofthe State, or strangers F;
-et these persons are to exercise most
duties, and are invested
Tith unlimited discretion. They are
o decide what names shall be placed
pom the register, and from their de- l
ision there is to be no appeal they
re to superintend the elections and to !
ecide all the questions which may j
rise; they are to have the custody of {
ne ballots and to make return of the l
ersons elected; whatever frauds or {
rrors they may commit must pass {
ithout redress. All that is left for t
he commanding general is to receive ]
he returns; open the same, and as $
srtain who are chosen according to Il
le return of the officers who conduc- d
d such elections. a
By such means and with this sort of t
yency are the convention of delegates e
be constituted. As the delegates G
e to speak for the people, common s
stice would seem to require that they a
Iould have authority from the people o
emselves. No convention so consti- a
ted will, in any sense, represent the "
shes of the inhabitants ofthe States e,
7 under the all-embracing sections Of m
ese laws, by a construction which o.
e uncertainty ofthe clause as to dis n
leaves open to the e.
ard Of officers, the great body Of the al
ople may be excluded from the polls fr
d from the opportunity ofexpressing Il
cir own wishes or voting for dele al
tes who will faithfully reflect their b
ntimeuts. th
/ do not deem it necessary further th
investigate the details Of this bill.
, consideration could induce me to CO
re my approval to such an election II
' for any purpose, and especially for ba
great purpose Of trsnhng the con N