The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-02-27
FROM WASHINGTON.


WASHINGTON February M.-The overshadowing
niquity of the military Bill" as it finally passed
Congress has obscured many Of the subsequent
enormities already acted upon, or in embryo in
that body. bill, to which I some time ago re-
ferred, reported by the Judiciary Committee, was
passed by the House last nightly strict party
vote. It not only indemnifes every Federal Off
Ger, military civil, against responsibility ty for all
the outrages, robberies and crueltes of whatever
character, porpetrated during or since the war,
but stops the execution Of the Judgment Of the
In reply to question: by Mr.. Coolor Of Tennes-
see, MIR. Wilson, Chairman Of the Committee, dis
tinctly declared that The bill would prohibit civil
courts from reviewing the proceedings Of military
courts in The pas;, end that it was intended to pre-
uent Just such action as the Supreme Court had
taken in the Mlligan case. The other decision Of
the court-that in reference to the test oath-ap-'
pears to be disregarded on oil sides: so it may be
set down as settled that the judicial branch OF the
Government has been substantially overthrown,
not only as coordinate and independent depart
ment of the Government, but as an expounder Of
ordinary law. The bill alluded to will doubtless
receive the sanction of the Senate.
bill repudiating debts due by the Government
to Southern men who sided with the Confederacy
has been passed by both Houses. The injustice Of
this measure will be more apparent when it is
considered that such parties are held to rigid
account for even constructive liabilities. hdebt-
edness to the PostnfGea Department. Tor stamps,
envelopes, etc., which under the circumstances
we're Of no possible value to any one and which in
no way took dollar out Of the public treasury, is
are dead and their estates insolven by the unlawful
withdrawal Of mail facilities, so that the money
may be wr11ng from entirely innocent people.
Many other acts Of similar character have either
already been passed or are upon the tapis hear
Of bill which has been prepared providing for ex-
The idea that the military Bill is the crowning
enormity, that it contains the ultimatnm Of the
Radicals, that it is intended as fnality, s openly
derided by all prominent members Of the dominant
party. They say they have applied the ''entering
ultimate design ls to selze upon
Confscation Bill have alluded to was seen by Mr.:
johnson, your Senator, and that this knowledge Of
the existence Of such project is alleged by him In
palliation Of his vote upon the Military Bill. 1t
must be obvious, however, that submission to the
outrageous demands already made is very 1nef-
fectusi way of preventing further enormities. 80
An election FOR charter officers will take place
tomorrow in Georgetown, in this District This
is the first occasion presented for the exercise OF
negro suffrage in this country. No
doubt the canvass will be conducted quietly and
orderly. Efectual means have been adopted to
prevent any molestation to the negro votars No
such guards have ever before been devised any
where TO guarantee t 20 exercise OF the elective
franchise as those designed to be enforced IN
favor Of the negroes to-morr9W Inc suPerlnss
rules by which it is manifest that any white voter
must deposit his ballot with the cudgel Of the
police officer over his head, and for the HGghtest
departure from the severest gravity be put In
imminent peril OF prison. extract few OF
these regulations Of Superintendent Richards:
etTIo car, ora ranindad that not onlV will the
eyes OF the community be upon them, but the
whole country will note the manner in which they
exercise the trust reposed in them"
s'No member of the force must take any part IN
and any member found distributing tickets, soil
citing votes for any candidate, or doing any other
act indi .ating bias toward one or other Of the
parties to the election contest, which may have
any tendency to influence the result will be treat
ed as having violated the Rules and Regulations"
seWhen the judges Of election shall have given
their decision in any caso, that decision is fnal
and they will take Immediate care that there is no
obstacle offered to other persons desiring to vote.
When citizen has deposited his vote, or it has
been decided that he is not entitled to vote, the
rolice officer will require him to move on, and no
pickering or quarreling in the polling place must
be for an instant tolerated"
sThe line of voters will be kept always free from
obstructions, and any attempt to break the line
will be met at any hazard by the prompt arrest Ct
the party or parties making the attempt"
ssNo taunts jests, mouths will be tolerated for
a moment towards any voter, and persons guilty
of such conduct must be Immediately arrested"
There is q world Of room for the exercise Of po-
Lice discretion in this last rule. What shall con-
stitute 'staunts, jess, and mouths" is necessarily
left to the Judgment Of these batoned gentry. The
scene must of necessity be sublimey ridiculous,
and how it Is to be expected that the muscles o.
the ssmouth" arc 10 be kept in a state OF perfect
uuietude, it is difficult to be imagined. Even in an
absolute monarchy it is said that 80 cat can look al
king But in this, the s'greatest and frees
Republic the world ever saw" citizen is not per-
mitted to smile at negro even with his eyes
asknnce.
AS to the result Of this election, or indeed o.
any to take place here in the future entertain 6
yerv decided Indifference, and presume your read
ers are in the same happy state Of mind The
candidates on both sides learn, are Of that class
of men to whose cupidity or stupidity the present
state of things may, in great measure, be as
cribed.
It is not now probable that the session of Con
gress which will begin at the close Of the present
will be protracted one. Several very trouble
some bills (among them that Of the tarif) afiic
the happy family, and an early adjournment il
thought to fe essential to their continued harIno
ny-that is, if postponement of the question O.
impeachment shall also be considered advisable a
further guarantee Of unity.