The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-26
RATE OF SUBSCRIPTIONS.

The NEW RECONSTRUCTION BILL
The following is the new reconstruc-
ton bill as it finally passed the two
Houses of Congress, including Mr..
Wilson's and Mr.Shellabarger's amend
ments:
WHEREAS, No legal State govern
property now exists in the rebel States
of Virginia, North Carolina. South Car
DINA, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana
Florida, Texas, and Arskansas, and
w WHEREAS, II is necessary that peace
| and good order should be enforced in
said States until loyal and republican
State Governments can be legally estab-
lished therefore
Be 1t enacted, &C., That said rebel
States shall be divided into military
districts, and made subject to the mill
Iary authority of the United States as
hereinafter prescribed, and for that pur-
pose Virginia shall constitute the first
district, North Carolina and South Car
olina the second district, Georgia, Ala
bama and Florida the third district,
Mississippi and Arkansas the fourth
district, and Louisiana and Texas the
| fifth district.
SEC. 2. That it shall be the duty of the
President TO assign TO the command of
each of said districts an officer of the
army not below the rank of Brigadier
General, and to detail a sufficient mill
tary force to enable such officer to per-
form his duties and enforce his author
ity within the district 10 which he is
! assigned.
SEC. 5. That it shall be the duty of
each officer assigned as aforesaid, to
protect all persons in their rights OF
person and property, to suppress insur-
rection, disorder and violence, and to
punish, or cause to be punished, all dis
turbers of the public peace and crimi
nails, and to this end he may allow local
civil tribunals to take jurisdiction of
any offenders, or when in his judgment
1t may be necessary for the trial of Of
Tenders, he shall have power to organ
| ize Military Commissions or Tribunals
\ for that purpose, and all interference
! under color of Safe authority with the
exercise of military authority under
| this act shall be null and void.
| SEC. 4 That all persons put under
! military arrest by virtue of this act
shall be triedt withou unnecessary de-
lay, and no cruel or unusual punish
| ment shall be inflicted, and no sem
tence of any military commission or
| tribunal hereby authorized affecting
the life or liberty of any person shall be
executed until it is approved by the
officer in command of the district, and
the laws and regulations for the gov
ernmeut of the army shall not be affect
ed by this act except in so far as they
SIC .. That when the people of any
one of said rebel States shall have form
! ed constitutional government in con-
| formity with the Constitution of the
United States in all respects, framed by
a convention of delegates elected by
the male citizens of said State twenty
one years old and upward, of whatever
race, color or previous condition, who
have been resident in said State for one
year previous to the day of such cleo
tion, except such as may be disfran-
chised for participating in the rebel
lion, or for felony at common law, and
when such Constitution shall provide
that the elective franchise shall be en-
joyed by all such persons as have the
qualifications herein stated for election
of delegates, and when such Constitu-
ton shall be ratified by majority of
the persons voting on the question of
ratification who are qualified as elect
ors for delegates, and when such Con-
stitution shall have been submitted to
Congress for examination and appro-
val, and Congress shall have approved
the bill, and when said State shall, by
vote of its Legislature, elected under
said Constitution, have adopted the
United States proposed by the Thirty
Ninth Congress, and known
as "Article II, and when said
Article shall have become
u part or the COnSIlBuJlOn OF the OnlLe0
States, said State shall be declared en-
titled to representation in Congress,
and Senators and Representatives shall
be admitted therefrom on their taking
the oath prescribed by law, and then
and thereafter the preceding sections of
this act shall be in operation in said
State. -arrsH
Provided, That no person excluded
from the privilege of holding Office by
said proposed amendment TO the Con-
stitution of the United States shall be
eligible to election as a member of a
convention to frame constitution for
ANY rebel State, nor shall any such
person vote at any election for members
of such convention. II
Provided, further, That until the peo-
pie of said rebeIlious States shall by
due form of law be admitted to repre-
sentatiou in the Congress of the United
States, any civil government which
may exist there shall be deemed to be
PROVISIONAL only and in all respects
subject to the power and authority of
the United States, at any time to be
abolished, modified or superseded and
all elections for officers of such Provi-
sionaI Governments shall be conducted
only by persons named in the dfth sec
ton of this act, and no person shall be
eligible to office under such provisional
government who would be disq uakhed
from holding office under the provision
OF the third section of the Constitutions
al Amendment of last session.