The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1867-07-25
The supplemental Reconstruc-
ton Bill,
VETOED BY THE PRESIDENT.
Washington. July 10.

The President, after recurring to
his views as expressed in former mes
sages on the subject, proceeds as fol-
lows:
The first section purports to dc.
clare the true intent and meaning OF
the two prior acts. Congress may,
by dcclaratory act, fix upon a prior
act construction altogether at va
riancc with its apparent meaning,
and from tho time, atlcast, when said
constructions based, the original act
will be construed and meat. exactly
what, it is stated to mean.
These governments were made in
all respects subject to the paramount
authorityof the United States. Now,
by this dcclaratory act, it appears
| that Congress did not by the original
act intend to limit the military to any
particular subject therein described,
but meant to make it universal. -
Thus over all the ten States this mil
ltary government is now declared to
have unlimited authority. 1t is as
4 serted to he paramount to the exist
ing civil authority. 1t is impossible
70 conceive any state Of society more
pln,oscrable than this, aud yet it is to
this. condition that twelve millions Of
American citizens are reduced by the
Congress of the United States. Over
every foot Of the imnle 1se territory
occupied by these American citizens
the Constitution of the United States
is theoretically il full operations. 1t
binds ,n all the people there, and should
protect them, yet they are denied
every one OF these sacred guarantees.
The veto OF the original bill of sthe
I'd Of March was based upon two dis
,tihct, grounds-thet interference OF
Congress with strictly pertain
ing to the reserved powers Of the
States, and the establishments of mil
itary tribunals for the trial Of citi-
zens in time Of peace The act be,
fore me not OILY declares that the
intent was to confer such military
authority, but to confer unlimited
military authority over all the Other
courts of,the State, and over all Off
GERS OF the, State, executive, legisla-
tive and judicial.
Not content with this, Congress. in
the second section Of this bill. spcci-
tically gives to the military comlnan-
iderpower 10 suspend or relieve from
Office amy officer, civil or military, in
any SUCH districts. A power that
Hitherto all the departments Of the
federal government, acting III concert
orseparateiy, have not dared tc ex-
ercise, is here conferred on subor-
dinate military officer. What next?
The district commander, who has
thus displaced the civil officer, is au-
thorized to fill the vacancy by detail
OF an officer or soldier Of the army
or by the appointment of some other
person. An officer or soldier of the
army may be made governor, 4 leg
islator or ajudge, however unfit he
may deem himself for such official
duties. Thus, an officer Of the army
OF the United States, detailed to fiji d
civil Office in one Of these States.
gives no official bonds and takes no
official oath for the faithful perform !.
ance OF his new duties as a civil Off
Ger OF the state. but only takes the
same oath which he had already Ia
Ken as military officer Of the e s.
The result is, that the federal gov
ernment, by the agency of, its own
officers, IN effect, assumes the EVIL
govcrlimeitotthese States. "A sihgu-
lar contradiction is apparent here.
Congress declares those loyal state
governlnen'sto beillegal governments
and then provides that these Illegal
shall.be carried on by
tedefal officers. 1t certainly would
De a novel acknowledgements should
attempt to carry on aloyal state gov
ernment by the agency Of It's own
Officers. 1t is yet more strange that
congress attempts to Sustain, or carry
On illegal state governments by some |
federal agency. In this connection
must call attention to the 10th and /
lth sections Of the bill, which pro-
'ld's that none OF the officers or ap-
oointees Of these military commando 7
'rs shall be bound in his ac,,ion by
N opinion Of u civil officer of the |,
Dnlted States. and that alf the pre-
'isions OF this act Shall be cons tl.t,cd
literally, to the end that All intenis
hereof may be fully and perfectly
'arricd out. A soldier or all officer
letailed for civil service, perhaps
he most important in 4 state, with +
uties Of which he is altogether un.
lmlliar, can only ask the opinion Of
mother military officer, who, perhaps, 4
Understands as little OF his duties lis !
e does himself. Military appointees I
'ould.not be bound even b. Il Judic-
i opinion. They might very well !
~ even when their action is in coi- !
let with the Supreme court of the
nlted States that this bill, and acts \
which it is q supplement, are all t
unded upon the assumption that 8
lese ten communities are not states !
ID their governments are not legal. :
throughout tile legislation upon this 7
Inject they are called rebel states. a
ID in this particular they are de- y
'unccd as so-called states. tbs now 4
0 late to say these ten communities .
Q not states. Declarations to the =
ntrary are made in these three acts. 1
d are contradicted again and again &C
repeated acts Of legislation by ii
ngress from the years 1861 to the . I,
ar 1867. tGe e9ia -