Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-07-25
VETO MESSAGE.

Andy Johnson, the apostate, ma
vetoed the Reconstruction Bill
which passed both Houses of Con
gress at its extra session which has
just closed. The bill, however, was
passed over the veto. In his mes
sage, he says, in relation to this
bill, as follows: .-
This is one of a series Of moas,
ures passed by Congress during the
last four months on the subject Of
reconstruction. The message re-
turning the act Of the I'd Of march
last, states at length my objections
to the passage Of that bill. They
apply equally well to the bill now
before me, and | am content merely
to refer to them, and to reiterate my
conviction that they are sound and
unanswerable. There are some
points peculiar to this bill which l
will proceed at ance to consider
The first section purports to de-
clare the true intent and meaning in
some particulars Of the two prior
acts upon the subject. II is declar-
ed that the intent of those acts was,
first, that the existing government
in the ten rebel States were not 10y
al State governments, and that
thereafter said governments to be
continued, were to be continued
subject in all respects to the militia
ry commanders of the respective
districts and to the paramount au-
thority of Congress.
Congress may, by declaratory act,
fix upon d prior act of construction
altogetherat variance with its appa-
rent meaning, is fixed the original
act will be construed and mean eX,
actly what it is stated to mean by
the declaratory statute. There will
be then from the time this bill may
become a law no doubt no ques-
ton as to the relation in which the
existing governments in those
States, called in the original act the
Provisional Governments, stand
toward the United States AS these
relations stood before the declara-
tory act, these governments, it is
true, were made subject to absolute
military authority in many impor-
ant respects, but not in all, the Ian
guagc Of the act being, "subject to
the military authority Of the United
States as hereinafter prescribed By |
the 9th section of the original act"
These governments were made in
all respects subject to the para.
mount authority Of the United
States. Now, by this dcclaratory
act, it appears that Congress did
not, by the original act, intend to
limit the military authority to any
particulars or subjects therein pre-
scribed, but meant to make it uni
vcrsal Thus, over all these ten
States, this military government is
now declared to have unlimited au-
thority. 1t is no longer confined
to the preservation of the public
peace, the administration Of crimi-
nal laws, the registration of voters,
and the superintendent ofelections,
but in all respects is asserted to be
paramount to theeXisting civil gov
ernments.
1t is impossible to conceive any
state Of society more intolerable
than this, and yet it is to this condi-
ton that twelve millions of Ame1i-
can citizens are reduced, by the
Congress of the United States
Over every foot of the immense ter
ritory occupied by these American
citizens the Constitution of the
United States, theoretically, is in
full operation. .a..
1t binds all the people there and
should protect them. Yet they are
denied every one of its sacred
guarantees, and of what avail will it
be to any one of these Southern
people, when seized by file Of sol
diers, to ask tor the cause Of arrest
or the protection of the warrant p
OF what avail to ask for tho privi
lege of bail when in military custo-
dy which, knows no such thing as
bailY OF what avail to demand a
trial by jury, process for witness, a
copy Of the indictment, the privi-
lege of council, or that greater priv
Ilege-the writ Of habeas corpus2
Upon the subject of this veto,
Mr. Boutwell,, OF Mass, (Union) adj
lressed the House. ua
He said this message is so extra I
ordinary in some ofits position that.
t oughtnot to go to the country
md world without some deolara- 1
ion of the effect which it has on at /
east one mind here. 1t convinces .
ne indeed of that of which / had but
title doubt before, There is no re-
elief for this country from the OPP
,ression, which through the instru 4
of that man, had rested
IN 10 millions of people, and which
las been only temporarily removed
ly themeasuros against which he in
his document vainly protests, ex-
,ept in the assertion of that great
lowor which rules in this House, 4
md is nowhere else, and for the
neglect to exercise which the pco-
bic of this country will hold us to +
account, and posterity, which will