Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1867-02-28
RECONSTRUCTION BILL PASSED By
CONGRESS.

pGSSSl, anu Stut W INC lCSluCIl loi
his approval, an act providing for the
Government and Reconstruction of
the Rebel States, as follows -
Whereas, No legal State governments or
adequate protection for life or property now
exist in the rebel States of Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Tex
as, and Arkansas and jrhereaS it is neces-
sary that peace and good order should be
enforced in said States until loyal and re-
publican State governments can be legally
established therefore
Be It enacted, &C., That said rebel States
shall be divided into military districts and
made subject to the military authority of
the United States, as hereinafter mentioned /:
and for that purpose Virginia shall consti-
tute the First District, North Carolina and
South Carolina the Second District, Geor-
gia. Alabama and Florida the Third District
| Mississippi and Arkansas the Fourth Dis
trict, and Louisiana and Texas the Fifth
District.
SEC. >. 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 sufficient military force to enable
such officer to perform his duties and en-
force his authority within the district to
which he is assigned.
SEC. 3. That it shall be the duty of each
officer assigned as aforesaid to protect all
persons in their rights of person and prop
erty, to suppress insurrection, disorder and
| violence, and to punish or cause to be pun
| ished all disturbers of the public peace and
criminals and to this end he may allow To-
| cal civil tribunals to take jurisdiction OF and
try offenders, or, when in his judgment i t
may be necessary for the trial of offender s.
he shall have power to organize military
| committees or tribunals for that purpose
| and all interference under color OF State au-
thority with the exercise of military authority
under this act shall be null and void.
SEC. t. That all persons put under mill
tary arrest by virtue of this act shall be tried
| without unnecessary delay, and no cruel or
| unusual punishment shall be inflicted, and
no sentence 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 COM
mand of the district and the laws and reg
ulations for the government of the army shall
not be affected by this act except in so far
! as they may conflict with its provisions -
| PrOrided, That no sentence of death under
this act shall be carried into execution with
out the approval of the President.
SEC. 5. When the people Of any one of
said Rebel States shall have formed a con-
stitution and government in conformity with
| the Constitution of the United States in an
respects, framed by q convention of dele
gates elected by the male citizens of said
State q years old and upward, of whatever
race color, or previous condition, who have
been resident in said State for one year pre-
vious to the day of such election, except
| such as may be disfranchised for atticipa-
ton in the Rebellion or for felony at COM
mon law, and when such constitution shall
provide that the elective franchise shall be
| eniOyed by all such persons as have the
qualifications herein stated for electors of
delegates, and when such constitution shall
be ratified by majority of the persons vo-
ting on the question of ratification who are
qualified as electors for delegates, and when
| such constitution shall have been submitted
to Congress for examination and approval
and Congress shall have approved the same,
and when said State by vote of its Legis-
lature elected under said constitution shall
have adopted the amendment of the Consti-
tuition of the United States proposed by the
| XNXINth Congress, and known as Article
A. and when said article shall have become
part of the Constitution of the United States,
said State shall be declared entitled to rep
resentation III Congress, and Senators and
| Representatives shall be admitted therefrom
on their taking the oath prescribed by law,
and then and thereafter the preceding Sec
tions OF this act shall be imperative in said
State. Pr0Uided, That no person excluded
from the privilege Of holding Office by said
proposed amendment to the Constitution of
the United States shall be eligible to cleo
ton as amember of the Convention to frame
| n fDp nf
nor shall any such person vote for members
of such Convention"
SEC. g.. Ind be ii further emcted, That un-
til the people of the said Rebel States shall
by law be admitted to representation to the
Congress Of the United States, all civil gov
crnments that may exist therein shall be
deemed provisional only, and shall be in all
, respects subject to the paramount authority
Of the United States, at any time to abolish,
modify, control, and supersede the same,
and in all elections to any Office under such
provisional governments all persons shall
be entitled to vote under the provisions Of
the fifth section of this act. And no person
shall be eligible to any Office under such pro-
visional governments who would be disqual
ifed from holding Office under the provis.
ions Of the third article of said Constitution.
al Amendment
j.. This is Mr.. STEVENS military bill
, with some alterations, and with many
and important additions. The former
, was simply, as Mr.. STEVENS terms it,
; "a police BILL" while in the shape in
: which it has passed, it provides a
; plan for the Reconstruction Of the
: Rebel States, and way by which
they can take their places in the Tn
, ion, ON equal terms with PennsyIva
MIA, or any other loyal state
The question of Reconstruction has
engaged the attention Of the ablest
men of the Nation and while many
plans have been proposed, the people
have looked on with somewhat Of in
difference, as to the immediate adop
ton of any of the many schemes
, looking to the restoration to political
power of the Rebel States. There
has been growing steadily in the
popular mind, belief that the time
had not yet come when the Southern
States could be safely re-inyested
with the privileges and power they
once possessed-a belief daily streng.
: thened by the manifestations of pop
ular feeling ia that section. The ev.
idence daily accumulates that the
spirit which invoked the Rebellion
and which was pretty thoroughly
humbled at the close of the war, has
been revived in all its original viru-
lence by the misconduct Of President