The southerner., 1867-03-07
MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT.
Returning to the House Of Representa-
tiyeS a Bill Entitled can Act to Pro-
vide for the More Efficient Govern
meDt of the Rebel States"

it nv assent for reasons so grave, tnat
hope a statement OF them may have some
influence on the minds of the ,-atrlotlc and
enlightened men with whom the decision
must ultimately rest.
The bill places all the people of the ten
States therein named under the absolute
domination Of mill ary rulers; and the
preamble undertakes to give the reason
upon which the measure is based, and the
ground upon which it is justified. 1t de>
ciares that there exists in those States no
legal governments, and no adequate pro-
lection for life or property, and asserts
the nece. sity Of enforcing peace and good
order within their limits Is this true as
matter of fact?
It's not denied that the States in ques-
ton have each of them an actual govern
ment, with all the powers, executive jus
dicial, and legislative, which property be-
long to a free state. They are organized
like the other States of the Union, and,
like them, they make. administer, and ex~
ecute the laws which concern their do>
mestic affairs. An existing de f1cto gov
ernment exercising such functions as
these, is itself the law of the State upon
! all matters within its jurisdiction. To
pronounce the supreme law>making pow
er of an established State illegal, is to say
that law itself is unlawful.
The provisions which these Govern
ments have made Tor the preservation of
order, the suppression of crime, and the
redress of private injuries, and i'll SUBJ
stance and principle the same as those
which prevail in the Northern States and
in other civilized countries. They cer>
tainly have not succeeded 10 preventing
the Commission of all crime, nor has this
been accomplished anywhere in the world.
There, as we'll as elsewhere. offenders
sometimes escape for wait of vigorous
prosecution, and occasionally perhaps
by the ineficieucy of courts of the preju-
dice of jurors. 1t is undoubtedly true
that these evils have been much increas>
D ed and aggravated, North and South. by
the demoraizing inauence of civil war,
, and the rancorous passions which the con
test has engeLdered. But that these peo>
pie are maintaining local Governments
for themselves which habtualy defeat the
object Of all government and render their
own lives and property, insecure, is in
itself utterly Improbable, aud the avere~
IDent of the bill o that effect is not sup>
ported by any evidence which has come
to my knowledge. Ali the information
have op the subject convlnces me tha,
the masses of the Southern people and
those who control their public acts, while
they entertain diverse opinions On ques
tions of Federal policy, are completely
united in the cffor. to organize their so,
ciety on the basis Of peace. and to re,
store their mutual prosperity as rapidly
and as completely as their circumatanc
will permit.
The bill, however would Sem to show
upon lis face that the establishment o
p+acl and good order is not IS real object
The fifth sectIop declares that the preced
ing sections shall cease to operate in any
State where Ger ain events shall have hap
pened These events ar, first, ihe sele
ton of delegates to a Stae ConventlO,
by an election at which negroes shall b.
allowed to vote. Sc 'oud, the formation
OF State Constitution by the ConventiO,
80 chosen. Third, the insertion into tn
State Constitution of a provision whicl
will secure the right of voting at all ele C
tons TO negroes, and t. such white mel
as may noy be distranchised for rebellion
or felony. Fourth, the submission of tn
Constitution for ratification to negroe
AMI white men not dlsrdnchised, and it
actual rattle ,tien by their vote. Fifth
the submission of the State Constitution
to Congress for examination and apr v
al and the actual appro, al of it by tina
body. SIX h, the adoption Of certain
amendment TO the Federal Constitute
by vote of the Legislature elected Jude
the new Constitution. Seventh, the adop
ton of said amendment by sufficien
number OF oiher States TO make it par
of the Constitution of the United States
All these conditions must be fulfilled be
fore the people of any of these States Cal
be relieved from the bondage Of miitar,
domination but when they are fulfilled
then immedia ely the pains and penaltie
OF the bill are TO cease. no matter wheth
er there be peace and order or Lot, ant
without any reference to the security o
life or properly. he excuse given 10
tie bill Ill the preamble Is admitted b,
the bill itself rot 10 be real. The militia
ry rule which it establishes is plainly t.
be used-not for any purp, Sc of order o
tor the preventatlon OF crime, but solel,
as means of coercing the people int
the adoption of principles and measure.
to which II is known that they are op
posed, and upon which they have an un'
deniable right 20 exercise their own judg
ment.
| submit to Congress whether this
measure is uot, in It's whole character
scope aud object, without precedent and
without authority, in palpable confic
with the plainest provisions of the consti
tuition, AID utterly destructive to those
great princip es of liberty and humanit,
Tor which our ancestors on both sides 0
the Atlantic have shed so much bloc;
and expended so much treasure.
The ten States named in the bill are di
Vided into five districts. For each dis
trict an officer Of the army, not below tn
rank of Brigadier General, is to be ap
pointed TO rule over the people; and he i
TO be supported with an efficient militar
force to enable him TO perform his datie
and enforce his authority. Those dutie
and that authority, as defined by tht
third section of The bill, are, "to protec
ali persons in their right of person ano
property, to Suppress iusurrecilon, di-o,
der and violence, and so punish or caus
to be punis he'd all disturbers of the pub
lIc peace or criminals" The power thu
given to the commanding officer Over q
the people of each district is that OF II
absolute monarch His mere will is t
take the place of"ll law. The law of tn
S ates is Tow the only rule applicable t
the subjects placed under his control, an
that ic c,tmnlately diSDIacpd hv rho ri /. n c