The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-07-13
The Senate Rscons,ruc,iou Act,
The following is the bill which passed Tho

Lie iohoWInS Is the Dill which passed the
Senate on Thursday by vote of 81 to 6:
SEC. 1. The true intent and meaning of the
act TO provide for the more efficient govern.
ment OF the rebel States, passed March I'd
Ammo Domini eighteen hundred and sixty.
seven, was, is and shall be construed to be
tnat the military authority of the United
States in said rebel States, as provided i'm said
act, was and is paramount to any civil govern.
ment existing therein; makes all such civil
governments subordinate to UGH military au
thority, and prohibits them from Interfering in
any way with the exercise of such military au-
thOrity.
Sec. 2. The commander of any district
named in said act shall have power, subject to
the approval Of the General of the armies Of
the United States, whenever in the opinion Of
such commander the proper administration OF
said act shall require it, to suspend or remove
from Office, or from the performance of official
duties and the exercise of official powers any
officer or person holding or exercising or pro.
Tossing to hold or exercise any civil or militia.
ry office or duty in such district under any
power, election, appointment or authority de.
rived from or granted by or claimed under any
so-called state or the government thereof, OF
any municipal or other division thereof; and
upon such suspension or removal, such COM
mander, subject to the approval of the General
aforesaid, shall have power to provide
from tune to time, for the performance of the
SAID duties of such officer or person SO sus-
pended or removed by the detail of some com
cceIen. ofncor or soldier Of Che army to per-
form the same.
United States shall be invested with all pow
ers OF suspension, removal and detail granted
IN the preceding section to district comman-
ders.
SEC A. The acts of the officers of the arm v
already done, in removing in said districts ner-
sons exercising the functions of civil officers.
and appointing others in their stead, are here
by confirmed.
SEC. g. The Boards of Registration proyid-
ed Tor in the act entitled IAN act supplement
tary to an act entitled an act to provide for
the more efficient government of the rebel
states, passed March 2, 1867, and to facilitate
restoration, passed March %, 1867, shall have
power, and il shall be their duty before allow
ing the registration OF any person 20 ascertain
upon such facts or information as they can OBJ
tain, whether such person is entitled to be
registered under said act and the oath re-
quired by said act shall not be conclusive on
such question, and no person shall be register
ed unless such Board shall decide that he is
entitled thereto; and such Board shall also
nave power to examine, under oath, to be ad-
minstered by any member of such Board. anv
one touching the qualifications of any person
claiming registration.
SEc. d. The true intent and meaning of the
oath prescribed in said supplementary act is.
among other things, that no person who has
Deen member of the legislature of any State
OF who has held any executive or judicial of,
nee IN any State, whether he has taken an
Satn 20 support the Constitution of the United
states or not, and who has afterward engaged
IN instruction or rebellion against the United
otates, or given aid or comfort to the enemies
thereof, is entitled to be registered, or to vote.
and the words executive or official Office in
any state" in said oath mentioned shall be con-
strued to include all civil offices created by
law for the administration Of the general laws
of the State
SEC. z: The time for completing the original
registration provided in said act, may, in the
discretion of the commander of apy district
be extended to the LIST day of October, 1867.
and the Boards of Registration shall have pow
ef, and it shall be their duty, commencing
twenty days prior to any election under said act
anu upon reasonable public notice of the
Time ana place thereof, to revise, for period
OF three days, the registration lists, and upon
Delng satlsfed that any person not entitled
thereto has been registered, to strike out the
name OF such person from the list, and sucb
person shall not be allowed to vote. And such
Board shall also, during the same period sdd
to such registry the names of ali persorsS who
AZ that Time possess the qualifications required
by said act, who have not been ALREADY reeis-
tered, and no person shall at any time be en-
sn o,ea 70 De registered or to vote by reason of
any executive pardon or amnesty for any act
or thing, which, without such pardon or aIanes-
voting. "a
SEC 8. Section four Of said last-named act
49,, " WI uSu w dutH0flZe the command
Wg-general named therein, whenever he shall
9eem 1t needful, to remove any member of a
poara Of Registration, and to appoint another
person IN his stead, and to fill any vacancy in
before the hnal passage of the bill the fol-
lowing amendments, offered respectively NV
Messrs. Wilson, Sumner, Howe and Howard
were adopted: 1. District commanders NAV
appoint civilians to offices vacated under this
act. 2. Race Or color shall be no disqualii-
cation for serving on the boards of registra-
ton; The reconstruction acts. shall be con-
strued literally. 3. Persons hereafter or here
tofore appointed to civil Office by district COM
nanders may be removed by them only with
The consent of the General commanding the ar
mics. a. In every case of refusal by the board
Of registers to register ar applicant, and in
every case in which they strike mans name
from the list, the board shall make note of
the case, setting forth the reasons for such ac-
Ilon' and shall send the same to the district