The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-26
RECONSTRUCTION!
DIAN PROPOSED BY THE CONGRESS
OF THE UNITED STATESl!
The Bill as it finally passed Congress

nate projection for life or property now exists
IN the rebel States of Virginia, North Carohna,
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana,
IT"rida Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas, and |
whereas it is necessary that peace and good order
should be enforced in said States until loyal and
republican State governments can be legally es
tabshed; therefore,
Re- il enacted 5y the Senate and House Of Repre- |
scf1tiyes OF the United States Of AaericG IN Con,
Sryess assembled, That said rebel States shall |
Se divided into military districts, ana mace SUP
a. hereinafter prescribed, and for that purpose |
Virginia shall constitute the first district North
Carolina and South Carolina the second dlstfct;
Georgia Alabama and Florida the third district
Mississippi and Arkansas the fourth district, and
louisiana and Texas the fifth district.
SEC 2 And6e 1t further enacted, That it shall
he the duty of the President to assign to the com
mand 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 enforce
his authority within the district to when ne Is
assigned.
SEC. 5. Ind be it further enacted, That it
sba be the duty of each officer assigned as atore-
said to protect all persons in their rights OF per
son and property, to suppress insurrection, ans
order aud violence, and to punish or cause TO be
Dmished all disturbers of the public peace ana
criminals and to this end he may allow local
civil tribunals to take jurisdiction of and try
otfenders or when in his judgment it may be
necessary for the trial of offenders, he shall have
mower to organize military commissions or trl-
bunalS for that purpose anu ali luteIlClCiCO
nrdrr color of State authority with the eXer-
else of military authority under this act shall be
null and Void.
SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That all
VERSIONS put under military arrest by virtue OF
This act shall be tried without unnecessary delay,
and no cruel or unsual punishment shall be IN
ficted; aud no sentence OF amy mlntary com
mission or tribunal hereby authorized, affecting
the life or liberty of any person, shall be eXecu-
ted until it is approved by the officer in command
of the district and the laws and regulations for
the government OF the army shall not be affected
by this act except IN SO Tar as Lney may eohihcI
With its provisions Provided, That no sentence
Of death under the provisions of this act shall he
carried into effect without the approval OF the
President.
SEC. 5. Ind be itfu,tAer enacted, That when
the people of any of the aforesaid rebel States
shall have formed constitution OF government
in conformity with the Constitution OF the
United States in all respects, framed by a
convention of delegates elected by the male
citizens of said State twenty-one years old and
upward OF whatever race, color, or previous
condition who have been resident IN SAID State
fnronn year previous to the day of such election,
evcept such as may be DISTINGUISHED for partici-
nation in the rebellion or Tor felony at common
law: and when such constitution shall provide
that the elective franchise shall be enjoyed oy all
such persons rs have the qualifications herein
stated for election of delegates and when sucn
constitution shall be ratified by majority OF the
persons voting on the question OF ratlhcatlon VINO
are qualified electors for delegates, and wnen
such constitution shall have been submitted to
CONGRESS for examination and approval, and
Congress shall have approved the same; ana
when said State, by vote of its Legislature elect
ed under said constitution shall have adopted the
amendment to the Constitution OF the United
States proposed by the Thirty Ninth Congress,
and hnown as article IA, and when said article
shall have become Il part OF the Constitution Oh
the United States said State shall be declared en-
titled to represenatiOn in Congress, and Senators
and REPRESENTATIVES shall be admitted thereirom
on their taking the oath prescribed by law, and
then and thereafter the preceding sections OF
II is act shall be imperative in said State PrOui
.ied That no person excluded from the privilege
of holding office by said proposed amendment TO
the Constitution of the United States snail be
eligible to election as member OF the conVentio
TO frame a constitution for any of said rebel
States, nor shall any such person vote for menl-
bcrS of said convention
SEC g. and be it further enacted That until
the people of said rebel States SHALL be- by law ad-
mitted to representation in the Congress OF the
United States any civil governments which may
exist therein shall be deemed provisional only,
and in all respects subject to the paramount au-
thority of the United States at any time to abol-
ish modify, control OF supcrsede the same; and
in all elections to any office under such proyis-
ional governments all persons shall be entitled to
vote and none other, who are entitled to vote
under the provisions of the fifth section OF this
act and no person shall be eligible to any office
under any such provisional governments VINO
would be disqualified from holding office under
the provisions of the third article of said constl-
tutional amendment.
The following editorial comments, taken
from the N. Y. Tribune of the 21st inst, ex-
planatory of the above bill, is hereto ap-
pended:
&c The immediate responsibility now rests with
the President, and after him with the Southern
States He may veto the bill, and they may re-
fuse its offers. But should 1t become law, the
effects will be these
l. The Rebel States will retain their present
governments, but merely as provisional govern
ments, under which no person who, as the third
section of the Constitutional Amendment enacts
''having taken an oath member of Congress
or as an officer of the United States, or as mem
Der of any State Legislature, or as an executive
orjudcial officer of any State, to support tho
Constitution of the United States" shall have
aided the Rebellion, is eligible to office: Anc
also under such governments no Discrimination
in regard to color Shall be maze III The elecLlFt
IL While these provisional governments exist
the Rebel States are to be divided into military
districts, governed by officers OF the army, Will
power to organize military courts superior tc
State authority.
III. The people of the Rebel States, whcneve
they are tired ofthis government, may, by vote
of all their citizens, without respect to color, ex
cept those disqualified from holding office by thu
Constitutional Amendment, elect delegates to
Convention to form State Constitutions. Wher
these Constitutions are established upon inc Dasl
of impartial suffrage, and are ratified by the pco
pie, and when the States thus organized hav'
adopted the Constitutional Amendment, the,
shall be admitted to representation in Congress
when military rule will cease, and South Carolln:
and Texas will hold the same places in the
Union as New York and Massachusetts,. Nor il
there want of cause to hope that this result MAJ
soon be reached, for those provisions of the bill
which at once establish Impartial Suffrage max
the Freedmen equal participants in the work.
The Sd section of the Howard Amend
ment referred to above, is as follows:
SEC 8. No person shall be Senator or Rep
rcsentative in Congress, or elcctor of Presiden
and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil Of
military, under the United States, or under am
State, who, having previously taken an oath as :
member of Congress, or as an o1ncer OF Int
United States, or a member of any State legls
lature oras an executive orjudicial officer of AM
State, to support the constitution OF the Unitec
States, shall have engaged in insurrection or re
bellion against the same, given aid or comfort
to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by
vote of two-thirds OF each House, remove sucf
disability.
WHAT INDUSTRY WILL Do.-Under this
head the Waco Texas) Register has the fol
lowing:
Last year young man living near thi:
place, Albert Sears, rented piece of goo6
land, hired one good old freedman, and will
his own hands went to work to cultivate thu
soil. He worked manfully and WE'LL Ant
now for the fruits of his industry: He ha
gathered twenty-four bales of cotton, two