The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-11
rhna. Stevens, L.nte.t speceh.

This gentleman made a speech in this
House OF Representatives on Tuesday
| that commanded marked attention and
that at the close was greeted with con-
siderable applause. We do not kno"
that there is anything absolutely ne"
I in his remarks, but, II not, his tof"let
views were presented in n shape more
strikingly terze than we hHVe hereto
fore noticed them. Mr.. Stevens, as Is
: well known, takes ihe position thAl the
Southern States are conquered territoEyi
and as such, subject to the exclusive
wuI of the Government Of the United
states, that will being rightfully and
cons,itutioually expressed by Congress.
He contends that there are no civil
governments in those States, and that
military law is supreme until Con-
gress arranges and reconstructs II prop
er basis of civil governments. All
talk about political rights in the South,
or rights Of property even, he holds as
an absurdity. And for the reasons e1-
pressed in the following passage from
his speech:
II we had all agreed as we have since
agreed, that the States lately in rebel
lion were conquered territory, subject
TO the nation as such, and il We mad
ONLY treated them accordingly, We
should have bad but very little trouble
in the reconstruction OF this Govern
ment on the principle OF the admission
OF new States: but We were not ali per-
fectIy prepared for it, in our under
standing OF the laws OF nations, nor Is
IL wonderful that we should have been
thus wandering in our own views. l
will state what / suppose to have been
our real condition. The nation WIS
afflicted by n civil war, which for u
time WAS an insurrectiOn, which diYi-
ded is sway. We, at the period when
we declared the blockade, admitted
them TO be not an independent nation.
but an independent belligerent, raising
them above Instruction, and entitled
I TO all the privileges OF an independent
! belligerent. The nations of Europe so
treated them. Web treated them. In
short, there can be no doubt OF the fact
I that We were then at war as two indie
pendent nations. Itdepended on the con-
queror whether he would treat the one
VHnquished after war as Vanquished
nation, or whether he should punish
/ him for violation Of the sovereign
rights OF the nation in addition
We conquered. What did we
conquer We conquered the Confed-
crate government. We conquered all
/ the States forming the Confederate gov
eminent. We conquered a govern
i ment which, by its own declarations,
, owed no allegiance to the Government
of the United States. That they should
7 pretend after that they hGd one right un-
I der The Constitution which they had thus
Z repUdidted and attempted TO destroy, and
/ i5erc stiEE States ICitifin the Union, looks to
me IKE bold GbsuTdity. YET. it was the
! doctrine OF the President, the doctrine
1 which the gentlemen are fighting a bout.
| We declared them to be conquered pro
vinces. We were treating them under
military law. Now what is the law in
reference To provinces conquered from
foreign independent Delligerent?
When you conquer from foreign ma
ton, or an independent beIligerent, the
territory conquered is governed by mill
itary power, by the commander in
chief OF the army, who in this case was
the President, until the legislative pow
eT OF the nation shall have spoken and
directed what laws shall govern. But
the moment the legislative power of the
nation interpOaes, the military authors
ties cease TO exist, and the commander
in-chief Of The army has no more to say
to it than IA corporal in the ranks. He
has 10 say just what the legislative
power orders him TO say. He has to do
just what that power orders him TO do,
and he can do nothing else.