Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-03-14

eHIedteHtu ny CoHHocdtiUH III Is n8S pro-
posed to.administer our laws by strangers;
the power over the question Of suffrage is
left with the States x x \ For
the sake of securing peace with its bless
ings, may it not be an act of exalted pa
triotism for a portion Of the old and mid
die aged citizens to yield gracefully to
necessity they cannot avert? It only brings
the young men little earlier into public
life. and will tend to the earlier develop
ment Of their energies" I deeply regret
ted your action on this subject. That OPP
portunity is past. We have now to con
form our action to the 3new terms proposed
in the late act of Congress above referred
to- It is as follows: +
AN ACT TO PROVIDE Fer THE MORE: EFFICIENT
GOVERNMENT OF THE. REBEL STATES. :,
Whereas, no legal State Government or adequate
protection Tor life Or property now exists in
the rebel States OF Virginia North Carolina South
Carelina. Georgia, Alabama, louisiana Florida
Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas and whereas. il
is necessary that peace and good order should be
enforced in said States until lpval and republican
State Governments can be legally established =
Therefore.
BE it enacted by the Senate and House of Rem
resentatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled, That said rebel States, shall
be divided into military districts, and made sub
ject to the military authority Of the United States
as hereinafter prescribed and for that purpose
Virginia shall constitute the first district North
Carolina and South Carolina the second district;
Georgia, Alabama and Florida the third district;
Mississippi and Arkansas the Fourth district and
Louisiana and Texas, the Fifth district
SEC. 2. and be itJarther enacted, That it shall
be the duty OF the President to assign to the com
nand of each Of said districts an officer OF the ar
my not below the rank OF brigudicr general, and
to detail sufficient military force to enable such
officer to perform his duties and enforce his au-
thority within the district to which he is ASSIGNED
SEC. 3. And Re 1t Jarthcr enuct@,i, That it shall
be the duty of each officer assigned aforesaid ia
protect all persons in ther rights of person and
property, to suppress lnsurrection, disorder and
violence and to ,,uTafl OF cause to be punished all
distur5ers of the public peace and criminals and
to this end he may -sow local civil tribunals to
take jurisdiction of and Try offenders, OF when in
his Judgment it may be necessary for the trial of
offenders, he shall have power to organize militia
interference under color of authority ander this
act, shall be null and void.
SEC. 4. And be 1t further enacted, That all per-
sons put under military arrest by virtue of this
! act shall be tried without UNNECESSARY delay, and
no cruel unusual punishment shall be inflicted :;
and no sentence OF any military commission
tribunal hereby authorized, affecting the life or
liberty of any person. shall be executed until it is
and the laws and regulations foE the Government
of the army shall nor be affected b. this act, ex-
ceit IN so far as it may conflict with its provisions
provided, that no sentence Of death under the
provisions of this act, shall be carried into effect
without the approval of the president
Sec. s. And be It further enacted, That when
the people of any Of the aforesaid rebeStates
shall have formed Constitution Of Government
in conformity with the Constitution Of the United
States in all respects framed by convention of
dale by he ms Of Sail axnu
twcnty-one years old and upward, OF whatever
race color, previous condition, who have been
resident in said State for year previous to the
day OF such election, except such as may be dis
franchised for participation in the rebellion for
felony al common law and when such Constitu-
ton shall provide that the elective franchise shall
be enFyed by all such persons as have the quail
cations herein stated for election ofdefega$cs and
when such Constitution shall be ratified by ma
ority OF the persons voting on the question Of rat
cation who are qualified as electors fer delegates,
and when such Constitution shall have been sub
mitted to Congress for examination and approval,
and Congress shall have approved the same;
ana when the said State, by vote OF its Ie0iS-
laturo elected under said Constitution shall have
adopted the amendment to the Constitution of the
United States proposed by the thirty-n Con-
gress and known Article XIV; and when
said article shall have become part Of the Con
stituton OF the United States, said State shall! be
declared entitled to Representation in Congress.
and Senators and Representatives shall DO admit
ted ttererom on their taking the oath prescribed
by law, and then and thereafter the preceding
sections OF this act shall imperative In said States
provided, that no person excluded from the priv
iiege Of holding office by said proposed amend
ment to the Constitution of the United States,
shall be- eligible to election as member OF the
convention to frame Constitution for any Of said
rebel States, nor shall any such person vote la
members Of said convention.
SEC 6, And be 1t jurther enacted, That until the
people Of said-rebel States shall be, by law, adj
mtted to representation in the Congress of the
United States, any civil government which may
exist therein shall be deemed provisional only, and
in all rcspe It's subject to the paramount authority
OF the United States at any time to abolish modify,
control OF supersede the same; and in all elections
10 any Office under such provisional government 81
ali 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 person shall be
eligible to any Office under any such provisional
governments w''o woud be disqualified from hold
ing office under the lsyovisions the third article
OF said Constitutional amendment
NOlFMe person of tie citizen mag not
be safe his property IS threatened pith
contscotion our lascs mag be administer
ed by strangers asd the poagsr orer tic:
question ct snGjuge Is rirtualty talten from
tie State 1t will be observed that in the
preamble to the bill, it is declared tbas no
legal State Governments, or adequate pro-
lection for life or property noe e,cist, in
the rebel States Of Virginia, &c. In this
declaration, Congress reserves to itself the
power to say uhen the legal State govern
ment in Virginia ceased and for what
acts In the sixth section Of the bill it is
declared, hat until the people OF the
said rebel States shall be by law admitted
to representation in the Congress of the
United States, any civil government that
may exist therein. shall be deemed provis-
ional only, and shall be in all respects subject
to the paramount authority Of the United
States, at any time to abolish, modify, con-
troll or supersede she same" The theory
of this bill is, that for acts heretofore done
by the people of Virginia, they have placed
themselves in condition in which the or
ganization of the government may be bro
ken ZIP. THE State consultation may be
:, bro ~, tod$ and lie laws rome aro1 uuliitv