Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1867-03-02
10 n. o. Picayuno.
The Stevens Bill,

From the n. o. Picayuno.
The Stevens Bill.
The provisions of Mr.. Stevens
bill, which has just passed the House
of Representatives, are few but Of
tremendous significance.
1t does not pretend to. be recon-
struction bill. 1t makes 10 provis-
ion for any civil organization at any
time hereafter. 1t simply orders q
military administration "until loyal
and republican governments can be
legally established. Mr.. Stevens
is reported to have said that the re-
habilitation of the Southern States
in the Union is not likely to come
On in the time of the youngestaman
alive. This bill throws the whole
question forward, without the slight
est intimation of any time or mode
in which the civil functions Of the
States will bc restored.
They are divided into five militia
ry districts, as follows
1st District, Virginia; I'd. North
Carolina and South Carolina; Sd.
Georgia, Florida and Alabama; 4th.
Mississippi and Arkansas; 5th.
Louisiana and Texas.
Each of these is to be put under
the command of an officer in the
regular army of the United States
Of rank not below that ofbrigadier
general.
The assignment ofthcse command
ing officers is vested in the General
Of the army. 1t is thereby attempted
to transfer the authority Of the
President, as constitutional COM
mander-in chief Of the army, to
Gen. Grant.
These commanders ofdistricts arc
vested with unlimited powers for
the protection of life and property
They may allow civil tribunals to
take Jurisdictions of criminal mat
ters, but it is in their discretion to
try any case by military commits
sions, and annUl all proceedings,
legislative, judicial or otherwise, un-
der State authority, which conflict
with this bill. Writs of habeas
corpus are suspended in all cases,
except approved by the military
officer on duty in the district where
the arrest has been made.
There are no provisions in any
part Of the bill for civil government
at all. In debatc-on the first day
of which only the full accounts have
reached us-it was assumed that
all civil government is totally abol-
ished, and that there will be neither
courts, nor legislation, nor any form
of government but the viii Of the
military commandant. The pre-.
amble recites, that the governments
of these States are "pretended' gov
ernments, which have been set up
"without the authority Of Congress,
and without the sanction ofthe peO-
pie" But there is no direct clause
abolishing civil jurisdiction in all
cases, or dispensing the State gov
crnmcnts and Legislatures. On the
contrary, there is an implied recog-
milton that some of these may re-
main, in the direction that "civil tri-
bunals" may take cognizancc of
offences unless the military takes it
out of their hands, and in special
declaration, that "all legislative or
judicial proceedings or processes to
obstruct the military tribunal, and
call interference by said pretended
State governments with the exercise
of military authority under this act,
shall be "null and void" We might
infer from this that there are to be
forms of civil government of some
kind going on simultaneously with
tlris military occupation, and that
the pretended" State governments
have some sort of existence left to
them. But leading Radicals in de-
bate held that all civil government
is abolished. The real status ofthesc
communities is therefore left indef
nito. They cannot tell by the bill
whether they have any more civil
rights than they would have as
prisoners in a captured fortress IN
time of fragrant war.
The bill passed the House by lO9
to So, one vote short of twO-thirds
vote. This indicates that nearly il
not quite twenty Republicans must
have voted against it, for the Dem
ocratic vote at the fullest rarely ex-
cceds 35. The want Of this one vote
is not, however, a safe indication
that the two-thirds will not be had,
if it be required, to overcome
veto.
Some reliance for the present de-
feat Of the bill is based on the large
number Of Senators who voted a.
gainst taking it up, even in its order
after being warned by its friends
that delay would eBlanger its pass
age. There were enough voting
that way 10 prevent the passage
over the veto, bst that is a slender
basis for estimate. The best chance
for deferring the whole 20 another
Congress, is in the possibility Of de-
laying the passage Of the bill until
afier the Path Of this month, which