Maryland free press. [volume] (Hagerstown [Md.]) 1862-18??, 1867-02-21

from the joint Committee on Reconstruction, by
Thaddsus Stevens, entitled "a bill to provide for
the more efficient government of the Instruction
airy States" passed the House OF Representatives
by a vote of 100 yeas, to IS nays. Under the
provisions of this most infamous bill, the entire
civil governmental ten States is.sabvcrtcd and
one third OF the population Of the country is re-
duccd to condition hardly preferable to Russian
serGlom. 81
The bill entirely ignores the STATE governments
of Virgins, North Carolinn, S,uth Carolina,
Georgia, Mississippi Alabama, Louisiana, Florida
Texas and Arkansas, aud in their place divides
these States into Ave military districts, to the
command of each of which, the General Of the
army is directed to assign an officer of the army,
not below the rank Of brigader general, 'iand
TO detail Il sufficient military force to enable such
officer to perform his duties and enforce his au-
thority in the district to which he is assigned"
An civil triba aals are abolished except by the
permission Of the military authorities the writ
of ha5sgs corgaS is swept away, together with
the last vcstiges Of the rights and liberties of the
private citizen, which are subjected 10 the arbi
trary power Of a military satrap and his minions.
Without the flin'est shadow of authority I'M
der the Constitution, bat concoc.ed with fiendish
nalignity and in the suhvcrsiou of every right
and every principle which the memories of the
past and the theories Of self government have
taught lis as American citizens to vencrate aad
hold sacred, this infamous bill, should it become
law, rings the death lnell of liberty and rcpub-
lcan institutions in orr ouce proud land The
d,memberment and partition of Poland, by
Russia, Prussia and Austria, was m net Of mild
Christian forbcaran:c AMI brothofly love com
pared with the stnpcndous iniquitv of this bill,
the production of enlightened, freedpm-loving,
Christian America in the nineteenth century
The government of Poland was DESTROYED, but
her people were at least afforded the protection
of tho laws and institutions Of her spoilers.-
The proposed bill quite as completely destroys
tho government often States and totally deprves
their citizens Of 81 1d,o and all rights except such
as may be extended them b. the tender mercies
of their vndictive AMI remorscess enemies. Ii
subjects them to that most odious Of all tyran-
MES, military dcspotsra And vet we pgate
abont Liberty and Union and the gorics of our
free and enlightened institutions! VIXEN the Con-
gress OF III: United States is upon the Of pass
ing law more dsgra"efu and oppressive by far
than any net Of tyranny and oppression that has
TRANSFERRED in Christcndom for the past six hun
drcd years
The trainers of this hill, NIL tho one hundred
and nine members Of Congress who voted for it,
have indeed earned for them selves tho undy ng
scorn and detcstaton, not only of all whoSre
worthy of the name of American citizen, but OF
the civilized world. They my ptss this bill
but in doing SO, they not only enslavc one third
of their fellow citizens but they stab to the heart
the genius Of Republican Liberty upon this Con-
tinent The btterest opponent of the institu-
tions aud government Of this country, could de-
sire nothing better than the passage of this bill,
for it will infict more fatal blow upon those
institutions and upon that government, than was
ever done by the armies ftle South on the field
of battle
The South, and perhaps too, the patriotic con-
servatives of the North, may be powerless at this
tim. to resist the sweeping tide, of mad reckless
and viudictive f,natcism which see,ns he mt upon
sweeping before it, into an avalanche of ruin and
desolltoa all that is venerable and sacred in the
past, well as all hopes and prospects of liberty
and prosperity for the future but let them
Jide their ti,ac. We helieve in God, and we
think that this is too fair land to be delivered
over by him into the hands of set of ruthless
fanatics and corrupt unprincipled kRaves who
would ensure its total destruction.
The time will surely come and the opportunity
will yet be Afforded all those who love liberty
AMI are unwilling to SEQ their dearest rights
tramp!ed in the dust, of striking a determined
and successful blow, in maintenance of those
rights,-and for that time we hourly wait and
hope