The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-03-01
A Military Despotism.


The United States Senate has passed
bill for reconstruction, which if concurred
in by the lower House, will iasten upon the
South, and perhaps in the course of events
upon the whole country, military despotlsm
which will be uDrivalied even by that friend
and ally Of the radicals Of the United States,
Russia
1t divides the South into FIVE military
districts and gives the command Of each to
an officer CT the army mot below the rank
Of Brigadier General" 1t says that mo
cruel or unusual punishment shall be in
ficted, and no sentence affecting life or lib
erty shall be executed until approved by the
district commander all Of which reads
very plausible, but who is to restrain the
district commander" and to whom is he to
be responsible?
1t also provides that the military despot-
ism shall be held over them IN te,rorcan
until they shall engraft upon the constitu-
ton of each Southern State a clause grant
ing unicersal suffrage-a clause which can
not be found in the constitution Of any
Northern State.
On the whole, it establishes a state Of
affairs which cannot but be boxed upon
with alarm by all true lovers Of liberty, and
hands over to military satraps
the making and execution of the laws,
without responsibility to any one.
On the 18th inst, the bill came up for
discussion and passage in the lower House.
Mr.. ELDREDGE, Of this State, having the
space of ten minutes granted him by the
mover of the bill (THAD. STEvENs) to
make some remarks, spoke as follows
Mr.. ELDRIDGE. | never understood
fully the value OF minute until | was
taught it by this Congress. The practice
seems to have been established here that
the most important measures that come
before this house are to be discussed in the
le1-, lime. Some gentleman upon the
cher side Of the House is assigned the
MOOR, and as upon this occasion partitions
out ten minutes to one, eight minutes to
another, four minutes TO another, and l
believe as low as two minutes to another,
for the discussion of measure which is to
abrogate the Constitution In ten of the
States of this Union. Ten minutes are
allotted to me- | shall not stultlfy myself
by pretending to make an argument in these
ten minutes.
shall content myself with denouncing
this measure as most wicked and abomina-
bic. 1t contains all that is vicious, all that
Is mschievous in any and all of the propo-
sitious which have come either from the
Committee on Reconstruction or from any
gentleman upon the other side Of the
House | am not quite so certain as my
friend from Ohio Air. LIE Blond that
when this bill shall have become a law,
should it ever become the law, state of
war will not exist. In my judgment, this
bill is Of itself declaration OF war against
the southern people; it is at least revival
and continuation of the war, which We had
hoped was forever ended. If it is be{io
cessaBte now from the time this bill shall
pass and become law, it will be a war
actual and fragrant which will fear involve
that whole people, white and black, in one
common ruin.
Now, what is this measure? | do not
wonder that there is some difference of
opinion upon the other side oil the House.
| should wonder if there was not. For as
you approach the final contamination of the
purpose which you have had Ill view of viz
tually declaring the Government Of our
fathers failure, | wonder not that you
differ; that you have some controversy
among yourselves. some mlsglvlngs The
gentleman from Connecticut Mr.. BRAND
EGEE told us the other day that the meas
ure then before the House similar to this
was commencing at the right point that
it was to perform exactly the purpose which
they desire that 1t was commencing at
Appomattox Court House, where General
Grant left off The gentleman would have
more truly expressed the fact in my judg-
mcut, if he had declared that it was com
mencing exactly where Robert f.. Lee left
off, Aud the gentleman from Pennsylvania
Mr.. STEVENS is bold enough to declare
that it is the purpose to concur in the revo-
luton which was inaugurated by secession
lists and carried OH by them against the
Government of the United States, and
which he says he hopes to see perfected in
making this true aud perfect Republic.
1t was well said by my friend from Ohio
Mr. liz BLOND that this bill starts out
with a falSehood. 1t does, indeed 1t
declares that there are no legal govern
mentS in these States. 1t not only starts
out with lie, but every provision of the
bill is a lle it is one consummate. unpiti-
gated lie from beginning to end. 1t will,
if it shall become a law, subject the people
of ten States of this Union to the unwrit-
ten, underlined and undetinable will of
brigadier general of the Army. 1t will
Substitute for our written Constitution and
the laws made in pursuance therecf the
arbitrary, uncontrolled, and unlimited will
of a military despot. 1t matters not who
he may be; how pure, how upright;
care not if he be the Commander-in Chief
of the Army, he will be, he can be nothing
less, than military despot. Gentlemen
may sugar coat the pill if they can on that
side OF this side of the House by saying
that it Is all to be under the control of the
President of the United States Sir,
respect the President of the United States
! honor him in his position and office, and
for many things he has done but, sir God
never made the man or the angel whom |
would trust with the liberties Of the people
unlimited and unrestrained by written
constitution. No man is SO pure, so just,
so generous, so unanbitious that would
trust the lives and liberties of great peo-
Pile in his hands without having lis power