Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-03-01
RECOVSTIVCTE0N.
he Izeasure Finally Adopted

The Izeasure Finally Adopted
The following is the Reconstruction Bill
as finally adopted by Congress ON Wed
neS,lay. February -:
IAN ACT for The More Efficient Govern
| mcnt OF the Rebel States:
WHEREAS. No legal State Government or
adequate protection for life or property
now exists in the rebel States of Virginia,
/ North Carolina. South Carolina. Georgia,
/ Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas and
Ark aRsas; and.
WuEi.rAs. 1t Is necessary that peace and
good order should bc enforced in said
States until ioyal and republican State
Governments can be established; therefore,
BE Il enacted, ETC, That said rebel States
shall b. divided into military districts and
made subject To- the military authority of
the United States. as hereinafter prescrb-
ed: and for that purpose Virginia shall con
stiin,e the first disirict: North Carolina and
South Carolina the second district;
Geor in. Alabama and Florida Tire third
district: Mississippi and Arkansas the
fourth district; Louisiana and Texas the
fifth district.
SE,' =. That II shall he the duty of the
President 10 assign 10 iihc command of
each of id districts an officer of the army,
not below ilic rank of I}risatlitr General.
and To detail sufficient military force 10
enable such officer 10 perform his duties
and enforce his authority within the dis
trici To which he is assigned
SEC. ;. That il shall be the duty OF each
officer assigned. -as aforesaid 10 proicc. all
persons in their rights of person and prop
criy: To suppress insurrcction, disorder and
81. 81. L..
punished. ali disiurbers of the public
peace. and criminals; and to this end he
may allow lnval civil tribunals To take iu-
riS,licion OF and try offenders; or. when. in
his judgment. it may be necessary. for the
trial Of offenders, he shall have power to or
ganize military commissions or tribunal,
for that l~lrpoSe. and all interference under
color 0i State authority with the exercise
of military authority uadcr this att shall bc
mil and void.
SEC. I. That ali persons put under mill
fary arrest by virtue of this act. shall bc
tried without unnecessary DELAY and no
cruel or unusual punishment shall he in
tiicfcd and no sentence of any military
commission or tribunal. Hereby authorized,
ailcctin. the life or liberty of any person.
shall he executed until il is approved bv
the officer in command of the tlisirici and
the laws AMI regulations for the govern
ment of the army shall not he affected by
this act, except in so far as they NAV con-
flict with IL provisions.
SEC. > That when tho people of any one
Ofsad rebel States shall have formed CON
Siitutional Government. in conformity with
the Constitution OF the United States in all
respects. framed bv convention al dele
gates elected by the persons who may vote
upon the ratification or rejection thereof.
as hereinafter. provided; and when said
Constitution. 50 framed, shall lave been
ratified by majority of the male citizens
of said State. twenty one years old and up
wartl. of whatever race. color or previous
condition of serviiude, who may have been
resident in said State for one year previous
tO the day of voting on tue question of rati
! fvins such Constitution. except such aS
may be disfranchiscd for part cipating in
I the rebellion. or for felony at common law;
and when such Constitution shall provide
i that the elective franchise shall be cnioS d
/ by all such persons that have the quai.fic
/ tions herein stated. and shall have been sui
mittcd to Congress for examination, and
/ Congress shall have approved the same;
and when said State, by vote ofits i.ccis-
/ laturc elected under said Cons tuition, shall
Hal'N stttOliAtt W ttiC tf-
stituliOn of the United States proposed by
/ the Thirtv-Linth Congress. and known as
article fourteen. and when said article shall
become Il part of the Constitution of the
I Urited States. such shall be declared cnii-
tied to representation in Congress. and Sen
ators and Representatives shall be admitted
! thereupOn, on their taking The oath PIE
scrihed by the law: and then and thereaf-
ter the preceding sections of this ILL shall
be imperative in said State.
SEC. g. proposed by Mr.. Doolittle) pro-
vides that The penalty of Geath shall not he
inflicted by the military power without the
approval of the President.
+ SEC. :. (Shellabarger's amendment }
That'9nlil the people of said resel States,
shall by law. be admitted to representation
! in the CONGRESS of the United States. the
civil Governments that nav exist ltherciD
shall be deemed provisional only, and shall
be in all respects subject to the paramount
authority of the United States which NAV
at any time abolish. modify. control and
supersede the same, and in all elections To
/ any Office under such Provisional Govern
mcnts, all persons shall be entitled to vote,
and none others, who are entitled To vote
under the provisions of the fifth section, of
this act. and no person shall be eligible to
any Office under such Provisional Govern
ments who would be disqualified from
holding office under the provisions of the
third article of said Constitutional Amend
ment.
The following is the third section of the
pending Constitutions Amendment, which
is made part of the above bill:
SECTION 3 No person shall be Senator,
Representative in Congress, elector of
4.
office, civil or military, under the United
States, or under any State, who, having
previously taken an oath as member OF
j Congress, or as an officer of the United
States, or as member of any State Legis-
lature, or as an executive or judicial officer
of any State 10 support the Constitution OF
the United States, shall have engaged in
linsurrection or rebellion against the safnc
or given aid or comfort to the enemies
thereof; but Congress may, by vote OF
Itwo-thirds of each House, remove such
disability.
Those who want an idea of the size of a
full grown iceberg can, get it from DIR.
Hayes new book of Aritc Explorations.
While waiting on some dog teams he a.
mused his idle hours by measuring huge
one, which had been stranded on small
bay for two years. Tie sea was not deep
enough for it to float, and it had run into
the ground" The square wall which
faced his base of measurement was three
hundrettzand fifteen feet high, and frac-
over three-quarters or a mile long. Being
almost square-sided. above the sea, the
same shape must have been extended be-
meath it; and since, by measurement made
two days before, the DoetoE discovered