The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-10-04

: MISSISSIPPI ana Arkansas and the lift
i of Louisiana and Texas. General Scht
i field was assigned to the first; Gener,
r Sickles to the second; General Pope [
g the third General Ord to the fourth
G and General Sheridan, somewhat di
Y tinguished for gallantry in Virginia |
: the war, to the fifth district. This wa
Z, accomplished under the Reconstructio
t law Of the 2nd of March, the first tina
!. was passed. That law in It's origina
+ form, as 1t passed the House and wa
: sent TO the Senate, armed these militia
| ry commanders with authority to pre-
serve the peace, to repress all pOpula
: disturbance, and to protect the rights c
person and properly throughout tn
} south and for this purpose they wcr
authorized to resist the interference q
amy state authority in that section. |
was alleged that the negroes were bcin!
, slaughtered terribly down there; the,
were murdered in Texas, Alabama, ant
elsewhere; very interesting persons
were hurried out Of existence, and /
! was necessary therefore that II Just ant
benignant government like that of tn,
United States should extend its militia
ry protection to them and not permit
them to be made the objects of popular
Jury or OF private vengeance. This was
|
respectable logic also. If there had beer
power for the purpose and ifthere had
been eNpediency to sustain the policy
undertaken, it might have borne fnil
character and been entitled to be spoken
OF In language of cOmmcndation, assu-
mi1g of course that the facts charged
were true,
When the bill came to the Senate and
the members of that body, astute and
experienced men, came to consider it,
tney saw that it was wofully deficient
that tostablisheda military government
throughout those ten Southern States
without any provision that it should
over come to an end. They foresaw the
remarks with which the measure would
be met throughout the country that
the people would say to them, "you are
ohjecting to Andrew johnson and to
the restoration of the Union under his
ideas, and yet now, in the second year
after the close of the war, instead of re-
storing the Union or authorizing steps
to be taken for that purpose, you are
simply passing despotism bill for the
South,-a bill giving the people there
military government, and that without
any hope of deliverance in future from
its power by anything which
you provide" They thought the bill
would not be popular, and for that rea-
son of course it was not expedient
Therefore, the Senate preceded to
amend Mr.. Stevens pure military bill.
He prefers to 60 straight to his object,
and he never has scruple about any
thing: but Senators more prudent and
more astute did not choose to follow
him on that occasion. They proposed
and attached to the bill scheme of
reconstruction and that was the first
measure of the kind deliberately pro-
posedby the majority in Congress other
than that Of the constitutional amend
ment of which have spoken.
Mr.. sherman, as the spokesman and
organ Of his political friends, proposed
that the people Of the South might hold
conventions, form constitutions and
elect members to Congress, and if their
constitutions were approved by Con.
gress the States should be readmitted
into the Union and entitled to their for.
mer rights; but in that proceeding o
twenty-onc years Ofagc, without distinc
ton Of race or color should be entitled
to vote that is Ito tell the whole story
in word the South should have til,
privilege Of being reconstructed, OF
more accurately, should have the righ
to reconstruct itself and to send its Sen
ators and Representatives to Congress
provided always that it was to be don,
with the assistance and by the admis
sion to suffrage of all the male negroe
over twenty-One wears Of age. Upo,
my suggestion that there was no limita
ton as 10 district residence and matter
of that sort, they put in by way 0
amendment n provision that the persoi
voting should have resided in the Stat,
one year, which is the only Limitation
upon suffrage in the bill beside those O
sex and age. That bill of the 2nd o
March then contained two features as i
was enacted into a law and passed after
wards over the Presidents veto: first
military government in tho South fo
the projection Of person and propert,
and The maintenance Of public order
and secondly, Il scheme Of rcconstruc