Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-03-05
1.-THE FEfO MESSAGE,

ElE0 liaTEEE ,s.lsgaFlE y.sI12


- - %s5 - ) - 80 ss 80.
TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
have examined the bill to provide for
aMQFe efticieHt government Of Che rebel
States, with that care and anxiety which
Its transcendentfm importance is calculated 10
awaken. lam unable stolyive it my assent
for reasons SO grave that Lhope a statement
of them may have some; infiueuceT on the
minds of the patriotic and enlightened with
Mhom Tue decision must ultimately rest
The bill places; all the people ot5the ten
States therein named. under the absolute
domination Of military rule, and the pre-
amhle Undertakes TO give reasons upop
which 1t is justified. -,
1t declares that there exists in those
states no legal Government and adequate
the necessity OF enforcing peace aud good
order within, their rHmitss Itis,true. as
matter OF fact It Is not denied, that the
States in question have each of them an ac-
tual GovernmeHt- with all the powers, ex-
ecutives judiciA and legislative: which
properly, Detong 60 free1State. Fhey are
organized ike the other States OF the Union,-
anp like them they make, administer and
execute the laws which concern their do
n1estic afajFser An existing de, faeto Gov
ernment exercising, such functions as
these isttself the law of the State upon all |
matters within its Jurisdiction.
10 prohoumce the Supreme 1awsmaking
power Of an established State Illegal, is to
say that law itself Is unlawful The pro-
visions which these Governments, have
made for the preservation of order the sup
pfessIolf of crime, and the redress of pri-
vate injuries are in substance and principle
the SaHRe as those which prevail IN the
N0fthern States, and IN other Civilized
countries. They certainly have, not sue
ceeded in preventing 6he commission Of all
crime. nor has this been accomplished any,
yhere iH the world d3 there,as web as else4
where. Offenders sometimes escape, for want
okaRlRoroHs prose ttens and occasionally
perhaps, by the inefficiency of courts or the
prejudice efjurors. 1t Is lndoubtedly true
that these evils have been much increased,
and aggravated, North and South by the
demonstrating infiuence of civil war, and by
the raRceFous( passiousS (which the cOnteetl
hasoengehde but that these people are
maintaining local governments for them
selves which hahit1ally tlefpat the objecEsofI
all government, and render their own lives
and property insecure, is inA itself utterly
improbable, and the arerment of the bill to
that sneeels aotsuppeTted by anyeVidence
which has come to my kn0 Wled ge.s ALI the
information have on the subject eonvinces
me that the, mass OF, the Southern people,
and those who control their public acts,
while they. entertain divers opinions on
questions of Federal policy, are completely
unlEed 70 the enort 70 organlze their society
on the basis OF peace, and restore mutual
prosperity as rapidly aud as completely as
their circumstances will permit. = -
The bill, however, would seem to show
upon its face that the establishment of
peace and good order is not its real object.
The fifth section declares that the preceding q
sections shall cease to operate in any, State
where certain events have happened.-
These are dDH .%0THC jd EJaI tdad
l. The selection Of delegates toIa State
Convention by aheleetion, at'Which negroes
shalt be allowed TO vote ssodss sTsfi'. tfafi 30
a. b. o.
by the Convention SO chosen!uasa bfe lToaiiI
3. The Insertion into the State Coustitu%
t10ni0f q provision which will, secure the
rightDf votiHgat allelections to thenegro1
and white men as may not be disfrsn-d
chised for rebellion or felony tns ,f.igeeIJ al
4. The submission of the Constitution for
ratification to the negroes and Nv bite men
not tdistranchised, ,and its actual ratification
bVzthfsir vote ssTfs HeiGH GeitH5egopq bGn
6.aTRe submission Of The State Constituti-- !
tiOn to Congress for, examination, and the 4
actual approval of il by that body. II sze-i
The adoption of a. certain amendment
to the Federal Constitution by svote of the \
legislature elected under the new Cousti-
t0ti0nse eaais zssaadT r63 GiSs odj - 1ajtiiussl
z. The adoption fasaida amendment bv q
sufficient, number of other States is to make
itA part of the Constitution OF the United
States. Gigs
Au esconditionsImust befalfilled be-
LOAC OilO pCOplC vi ally VI 1iltSC k0IdtSS Cdu
be. relieved iron, the bondage OF military
domination; but when they are fulflled1
tteHthe ipaiBsIand penalties of the bill are
to cease-7pOr matter. whether there be peace
and sordef0r not and without reference to
the security of life and property. ihogi.-szT2n
The excuse given for the bill in,the pre-
an1ble is admitted in the bill itself not To-
be real. The military rule which it estab-
fishes is plainly to be used-not for any
purpose ofiordeF, and for the prevention of
cTime-0but sOlelyAasa a means Of cOefciig.
the people into the adoption Of principles
and measures to which it is known they
are opposed. and upon which they have an
undeniable right ht0IPxereise their own
Judgment. l submit tO Congress whether,
this measure is not, i'm its whole scope and
object, without precedent and without au-
thOritF--in pslpablea conflict with tho
plainsst provisions of the; Constitution, and
utterly destructive to those great prinei-
pies of liberty and humanity for which our
ancestors. ON both; sides of, the Atlantic,
shed somuct blood and expended SO much
The ten States nameddu the bill are di-
vided ito five districts.aaFor each district
anothcer of the ARMS notsBRloWithe rank
of Brigadier General. is to be appointed to-
rule over the peoples andyhe is to- be sup
ported with an efficient military force TO
enable him to perform his duties, and his au-
thorityS as defined by the Third section of
the bill, is toiprotecta all persons in their
rights of person and property; to 50 ppress
disonder and violence; and, to punish, or,
cause to be punished all -disturberS of the
public peace or crimiuRls.EEz zsEEa
The power thus given to the COMMAND
ing officer over 1.-The people of each State
is that Of an absolute monaEch:, His mere
Will is to take the place of all law. The
Law, Of, tie State Is, the only rule applica-
blelt the subject placed under his control.
and that is Completely displaced by the
clause which declares all int rfersnce of
the State authority to be null and void, He,
alone is permitted to determine what are
the rights of person and property. He may
protect them In such way as In his discre:
ton may seem proper. .'Fsa.u t1z'io1s Us
It places at his free disposal all the lands
and goods In his district, and he may dis
tribute them without let, Or hindrance to
whemahe pleases, being boundabynooS State
law, and there being no other law to regu-
late tllessihjeet.o0 8AS
He may make criminal code of his own
and he can make it, as bloody as any re-
corded in history or he can reserve the
privilege of acting upon .theimpulse of his
private passions, in each case. that arises.
He rs bound by no rules of epidence,r There
is indeed no provision by which he is au-
thOriZ1d or required to take evidence at all.
Everything is crime which he chooses to
call so, and all persons are condemned
whom he .pronoupces guilty He is not.
bodifd to make any report or keep any rec
ord of his proceedings. He may arrest his
victim wherever he may find him. without
warrant saccl1sation or proof of probable
causeyd If he fgives him trial before he
infictsd thenp npuHishment, he gives of his
grace and mercy, not because he is COM
manded so to sdo.ad = ssTread baa @s9G5 10 y
To sa,easual4 reader of the bill, it might
seem that some kind of trial was secured to
persons accused OF scrime, but such Is not
the .easeso The officer may permit local
civil tribunals to try Offenders, but ofcourse