Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1867-07-17
The Reconstruction Bill.

voted for the original bills, and had seen
no reason to change his opinion since; he
voted for them because he believed that
under them the South would be restored
to the Union. He thought SO still; he
thought it would be restored without
any, additional legislation. He should
vote for the report OF the conference COM
mittee. If he should vote against il, it
might be that a more Objectionable bill
would be passed. He hoped this would
be the last legislation that would be ne
cessary to restore the Union, and he looked
to All early restoration of fraternal feeling
among the people.
Mr. Buckaew said the report was more
favorable than he expected, but when he
came To record his vote he could not vote
in the affirmative, because he was opposed
to the entire principles of the bill. He
might have added that he was also OPP
posed to the war and in favor of letting
JEFF Davis do as he liked.
Mr.. Cameron said il the executive Off
Ger of the Government had let well enough
alone there would have been no necessity
for this legislation. He voted for this bill
with desire that it should be an end of
such matters, but if the rebels were de-
termined not to take it, Congress would
come back and give them something else.
If this did not satisfy them then he should
tOI one NC W lIiih2 " COilAC DSRCh StiiN
late them into Congress.
SUPPLEMENTAL RECONSTRUCTION ACT.
SECTION |. That it is hereby declared
to have been the true intent and meaning
OF the act of the second day of March, 1867,
entitled Ian act to provide for the more
efficient government of the rebel States"
and the act supplementary thereto, pass
ed the twenty-third of March, 1867, that
the governments then existing in the rebel
States of Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama,
louisiana Florida, Texas, and Arkansas,
were not legal State governments, and
that thereafter said governments, if con-
tinued, were to he continued subject in
all respects to the military commanders of
the respective districts, and to the para
mount authority of Congress.
SEC. ,. That the commander of any dis
trict named in said act shall have power,
subject to the disapproval of the General
of the army of the United States, and TO
have effect till disapproved, whenever, in
the opinion of such commander, the prop
er administration of said act shall require
ij, to suspend or remove from office, or
from the performance Of official duties,
aud the exercise of official powers, any Of
ticer or person holding or exercising, or
protesting to hold or exercise. any civil or
military Office or duty in such district,
under any power, election appointment,
or authority derived from, or granted by,
or claimed under, any so-called State, or
the government thereof, or any munich
pal or other division thereof; and upon
such suspension or removal such com
mander subject to the disapproval of the
General, as aforesaid, shall have power to
provide from time to time for the perform
ance of the said duties OF such officer or
person so suspended or removed by the
detail of some competent officer or soldier
Of the army, or by the appointment of
some other person to perform the same
and TO I'LL vacancies occaSiOned by death,
resignation, or otherwise.
SEC. 3. That the General of the army of
the United States shall be invested with
all the powers of suspension, removal, APP
pOintincnt, and detail granted in the pre-
ceding section to district commInders
SEC. +. That the acts of the officers of
the army already done, in removing in
said districts persons exercising the func-
5ions of civil officers, and appointing 9TH
ers in their stead, are hereby confirmed;
provided that any person heretofore or
hereafter appointed by any district com
mander to exercise the functions of any
civil office, may be removed either by the
military officer i'll command of the dis
trict, or by the General of the army; and
it shall he the duty of such commander TO
remove from office as aforesaid NIL persons
who are dislOyal to the Government Of the
United States. or who use their official in
ilucncc in any manner to hinder, delay,
prevent, or Obstruct the due and proper
administration of this act and the acts to
which it is supplementary.
SEC. D. That the boards of registration
provided for in the act entitled q an act
supplementary to an act entitled an act to
provide for the more efficient government
Of the rebel States,n passed March ,. 1861;
and to facilitate restoratiOn,n passed
March q, 1867, shall have power, and it
shall be their duty before allowing the.
registration of any person, to ascertain,
upon such fact or information as they can
obtain, whether such person is entitled to
be registered under said act, and the oath
required by said act shall not be conclu-
sive on such question; and no person shall
be registered unless such board shall de-
eide that he is entitled thereto and such
board shall also have power to examine
under oath, to be administered by any
member OF such board, any one touching
the quallleatIon ot any person claiming
registration; but in every case of refusal
by the board to register an applicant, and.
i'll every case Of striking his name from
the list as hereinafter provided, the board
shall make a nOteor memorandum which
shall be returned with the registration list
to the commanding general of the district,
setting forth the ground of such refusal or
such striking from the list: Provided that
no person shall be disqualified as a mem
Der Of any board of registration by reason
of race or color
SEC. g. That the true intent and mean
ing of the oath presented in said supple
mentary act is (among other things) that
no person who has been Il member of the
Legislature of any State, or who has held
anyeXecutive or judicial office in any State,
whether he has taken an oath to support
the Constitution of the United States or
not, and whether he was holding such Of
flee at the commencement of the rebel
lion, or had held it before, and who has
afterwards engaged in insurrection or re-
belliOn against the United States, or Civ
en- aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
is entitled to be registered or to vote and
the words executive or iudcial office
in any State, in said oath mentioned, shall
be construed To include all civil Offices
created by law for the administration of
any general law Of State, or for the adj
minstration of Justice.
SEC. Z. And be IT further enacted. That
the time for completing the original reg
istration, provided for in any act NAV. in
the discretion of the commander of anv
district, be extended to the first day of Oc-
tODer, 1861 and the bourd of ratri iStra+io,,