Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-07-19

thus legitimately incurred, when accurate
w ascertained, will, it is believed, approx
mate hundred millions of dollars, end
thew are held not only by our citizens,
among whom arr residents of portions of
the country which have ever remained 10y
al to the Union, but by persons who are
the subjects of foreign governments. 1t IS
worthy the consideration of Congress and
the country whether, if the Federal Gov
eminent, by its action, were to assume such
obligations, so large an addition to our
public expenditures would not seriously i'm
pair the credit of the nation; Or, on tho
other hand, whether the refusal of Con
gress to guarantee the payment of the debts
of these States, after having displaced or
abolished their State governments, would
not be viewed as violation of good faith
and a reputation, by the National Legis-
lature, of liabilities which these States had
legally incurred
ANDREW JOHNSON.
Washington, d. c., July Is, 1867.
The documents communicated give the
opinions of the Attorney General, hereto
fore published, and the estimates for car
rying into effect the reconstruction acts.
It appears from the reports of General
Schofeld, commanding the First Military
District, that the number of civil officers
appointed by him is forty, of whom seven
teen were Justices of the peace, twelve con-
stables, three commissioners of revenue,
one alderman. one mayor OF Abingdon, one
deputy sheriff, one surveyor, and three
overseers of the poor. All the appoint
ments were to fill vacancies OccaSiOned by
death or RESIGNATION, or removal from the
district.
A special order OF General Sickles, on the
18th of June, shows that he gave permits
sion to the managers of the Georgia State
Lottery, for the benefit of the widows and
orphans of Freemasons, to open an office IN
Charleston, S. c., for the sale of shares or
| tickets in the same but that on the 23d OF
June, in consideration of the views Of Gov.
Orr, this permission was revoked.
The correspondence from the Third Dis
trict shows, in addition to what has already
been published, that on the 9TH of April
| General Pope wrote to General Grant, ask
ing his view of the status of officers of the
rebel army paroled at the formation Of the
war He wanted to know whether paroles
still held good, or whether they were set
aside by any proclamation by the Presi-
dent He asked the question, because ne
desired to know what action he ought to
take against rebel officers thus paroled, who
may actively and openly counsel the people
of his district to resist the execution OF the
reconstruction acts General Pope gave as
his opinion the provisions of their parole,
which required them to return to thell
homes and obey the laws, ana also that they
refrain from melting others to reject OF re.
sist the laws of the United States. And
General Pope asked whether an attempt on
their part to keep up difficulty and prevent
the settlement of the Southern question, IN
accordance with the recent action Of Con
gress, was not q violation of their parole
To this letter, on the 18th of April, Genera
Grant replies Your views on the obliga
ton of a parole are in strict accordance
with my own"
It appears from the correspondence Of
the Fourth District, among other things
that on the 10th of last May, at the time
the reconstruction question was before the
Supreme Court, the Secretary of War had
telegraphed General Ord that the Hon.
Robert J. Walker, in his argument before
that court, had represented, first, that he
General Ord) had dispersed the LegiSla
ture of Arkansas and had seized and taken
from the treasury the public monies and
records-the property OF the State-and
that he threatened also to do the same OF
similar acts in respect to the Legislature,
public funds, and property of Mississippi.
The Attorney General desired to know the
facts with reference to these allegations, in
order that he might meet them in court.
On the following day General Ord replied
at length, enclosing copies of his cores
pondence with Governor Murphy of Arkan'
sas, and stating his action concerning
affairs in that State. 1t appears from the
correspondence that on the 10Th of April
General Ord did direct that the Legislature
of Arkansas should not meet in July, to
which time they had adjourned. He says
he did this because the Legislature pro,
posed then to sit as court of Impeachment
for trying two of their State Judges, and
he did not think it would conduce to good
order to allow that Legislature to take
Jurisdiction and try the accused, one OF
whom he believed to be a loyal man, who
would be tried mainly for the reason thai
he had attempted, in his judicial capacity
to protect loyal men from being tried by
disloyal men. Ii also appears that Genera
Ord directed the removal of or suspension
from office of the State Treasurer of Ar
kansas, because he was not eligible under
the third section of the proposed con
stitutional amendment, and because he
had information that the treasurer
would improperly dispose of the State
funds, to the injury of the community
General Ord, in answer to the second ques
ton, says he made no threats to depost
any civil officer of Mississippi, except fol
failure to execute impartial justice to of
tenders, or persons accused of offenses, ane
that he had made no threats to depose o
interfere with the Legislature of Mississippi
and did not design to make any seizure o
State property. unless he found that thu
laws of Congress could not otherwise be en-
forced.
The correspondence also shows that OF
the 7th of June, General Ord asked per
mission of the Secretary of War to desig
nate Dry Tortugas as place of punishment
for horse thieves, sentenced by miitar,
commission, adding that he thought tn
, moral effect of confinement there would b.
very great.
On the following day the Secretary 0
War gave him permission to send hmltet
number to that place On the 10Th OF Jun
, General Ord writes that he could scarcel.
, find enough loyal men in Mississippi TO
registers.
; Pittsburg has had bridal balloon ascen