Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-02-28
NEW prcoNsTpUcTIoN BILL.

The following is the new recopstruc.
ton bill Ms 1t finally passed the two
Houses of Congress, including Mr.. Will
sons and Mr.. Shellabarger's amend
ments:
WHEREAS, Nolegal State government,
or adequate protection for life or property
now exists In the rebel States of Virgin
In, North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor-
gia, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas,
and Arkansas, and
WHEREAS, 1t Is necessary that peace
and good order should be enforced in
said States until loyal and republican
State Governments can be legally estab-
lished; therefore AZ, rT F.~y
a BE IL enacted, &c., That said rebel
States shall be divied into military dis
tricts, and made subject to the military
authority of the United States as herein
after prescribed, and for that purpose
Virginia shall constitute the first District,
second district, Georgia, Alabama, and
Florida the third district, Mississippi and
Arkansas the fourth district, and Louisi-
ana and Texas the fifth district! f9d
SEC. 2. That II shall be the duty of the
President to assign to the command of
each of said districts an officer of the
army not below the rank of Brigadier
General, and to detail sufficinnt mill
tary force to enable such officer to per-
form his duties and enforce his authority
within the district to which he is assign
ed. g+ 1't ii'
SEC. 8. That 1t shall be the duty of
each officer assigned as aforesaid, to pro-
tect all persons in their rights of person
and property, to suppress insurrection,
disorder and violence, and to punish, or
cause to be punished, all disturbers of the
public peace and criminals, and to this
end he may allow local civil tribunals to
take Jurisdiction Of any offenders, or
when in his judgment it may be neces-
sary for the trial of offenders, he shall
have power to organize Military Commis-
sions or Tribunals for that purpose, and
all interference under color of State au-
thority with the exercise of military
authority under this act shall be null and
void.
Sec. A. That all persons put under
military arrest by virtue of this act shall
be tried without unnecessary delay,
and no cruel or unusual punishment
shall be inflicted, and no sentence of any
military commission or tribunal hereby
authorized affecting the life or liberty of
any person shall be executed until it is
approved by the officer in command Of
the district, and the laws and regulations
for the army shall not be affected by this
act except i'm so far as they may conflict
with its provisions.
SEC. 8. That when the people Of any
one of said reble States shall have form
ed constitutional government in con-
formity with the Constitution of the
United States in all respects, framed by
q convention of delegates elected by the
male citizens of said State Fl years
old and upward, of whatever race, color
or previous condition, who have been
resident in said State for one year pre-
vious to the day of such election, except
as may be DISTINGUISHED for participating
in the rebellion, or for felony at common
law, and when such Constitution shall
provide that the elective franchise shall
be enjoyed by all such persons Us have
the qualifications herein stated for cleo
ton of delegates, and when such Con-
stitution shall be, ratified by a majority
of the persons voting on the question of
ratification who are qualified as electors
for delegates, and when such Constitu-
ton shall have been submitted to Con-
gress for examination and approval, and
Congress shall have approved the bill,
and when said State shall, by vote of
its Legislature, elected under said Con-
stitution, have adopted the amendment
to the Constitution of the United States
prOpOSeu ny tuc lihIty ty-ANiloh SohSfcos,
| and known as "Article a." and when
said Article shall have become a part
of the Constitution of the United States,
said State shall be declared entitled to rep
resentatiOn in Congress, and Senators and
Representatives shall be admitted there
from on their taking the oath prescri-
bed by law, and then and thereafter the
| act shall he in opperation in said State.
Provided, That no person excluded
from the privilege OF holdig office by said
proposed amendment to the Constitution
of the United States shall be eligible to
election as a member of convention
to fran constitution for any rebel
State, nor shall any such person vote at
any election for members of such con-
vention.
Provided, further, That until the peo-
| pie of said rebelliOus States shall by due
form of law be admitted to representa-
ton i'm the Congress of the United States,
any civil government which may exist
there shall be deemed to be provisional
only and in all respects subject to the
power and authority of the United States,
at any time to be abolished, modified or
superseded, and all elections for officers
of such Provisional Governments shall
be conducted only by persons named In
the fifth section of this act, and no per-
son shall be eligible to Office under such
provisional government who would be
disqualified from holding office under
provision of the third section of the
Constitutional Amendment of last ses-
sion. 'H-fi.
| How 90 EconomtIc Fuel.
DIR. Samuel Warren, author of "Ten
| mn \ - "a lat