The Portland daily press., 1867-08-31

MORE HAsrs LEaIsLA14oN-All the speci-
al dispatches to yesterdays papers concur in
stating that, in the course Of q careful analysis
of the Supplemental Reconstruction Act with
View TO sustaining Grants position in his
quarrel with the President, it has been DIS
covered that the law was not drawn up with SO
much care as the sexigency o. the case demand
ed. 1t is said that Gen. Grant has concluded
that the power conferred upon him only ex-
tends to controlling the districts commanders
in the appointments removal and detail of Of
fcers The New York Times states the case
very possibly more strongly than It
will bear: iHNea 7t Hi
The Supplemental Reconstruction Act mass
cd in July last, whicheverybody snpposes gives
Gen: Grant precisely the same powers as are
possessed by the military commanders. is
strangely deficient in that very essential II
lives uen Grant the power to approve or
uisapprove all removals, appointments, de-
.aiis: &c, of persons to or from office. He
can himself remove the Governor of Mississip-
Pl II he chooses. but if the President
chooses TO order the Boards of Registration in
Louisiana to be re-opened for ninety days, Gen.
Giant is pOweriess to prevent it; or. II zen.
Hancock on his own responsibility shall choose
tion ordered by Gen. Sheridan. Gen. Grant
has not even the power to dlsapprove ms &C,
tion. All the power granted to the General
of the army by the Reconstruction ACTS is
ally confined to the approval of the removal
and appointments OF Officeh0lders. The
act, carefully read and literally interpret
ed, gives Gen. Grant absolutely no other
power; and here we have another specimen of
the result of hasty action by Congress. Just
in the very emergency that Congress designed
to meet, Gen. Grant finds himself crippled to
very serious degree by bungling legislation.
That the President will avail himself of the
neglect and mistakes of Congress is already ap-
parent lie holds that Gen. Grant has no DOW
er beyond this, aud the language will bear him
out. l call the attention of those who made
the law TO careful consideration of this partic-
ular feature, and in view of it let them not ex-
pect Gen. Grant TO exercise powers for which
ne hnds no warrant the in law. rsg4 $50 ear
The letter of the act seems to give color of
reason to the warmth of the above extract
The first section declares that the rebel State
governments are not legal and are ''subject in
all respects to the military commanders and to
the paramount authority of Congress" The
next two sections bear distinctly upon the SUBJ
ject which has suddenly become of so much
consequence, and we give them in full:
"a Sect 2. And be it, further enacted. That the
commander of any district named in said act
shdil nave power, SUBJECT TO the dlSapproyal of
the General of the Army of the United States,
and to have effect until disapproved, whenever
IN the opinion of such commander the brcper
administration of said act shall require III to
suspend or remove from Office or from The ner
iormance OF official duties and the exercise ot
official powers, any officer or person hoIdino
or exercising, Or protesting to hold or exercise.
any civil or military Office or duty in such dis.
trlct under any power election, appointments
or authority derived FROM or granted by. or
claimed under. any so-called State or the gov
eminent thereof, or any municipal or other di-
vision thereof; and upon such suspension or
removal such commander, subject to the dis
approval of the General aforesaid, shall have
power TO provide from time to time for the per-
formance 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 fill vacan-
ces Occasoned by death, resignation. or other
wise. t li'1i Z I'asl Z e'll7,ss1' = '-sS--
SECT. 3. And be 1t further enacted That the
General of the Army of the United States
shall be invested with all the powers of sns-
pension, removal, appointment and detail
granted IN the preceding section to district
commanders.
In consequence of the supposed mperfection
OF this act Grant ielded to the President SO
far as to promulgate the order, assigning Han
cock to the fifth military district. in its ,nodi
fed and Objectionable form ib 8i'j isig' 81