The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-07-26
STEVENS ON RECONSTRUCTION.


Hon. Thad. Stevens. delivered himself
as follows in the House of representatives..
on the 9th of July, when the explaDato-
ry Reconstruction bills we're under con-
sideration:
Mr.. Stevens commenced by saying be
confessed to a small portion of the blame
for the acts of the President since Con.
gress adjourned, and il was due to the use
of improper language in the bill. II We
had al agreed as We have since agreed,
that the States lately in rebellion were
conquered territories. ard subject to this
nation as such, and if we had treated them
accordingly. we should have had but very
little trouble in Teconstructing this Gov
eminent on the principle of he admission
of new States; but we were not all perfect
ly prepared for it in our understanding Of
the laws of the nations. Nor is it won
derful that we should have been thus
wandering in our views. l will slate what
suppose to have been our real condition.
The nation was afflicted by a civil war.
which for a time was an insurrection
which divided its sway. We, at the Pc
Rod when we declared the blockade, ad-
mitted them to be not an independent ua-
ton but an independent belligerent, ris-
ing them above instruction, and emitting
them to all the privileges, and subject to
all the liabilities of an independent bellig-
eTent. The nations OF Europe so treated
them, and we treated them. In short,
there can be no doubt of the fact that we
were then at war as two independent ma
tons. l. depended on the conqueror
whether he would treat the one Vanquish
ed, alter war, as 8 Yanquished nations, or
whether he should punish him for a
violation of the sovereign rights of the ma
ton, in addition. We conquered. What
did We conquer ? We conquered the
Confederate Government; we conquered
all the States forming the Confederate Gov
eminent; We conqured a Government
which, by its own declarations, owed DO
allegiance to the Government of the Uni
ted States. That they should pretend
after that they had one right under the
Constitution which they had thus repudi
sIed and attempted to destroy, aud were
still States IN the Union, looks to me like
bold absurdity, yet it was a doctrine of
the President-lhe doctrine which the
gentlemen are fighting about.
We declare them to be conquered pro-
vinces. We were treating them under
military law. Now what is the law in re-
ference to provinces conquered from a
foreign, independent belligerent? When
you conquer from foreign nation or an
independent belhgeren ut, the lei ritory con
quered is governed by military power-by
the commander in-c chief of the army
who in this case was the President. until
the legislative power of the nation shall
have spoken aud directed what laws shall
govern; but the moment the legislative
power Of the nation interposes, the mill
Iary au hOrities cease to exist, and the
commander in-ohief of the army has no
more 10 say to it than corporal; in fact,
he has to say just what the legislative
power orders him to say; he has to do just
what that power orders him to do, and he
can do nothing else.
Mr. Stevens charged the President with
nor only exercising his authority as com
mander-in chief of the army, but also
with endeavOring to legislate the States
of the South back into the Un ion on the
basis OF the old constitution without the
sanction of Congress. He claimed that
Congress alone had the power to make
rules and laws for the government of the
land, and the naval and military com
manders sent South were simply agents
of Congress. He denied that the present
law gave the right to call in the Attorney
General to interfere in the acts of recon
struction. There was but one appeal
and that was to the agents appointed by
Congress. The constitution does not ap-
ply 70 territory, aud the States. and does
not extend for any purpose.lo any terrific
ry, whether the latter is acquired by con-
quest or inheritance. There is no power
on earth, except Congress, that has any
right to a word or intefere in the subject.
He referred to the release of Jeff. Da-
Wis, and said that he and his Cabinet
we're responsible for the murders at An
Jacksonville ard Salisbury, and it was
mercy to try such man as Wirz for such
crimes.
AS to the question of confscation,
think the man who has murdered thous-
and men, who has robbed thousand
widows and orphans, burned down thous-
snds of houses, escapes veil, if, owning
800, 600, he is fined $4,000 as pun
ishment, and to repair his ravages.