Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-07-25


citizens of the United States. We
are solemnly pledged to a foreign
Power to govern the people of these
States according TO the Federal Con.
stitution, not by military commissions
nor by martial laws; and hence what
We are doing is not only in violation
of high moral principles, but in viola
ton of a most solemn treaty we have
made with France for the purchase Of
Louisiana.
The last words of the first section
of the bill are as follows:
"And that thereafter said governments, II con.
tinued, 10 be continued subject in all respcct
TO the military commanders Of the respective dis
tricts and to the authority Of Congress"
No broader words can be used in a
grant of power. Subject in all re-
spects to the military commanders. +"
If human genius had exerted its great
est ingenuity TO devise to rob the peo-
pie Of their rights and privileges, to
degrade and dishonor people, TO
trample twelve millions under foot,
it would have used these very words,
Subject IN all respects to the military
commanders"
In the second section, Mr.. Speaker,
these military commanders are given
the power
"To remove or suspend from ofice any munici
pal or State officer or person exercising authority
under or by virtue Of any so-called State govern
ment existing in his district; and that the said Of
fcer 80 assigned 10 command a. aforesaid is here
by empowered TO appoint another person in th'
stead Of officer or person removed, If he shall
deem proper 10 do 30 and whenever he shall deem
ii necessary as aforesaid to prohibit, suspend, OF
set aside any act or proceeding Of any such State
municipal government, or any act or thing dons
under or by virtue Of il authority; and all act,
heretofore done by any such officer in accordance
herewith shall be deemed VALID"
All acts heretofore done shall be val.
id 4! Here are embodied the most vio-
lent principles Of legislation, against
which we have attempted to be guard.
ed in tho Constitution of the United
States. 1t is law TO be not only ''ret-
respective" which mightin some cases
be justified, but law Retrospective, y
which is unjustifable, and a law "e1
post facto," which is in defiance Of the
Constitution of the United States. II
affirms and legalizcs all acts done here
tofore by any such officers. 1t is de.
clared that they shall be deemed valid
Now, have the members Of this
House given any attention to what
we are legalizing, what it is that is
to be deemed validy Before we enter
into that species of Legislation / would
ask the honorable gentlemen on the
other side if they know how maay
military laws or edicts they render val
idg j beg thom before they proceed to
the passage OF this act to have before
them some military "Iittle & Brown
codification of the laws which they are
to render valid. Sir, / have read the
Pandects of Justinian, and revere
those Pandects as a monument of hu-
man wisdom. But here are the cdicts
of Sickles and Sheridan, and no man
knows how many there are, and they
are all declared to be valid. Whoever
before heard of such blind, such fatal
legislation All that Sickles has done,
all that Sheridan has done,is "valid .
and yet defy any Republican mem
ber on this floor TO tell me the twenti.
eth part of the things done and now
proposed to be enacted into law.
The genius of Sickles has been pro
life of edicts. ] hold in my hands a
batch of them almost as volumnious as
the Pandects of Justinian. He insti-
tutes edicts for the collection of debts,
modifes the existing laws for the en-
forcement of judgements, utters de
crees for the payment of money, sets
aside proceedings instituted in the
courts, prohibits in certain cases the
right to bring suits, enjoins proceed
ings on execution for the term OF
twelve months, giving new liens in
certain cases, establishes homestead
exemptions, declares what shall be a
legal tender, abolishes in certain cases
the remedy by foreign attachment,
abolishing bail as heretofore author
lied in cases cr cOntrdci6, but not in
other cases known as actions en- dclic-
to, &c, &c. General order No. 25 reads
as follows
81. The disiillaiion or manufacture Of whiskcy
or other spirits from grain Is prohibited in this
military district. Any person 90 engaged or EN-
ploycd viii he deemed guilty Of . misdemeanor
The possession Of a still or other apparatus fui
this purpose will be considered prcsumptive evi.
dencc Of a violation Of the revenue laws, and ths
party or parties using the same, or on whoss
premises, or in whose possession the same may he
found will be arrested and brought trial before
a military tribunal composed Of the commanding
officer Of the post and two officers Of the Army
next in rank on duty within the territorial limits
Of the post II the ezEencics Of the service do not
permit the detail Of other officers that fact viii hs
duly certified, and the post commander will hear
and determine the case
And here all these extraordinary
edicts Of Sickles relating to property
and individual rights are declared by
the final lines of the third section TO
be valid and to be as laws of the Uni
ted States under the Sickles monarchy
of the Carolnas.
Sir, / know not how many military
orders have been issued in all, from
the five monarchics, but, from the
best information l can get, on compu-
tation can make them some one thou
sand in all. And here, cropping in the
dark, without knowing what we do,
we pronounce all these edicts or orders
retrospective, retroactive, or az post
fdcto we pronounce them all to be le-
gal or valid law.
The third section of this bill directs
the registration know not by how
many boards in the Southern States,
but presume the computation is
small when / say that they must num-
4.