The national Republican., 1867-07-10

= covenant with He'll Ahsr the rebellion, TO
which that doctrine had led, WIN. Lloyd CARR.
son had sense enough 10 withdraw himself from
the country, leaving 10 the party which he had
founded policy that sought now, after emanoi-
patIng and enfranchising four millions Of blacks,
70 disfranehise and put fstters on eight millions
OF whites. The hrst section Of the bill declared
void the governments Of four Of the original thir.
teen States Of the Union and six Of the later
States. Il not only declared their governments
Illegal, but void. He had been on tho plains Of
Marathon and at the pass Of Thsrmopyln, but
never was he allied with enthusiasm as at the
tomb Of Washington, the home Of Monticello,
and other places Of historical interest In Vir-
ginia And yet this State, with record thus
bright In history, was 20 be struck out Of the
Union-a lost plsiad. And South Carolina, tho
land Of Pinckney, Of Sumter, and Of Marion;
and Georgia, which gave to the Union the
States Of Alabama and Mississippi. we're also to
DO struck out Of the Union. Asto Arkansas and
Louisiaus, part Of the Louisiana purchase, the
faith Of the treaty Of purchase was violated by
this bill; and he believed that France h,d the
legal authority to claim that the rights Of the
people Of those States, guaranteed BY tho treaty,
should be recognised and assured. II human
genius had been taxed for q mode 10 oppress and
trample upon the people Of the Southern States
II could not have devised anything more ht for
the purpose than this bill. The extraordinary
ouicts " NV uinthTy OuCeIt, no mktter now
differing In principle were, by the second section
Of this bill, declared legal and valid. The third
section authorised tho Board Of Registers, CON-
posed Of white, black, blue and yellow, to disre.
gard the oaths OF voters, and to refuse them reg
istration, without any subsection, on tho part Of
those Boards, to Federal officers or any other au-
thority. The fourth section struck at tho very
Government Of tho United States In depriving
Of all Jurisdiction against district commanders
or officers acting undor thoir authority, not only
the courts Of the State, but the courts Of tho
United States. He know not what the President
Of the United States would do; but he know
what he himself would do Before sending this
bill back to Congress he would send Sheridan to
Massachusetts, and Maine, and would send Sickles
to Walrussia to teach the Esquimaux. But they
threatened to impeach the President, and TO put
In his place the agrarian President Of the Senate
Let them do so. II he were President johnson
he would never allow Congress TO enforce upon
him law entirely subversive Of the Constitution
Of the United States.
Mr.. Garfield sought to interrupt Mr.. Brooks
with question, but the Speaker stated that the
gentleman had, In the outset Of his remarks, In
timated his desire not to be interrupted.
Mr.. Brooks continued his argument against
the bill. II there was anything that grieved
him more than anything else In those late times
II was the assent Of lawyers on the other side to
have the bill Of rights and Magma Charta over.
thrown. The semi.barbarous barons who
wrested magma charta from King John had stip.
ulstsd Ia 1918 that no freeman should be de.
prived OF life liberty or property without due
form Of law but here, in 1867, IL, 900 900 Of
people were deprived Of all right Of trial by
their peers, aud were subjected to the mere will
or csprice Of i've military despots He quoted
from the declarations Of rights Of Massachusetts,
Vermont and other States to show that the peo.
pie Of the North were once jealous Of their rights
and liberties. The gentleman from Pennsylva.
MIA Mr.. stevens1 had at frst proposed only con-
hsoation In tho South: but this bill placed not
only the property but the lives, liberties and
personal rights OF twelve millions Of people 10
tho power Ct military officers. Tho bill was In
tho face and eyes Of all written history, and in
utter violation Of every natural and national
law and Its supporters would live, many Of
them, to deplore that they had ever given It
sanction or support. Even tho Tartsrs, when
they conquered China, did not destroy the insti-
tutions Of China, but assimulatsd them to their
oNn. There was no parallel In history for this
-, except In the inhumAn conduct Of the Duke
OF Alva. This law was not rs respectable as the
rule Of the Gar or the Emperor Of Austria; for
whom the Hungarians were subjugated their
civil rights were respected. The least intslli-
gent Of all tho races on this continent had been
selected to 90 into partnership with tho white
race In the government Of this country. Tho
Haytain and the Liberian were wiser than the
supporters OF this bill, for no white man was nj.
lowed TO hold real estate or to take any part In
the government there. All history showed that
such experiments as this Of oomminglng races
were disastrous In conclusion, he declared
that this was tho proudest hour In his public
life, when he could mako his remonstrancss
against the outrageous and infamous principles
Of the military tyrannioal bill.
Mr.. Garfield, referring to Mr.. Brooks alusion
to the agrarianism Of Senator Wade, reminded
him and tho House that that Senator had dis.
claimed the statements imputed to him.
Mr.. Wood then took the floor In opposition to
tho bill. He reviewed the history Of the recon.
struction measures, and Of the action of the
President, expressing some doubt as to the con.
stitutional power Of the President to do what he
had done In establishing provisional govern
ments in tho Southern States at the close Of the
war, but claiming the President had simply made
an effort TO give to those States governments
consonant with the Constitution, and to carry
out practically the intention Of Congress so far
as II was then understood Congress had waited
for two years before IL had passed any law on the
subject Of reconstruction, and the question then
was, since the passage Of the military act Of last
session, As to what itr proper construction was
Tho military commanders created by the law
differed among themselves as to its construction,
and Gen. Schohsld had come from his district to
Washington to consult President johnson As to
what his duties were under the law. A Gen.
jackson would have given to those military com
manders his own view Of the law, and would
have required them to carry II out; but Presi.
| dent johnson did no such thing. He called
| npon the law officer of the Government, con.
suited him. submitted the law to him, and trans.
mitted to the district commanders tho opinion
which the law officer had given. What was
wrong In thAt' And yet they were told that
this session was called by Attorney General
Stanbery, "and o disrespeotful and scurrilous
resolution had been aimed at the Attorney Con.
erai by the gentleman from Ohio" Mr. schsnck /
He argued against the oonstitutionality Of the
law, In general and In detail. When State on.
GERS were removed, as provided In the second
section, and others appointed In their places by
| the military commanders, they then became
| Federal ofioers-and the Constitution placed In
the President alone the appointment Of Federal
officers. So was this section unconstitutional.
Gen. sicklss, acting as an imperial despot, 70.
quired the sum Of half q million Of dollars to
carry out the registration programme in the ast,
and demanded also that the navy Of the United
States shall be subject to his orders Powers over
life, liberty, property. marriage contract and So
cial relations were reposed In the imperial despot
Maj. Con. Dan. Sickles Was that 80 designed !?
II so, he wanted II plainly stated In this bill.
He did not want TO have another constructive
| act made necessary. As to the third section,
regulating registration, he did not SEQ why such
| Q roundabout means should be resorted to- Why
not simply appoint o select committee to say who
should be members Of Copgress3 That would 10
..nA ali .nla II s...t I'll