, 1867-07-26
su,,nIementary Reconstruction BIZ.

i as it finally passed botn houses OF congress,
takes all power away from the civil author
tiles and hands the people of ten States over
to military rule A dispatch to the OregOn>
ian gives the outlines of the bill:
SIC. /. Declares 1t to be the true intent OF the
act of March I'd, 1867, thatthe civil governments
of the rebel States, Tennessee excepted are not
| legal. and if continued should be subjected to
! military commanders and the paramount author
ity of Congress.
SEc 2. The'commanders,.shall have auth ority,
subject to the approval of the General of the
army, to remove or suspend any military or civil
officer, and also have authority to detail any
competent officer or soldier, or appoint any other
person to perform the duties of the officer so
! removed, subject to the disapproval of the Gen.
| eral of the army.
/ SEC 3. The General of the army is entrusted
with the power of removal and suspension of
appointment, granted in the preceding section.
| SEC 4. Confirms the removals aud appoint
| ments already made, providing that persons here
tofore or hereafter appointed to exercise the
functions of any civil Office may be removed by
the district commander or General of the army.
| 1t is the duty of the district commander to re.
move from Office all disloyal persons, or those
| who hinder reconstruction.
SEC 5. The test oath prescribed in the act of
March I'd, shall not be conclusive as to the right
of register, but the Board shall examine witnesses
| touching the qualifications of applicants, and in
case of a refusal to register any applicant the
Board shall forward its reasons therefor to the
district commanders.
! SEC 6. Declared the act to apply to all mem
bers of the State Legislature persons holding
executive or judicial Office in any State, whether
he has taken the oath to support the Coustitu-
/ ton or not; whether holding Office at the com.
| IF tha hall hafo pho afta
wards engaged in the rebellion or gave aid and
| comfort to the enemies of the Government. The
| words " executive or judicial" include all offices
created by law for the administration of any
| general law.
| Sec. Z. Authorizes the district commanders
to extend the time of registration to October lst.
! Boards must revise registration lists FIVE days
previous to any election, and strike from the lists
the names of all persons not entitled to registra-
tion, aud add the names of all persons qualified.
No person shall be entitled 10 registry by reason
of an executive pardon or amnesty.
| SEC. s. Members of the Board Of Registry and
all persons appointed to Office are required to
take the regular oath of Office.
SEC. o. Boards of Registration and district
commanders not bound by the opinion of any
civil officer of the Government.
| SEC. 10. Commanders are authorized to re-
move members of Boards of Registration and
appoint others.
SEC. l. All provisions of all reconstruction
acts must be construed literally, to the end that
the intent thereofshall be perfectly carried out
THE BILL VETOED.
The telegraph furnishes US with the text
of the Presidents veto of the bill:
The President reiterates the opinions expressed
in his vetoes of the former acts and intimates
that the present act fixes upon the reconstruct
| intending to make the Government in all respects
a paramount authority. He says it is impossible
to conceive any state Of society more intolerant
than this which has made the condition of twelve
millions of American citizens living under the
| Constitution of the United States in full force
over all this territory, and yet people denied
every one OF its sacred guarantees. The bill
gives military commanders unlimited power
skScutFFe,, ,n adfafSHS eegsatirs power which
| hitherto all departments Of the Federal Govern,
ment acting in concert or separately never dared
to exercise. The officers or soldiers of the army
may be made to govern the legislatures or iudpe,
however unfit, and provision is made in the
| law for an official bond. For example, when A
soldier is detached by his officer as State Treas
urer, being thus detailed by the military law
regulations, be must become An executive officer
| contrary TO the laws of the State vet the bill
makes no provision for anything required by the
! state law, or for a bond in accordance with
| citizenship, etc. The result is that the Federal
Government, by the agency of our officers,
assumes the civil government of the States
| Congress declares that the State Governments
are illegal, and then provides that they shall be
carried on only by the Federal officers The bill
provides that none of the appointees particularly
commanders, shall he bound by the opinion of
any officer of the United States They might
refuse to obey even the Supreme Court though
utterly unfamiliar with the duties of the Office
imposed upon them. The reconstruction acts
are based on the assumption that these ten COM
monwealths are not States. The declaration
comes too late. They have been repeatedly
so recognized during and since the rebellion.
Even in 1866 these States were divided into
Judicial districts, and have been called by Con.
gress to act through their Legislatures upon two
amendments to the Constitution The President
cites other instances of legislation recognizing
them as States. He denies the allegations that
the Federal Government holds them as conquered
territory: They are not conquered but simply
| repressed.
The BRANCH MNT.-Our Dalles neighbors
with an energy that is emnently creditable, are
still urging the establishment of a Branch Mint