The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-03-09
COLUMBIA.
Saturday Morning, March 9, 1867.
The Military Districts.

We have been several times asked
when the new reconstruction bill took
effect, and if military rule was at once
established. The idea that the Act,
from the moment of its passage, in
vests the military officials now sta
toned at the South with greater pow
ers than they now possess, is utterly
erroneous, and for the following rea-
sons:
First, the officials who are to be
clothed with supreme authority in
each of the Give DISTRICTS, are yet
to be appointed and assigned TO duty
by the President. AS the command
er-in-chief of the army, the Presi-
dent, if he shall deem it judicious to
enforce an Act which he has demon
strated to be grossly inconsistent,
will very soon, no doubt, comply with
its provisions, by proceeding to put
it in operation. He viii make the
bill text of an elaborate general
order from the War Department,
which will contain more careful and
explicit rules and regulations OF en-
forcement.
OF course, the manner in which
this bill will be enforced will depend
very much upon the character Of
these rules and regulations; for as the
President is clothed with absolute
authority in this matter, he will not
leave it in the power Of five military
despots, and their subordinates, to
place many different interpretations
and instructions upon the new Act.
The preparation OF this code Of
rules and regulations, with its in
structions, must occupy some time.
AS the Act sweeps away the statutes
and organic law of ten States, VIC can
not suppose that the President will
turn five brigadiers and an indefinite
number Of subordinate officials loose
upon us, without controlling their
actions by a thoroughly digested
General Order AS their constitu-
tional communicated chief, he will be
held responsible. for al their acts,
and we have reason to believe that he
will exercise great discretion in in
vesting them with the monstrous and
unusual powers with which they are
clothed by the Act.
We have deemed the matter Of sui
fcient importance to announce the
fact that the new law does not, per
Sc, invest officers Of the army now
stationed ut the South with one par
ticle more power than they now have.
As the Act is military law, the jul
dietary are not expected 10 enforce
any Of its provisions, and it is a dead
letter until the President, as com
mandcrin-c chief Of the army, gives it
vitality by assigning the commandants
Of districts to their respective posts
No officer Of inferior rank 20 the Pre-
sident will take the slightest official
cognizancc OF the Act until lie is or
dcred to DO 50 by his comnlandcr-i
chief. As we sad yesterday, time
alone Will solve the problem Of our
difficulties.
IMPEACHMENT. Tho report OF the
committee is very short. Il was
made simply to get the evidence
taken PUT upon record for use by the
next Congress. Here is the only i'm
portant sentence in it:
'"The committee not having fully
investigated all the charges prepared
against the President of the United
States, it is deemed inexpedient to
submit any conclusion beyond the
statement that sufficient testimony
has been brought to it's notice to jus
tify and demand a further prosecu-
ton OF the investigation. y
Which Mr. Rogers, as the mi
nority OF the committee, answers as
follows:
''I have carefully examined all the
evidence in the case, and do report