The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-12-21

only caught tartar. W e are not sur
prised, therefore, that ii is more dis
gusted with General GRANT than ever
before with any spublic man Of any
party"
GENERAL GRANT THE FATHER OF
THE RECONSTRUCTION SCHEME.-This
assertion may surprise our readers, as
the fact certainly surprises us; but it
is nevertheless a fact. The evidence
of it has just been furnished by Gen
eral Grant himself.
Among the papers which General
| Grant sent to the House of Repre-
sentatives on Tuesday, according TO
the telegraph, was the following
! recommendation, being an endorse
meDt on letter of General Sheri-
| dams:
Respectfully forwardedfo the Sec
rotary of War.
Attention is invited to that por-
| ton Of the within communication
which refers to the condition of the
| Union men and freedmen In Texas,
and to the powerlessness Of the mill
/ tary IN the present state Of affairs to
afford them protection. Even the eff
| feet of the presence of the troops is
| passing away A few days ago squad
of soldiers on duty was fired on by
citizens IN Brownsville. In my opin-
ion the great number of the murders
| of Union men and freedmen In Texas
| (Which are not only UNPUBLISHED but
uninvestigated) constitutes practical
ly state of Instruction; and be-
/ lieving it to be the province and duty
of every good Government to afford
protection to the lives, liberties and
property of her citizens, | would re-
commend the declaration of martial
law In Texas .v9n t931jn ina sn]
To secure these the necessity for
goverping any portion of ourterritory
| by martial law is to be deplored. IF
resorted to, it should be limited ia its
authority. and should leave all local
authorities and civil aribuua1s free
and unohstructedh until they prove
/ would give security, or compare lively
regard t0lrAce, eol0r,aor political opin q
ions, and should be eentinued until
societyis capable Of protecting itself
or until the State Is restored to It's
full relations to the Union The ap2
ID
these States would bega warning to-
all, and, if necessary, can be extended
to others. Slgned1 u. S. GRANT.
JANUARY %, 1867. = Il
This RECOMMENDATION, be it iobserv-
ed, WAS made on the 29th of January
In the current year. 1t embraces FIVE
leading points. /. The assumption
that no adequate protection for life or
property existed in Texas. 2. The
averment that it was necessary that
peace and good order should be en- 4
10. eed in Texas until loyal and re-
publican State government could be
legally established. 3. The advice
that until then Texas should be made
subject to the military authority of
the United States, 4. The suggestion
that it might become proper likewise
TO subject all the rest of the so-called
rebel States to the same authority. I
3D. The necessary implication that no /
legal State government existed'in any
one of those States. Such are the
views which General Grant officially
communicated to the Secretary of
War on. the 18th Of January an thissI
year. Mark. the sequel - .a,.. IT,
On the 9th 0fJanuary, only a week
afterwards, Mr. Thaddeus Stevens.
from the JQnt Committee on Recon-
struction, reported a reconstruction
bill, which, after some modification,
was passed on the % of March. over
the Presidents veto. This is the
fundamental act of the reconstruc-
ton scheme; and, for the purpose of
enabling our readers to compare the
scheme with what Gen. Grant had
recommended month before the act
was adopted. we here give the pream-
bic and the first section of the act:
WHEREAS, No legal State Govern
ments or adequate protection for life
or property now exists ia the rebel
States of. Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi. 4
Ala banna, Louisiana, Florida, Texas,
and Arkansas; and whereas, it Isl
necessary that peace and good order
should be enforced in said States
until loyal and Republican State
Governments can be legally estab-
lished; therefore Il
Be Il enacted By the Senate and
House of REPRESENTATIVES of tie United
s. dtes, IN Congress assembled, That
said rebel States shall be divided into
military districts and made subject to
the military authority of the United
States, as hereinafter prescribed, and
for that purpose Virginia shall con-
stitute the first district; North Caro-
lima and South Carolina, the second
district; Georgia, Alabama and Flor
ida, the third district; Mississippi
and Arkansas, the fourth district:
and Louisiana and Texas, the fifth
district.
Herein is embodied every one of