The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-02-27
RECONSTRUCTION.
The Measure Finally Adopted.

Dill nnallY adopted by congress on
Wednesday:
An act for the more efficient goUern-
naent Of the rebel States;
WHEREAS, No legal State Gov
eminent or adequate protection for
life or property now exists in the
rebel States of Virginia, North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Georgia, Ala
bama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and
Arkansas; and. auaI -
WHEREAS, It is necessary that
peace and good order should be in
forced in said States until loyal and
republican State Governments can be
established; therefore,
:" Be 1t enacted, de-, That said rebel
States shall be divided into military
districts, and made subject to the mill
tary authority of the United States, as
hereinafter prescribed; and for that
purpose Virginia shall constitute the
1st district, North Carolina and South
Carolina the I'd district, Georgia, Ala
bama and Florida the Sd district, Mis-
sippi and Arkansas the 4th district,
and Louisiana and Texas the 9Th dis
trict.
.'SEc, 2. That it shall be the duty
of the President to assign to the COM
mand of each of said districts an Off
Ger Of the army, not below the rank
of Brigadier General, and to detail
sufficient military force to enable such
officer to perform his duties and en-
force his authority within the district
to which he is assigned.
SEC. 8. That it shall be the duty
OF each officer assigned, as aforesaid,
to protect all persons in their rights
Of person and property; to suppress
insurrection, disorder and violence,
and to punish, and cause to be pun
ished, all disturbers of the public
peace, and criminals; and to this end
he may allow loyal civil tribunals to
take jurisdiction of and try offenders
or, when in his judgment, it. may be
necessary, for the trial of offenders, he
shall have power to organize military
commissions or tribunals for that
purpose, and all interference under
color of State authority with the
exercise of military authority under
this act shall be null and void.
Sec. 4. Thatall persons put under
military. arrest by virtue of this act
shall be tried without unnecessary de-
lay, and no cruel or unusual punish
ment shall be inflicted, and no SEN
tence of any military commission or
tribunal, hereby authorized, affecting
the life or liberty of any person, shall
be executed until it is approved by
the officer in command of the district:
and the laws and regulations for the
government of the army shall not be
affected by this act, except in so far as
they may conflict with its provisions.
SEC. 5. That when the people of
any one of said rebel States shall have
| formed Constitutional government,
in conformity with the Constitution
of the United States in all respects,
framed by a convention of delegates
elected by the persons who may vote
upon the ratification or rejection
thereof, as hereinafter provided; and
when said Constitution, so framed,
shall have been ratified by a majority
of the male citizens of said State,
| twenty one years old and upwards, of
whatever race, color or previous con-
dition of servitude, who may have
been resident in said State for one
year previous to the day of voting on
the question of ratifying such Consti-
tuition, except such as may be disfran-
chised for participating In the rebel
lion, or for felony at common
law; and when such Constitu-
ton shall provide that the elect
i've franchise shall be enjoyed by all
such persons that have the qualifca.
tions herein stated, and shall have
been submitted to Congress for ex-
animation, and Congress shall have
approved the same; and when said
State, by vote of its Legislature
! elected under said Constitution, shall
have adopted the amendment to the
Constitution of the United States,
proposed by the Thirty ninth Con-
gresss and known as article fourteen,
and when said article shall become
part of the Constitution of the United
States, such State shall be declared
entitled to representation in Congress,
and Senators and Representatives
shall be admitted thereupon, on their
taking the oath prescribed by the
/ law, and then and thereafter the pre-
ceding sections of this bill shall be
imperative in said State.
"SEC. 6 proposed by Mr.. Doolittle)
provides that the penalty of death
shall not be inflicted by the military
power without the approval of the
| President.
SEC. (Shellabarger's amendment).
That until the people of said rebel
States shall, by law, be, admitted to
representation in the Congress of the
4 United States, the civil governments
that exist therein shall be deemed
provisional only, and shall be in all
respects subject to the paramount
authority of the United States, which