The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-19
MR.. STEVENS, MILITARY Ri,

The following is the bill as correctoa 49,
passed by the House: ana
i" BILL TO PROVIDE FOR THE MODE
/ FICIENT GOVERNMENT OF THE INs1Tpnnr
TIoNARY STATES"
| Whereas, The pretended State Gor.
ments of the late So called Confederate Stu
OF Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolino
Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louis;an"'
Florida, Texas, and Arkansas, were set ~,
without the authority of Congress and Will
out the sanction of the people and
=" Whereas The so pretended Governments.
afford no adequate protection for Gfp 20
property, and countenance and encon,, or
lawlessness and crime; and
Whereas. 1t is necessary that peace 49,,
good order should be enforced in tho so
called States, until loyal and rennbI;o Do
State Governments can be legally establish
Therefore
Be it enacted By the Senate and Kou,. ~
Representatives Of the United States of Io,ss;
ca in Congress assembled, That the so-conaS
Confederate States shall be divided into o" rn1
| itary districts and made subject to the mil;
| tary authority of the United States, as hara
matter prescribed; and for that purnos.
Virginia shall constitute the Ist District
North Carolina and South Carolina the III
District, Georgia, Alabama. and Florida tho
lid District, Mississippi and Arkansas tho
~ District, and Louisiana and Texas tho
With District 'A'
SEC. 2. Ind be it further enacted. That Il
shall be the duty of the General of the Ar.
my to assign to the command of each of said
Districts an officer of the Regular Army not
below the rank of Brigadier- General, and to
detail sufficient military force to enable
such officer to perform his duties and enforce
auth =
assigned.
"SEC. 3. Ind be it further enacted. That f.
shall be the duty of each officer assigned as
aforesaid to protect all persons in their rights
of person and property, to suppress insurrec-
ton, disorder and violence, and to punish or
caused to be punished all disturbers of the
public peace and criminals and to this end
he may allow local civil tribunals to take iu-
risdiction of and to try offenders, or when
in his judgment, it may be necessary for the
trial of offenders, he shall have power to Or
ganize military commissions or tribunals for
that purpose. anything in the constitution
and laws of the so-called States to the con-
trary notwithstanding and all Legislative
and judicial proceedings or processes to pre-
vent or control the proceedings of sal mill
tary tribunals, and all interference by said
pretended State Governments with the exer-
else of military authority under this act, shall
be be void and of no effect
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That
courts and judicial officers of the United
States shall not issue writs of habeas corpus
in behalf of persons in military custody e.
cept an cases in aohich the person as held to an
scer only for crime crimes exclusively acith-
in the jurisdiction of the Courts of the United
Suites aeithin said military districts therein,
unless some commissioner or officer ON duty in
in the district wherein the person is detained
shall indorse upon said petition statement
certifying, upon honor, that he has knowledge
or information as to the cause and circum-
stances of the alleged detention, and that he
believes the same to be wrongful, and further
that he believes that the Endorsed petition
is preferred in good faith and in furtherance
of justice, and not to hinder or delay the
punishment of crime. All persons put under
military arrest by virtue of this act shall be
tried without unnecessary delay and no cruel
or unnatural punishment shall be inflicted.
Sec. 5. And be 1T farther enacted, That no
sentence of any military commission or tri-
bunal hereby authorized, affecting the life or
liberty of any person, shall be executed until
it is approved by the superior officer in COM
mand of the district; and the laws and reg
ulations for The government of the army
shall not be affected by this act, except in so
fac as they conflict with its provisions