Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1868-02-08
Minority Report Of lhr Recon-.
Arueii0n Committee.

murning hour having expired, the
liugsr resumed the consideration a
ihu bal reported yesterday from the
COMMITTEES on Reconstruction,
Mr. brooks, on behalf OF himself
and Mr., beck, presented minority
report. la doing 30 lac sisted that
the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. steVrns) Was al-O opposed 10
the hill, rsauglr on different grounds,
rhey l.eing opposed Ia Il On Prinei-
Rlo' aud lao AIR Stevens being OPP
Iosr'l To il beeause lac did not deem
Il effective enough, But il wa .
rather bill to make President OF
al the United States than Ia carry
out the objects stated in the bill,
Mr., brooks therenpOn read the
minority report, as follows "The
undersigned, a minority Of the Com
Inilice ON Reconstruction uo-calledr
submit, among others, the following
rs some al their reasons in opposl-
tion TO the bill that n Congress eI
J.dTfe is asked in the first section Ia
abrogate and destroy all civil gov
crment in ten States, four, viz; Nir
ginia, North and South Carolina and
Gsorgia being OF the original char
aclcr tlas started the Government
and created the constitution, while
four others Of that thirteen, making
eight in all, have just been demon
sirating through their popular sssc-
tions that they recognize those civil
governments and guarantee, as far
Ms popular voice can, their prcscrva-
ton, not destruction. As legal gov.
rrnmonts, selfgovcrnment aud rep
reseniation ARE cardinal principles
Of n republic and so mn y
ordained in our Federal constitu.
lion. But this section ignores both,
aud RIBS ten States of the Union
and their twelve millions of inhabi.
tanls of all protection from the judi
ciary of executive branhces of the
Government, while booming them
TO military dcspotism.
2. That Congress, representing
but lart Of the people, and that
part now in n minority, even if a
iuii Congress, in the parliamentary
sense of that word, would be but
one Of the three great branches OF
the Government, with no right, no
power to invalidatc or deny she rec.
osnition of the judicial or the exec
utive power as asserted in the bill.
The executive or judiciary has as
much right to proclaim or adiudi-
cate thai Congress shall not be rec
ognised, as Congress has thus to en-,
act it, for executive and judiciary
both are MS much the creation Of the
constitution, rs the House Of Repre-
sentativcs and the Executive elected
by the whole people, better repre-
sents the principle Of popular gov
ernmcnt than u Senate, the mere
arbitrary creation Of the States.
4. That the invalidation or multi
fication Of the executive AMI judicial
powers in the ten States is not only
an abolition ofthe Federal constitu-
eiea, but without a direct repeal in
conflict with the military acts of
1872, 1895 and March Sd, 1857, put
ting the army and navy and Of the
militia of the United States, in Ger.
tain cases, at the disposal of the
President; also in conflict with the
fundamental judiciary act Of 1889;
also in conflict with article 4 section
3 of the constitution, which, while
guaranteeing to every State Il re-
publican form of government, also
guarantees, on the application Of
the civil authorities OF the States,
protection against domestic insur-
rection or invasion, such us is con-
tomplatcd in the bill.
4. That the I'd and 3D. sections are
an utter violation Of the constiJu-
ton, article 2 section =, which de-
clarcs the President to be Command
er in Chief Of the. Army of t h e
United States, inasmuch us the Gen
cral ofthe Army is there authorized
to be Commander Chief, and to
remove, by his order alone, any
and all officers Of the United States
Army, independent of the constitu-
ton and people by whom he is elect
cd COMMANDMENT Chief, and this
investure of n General of the Army
with this supreme dictatorship is as
ifin solemn mockcry set forth to re-
organize civil governments rcpubli-
can in form.
5. That the whole act is rcvolu-
tionary and incendiary in arraying
Congress, but one branch of the
Government, against the coordinate
branches, in all respects the consti-
tutional equals of Congress. and in
some respects t h g constitutional
superior ofthat Congress, and there
by calculated if not intended to in
volvc tho whole country in commo-
ton and civil strife, the end of
which no human eye can foresee.
JAMES BROOKS, of New York.
JAMES BECK, Of Kentucky.
Mr.. Boutwell, called attention to
the fact that in the Minority report
reference was made to the Recon
struction Committee so called. lie
that expression rs indec-
erOus to the House.
Mr.. Brooks said he had used the
expression because civil Cove r n
ments in some of t h G Southern
States were in the bill reported by
the committee, spoken ofas $50 call
cd" civil governments. He would,
however, strike the word ont of the
report.
THE ARMY.-In the South, the
army is distributed as follows
First Military District, Gen. J. NJ.
l2 posts and 30 compa-
MES; Second District, Gen. E. r. S.
Ca,,b,- % ,,osfs opd az ootn no N Zoe