The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-03-20
oennnAL enAxr,s flnconD.

0EHnnAL CHANTS AnCOnD.
uew He Hes carrisA o~e tne RsssH-
etruesfon Aeseo
fcorr.,pooa.ue. of IL. chieses Tritsaal
WAssrscros, D. q. Mseh9.
The President has, in ceopis - fe.
ouest. laid before the Ssdete anosA "a OF
reconstruction documentG 10 recenS ies.
~ vcrLed nm for The Tribune Ak1aoed OF
G.s, rr.nt 81 shown BY the Ssf0rt fela-
-. y, 'shs Fifth Military DistricA. m nov
~.s~ - Mn yUooea - eoatalao4ta
Nh. r.nort relative to the Third District. 1t
.-nv1 Al cleaels - the other did how true
sh;s ouiet man, e army headquarters, has all
sler16esa,pctm esely - the Congressional
recon,truction policy, bpt 70 the purpose OF
,he rsrpis uhdsvlyisk tAat p0leJ.
You Win remember, when speak Of i,
that Governor jenkins, Of Georgia, made
himself very conspicuous last spring 10 the
effort to defeat the execution OF tho recon
struct,on acts. General Pope vas macn M
clined 10 suspend him from office, bns, before
aaysi;nal aetiosswAs had. denffsln nas W
- 4ltsofsApsd. sroee hmNa psS
sa.1 fDKiK 04sERALs f."S 49, ..: 80
ornor Jenkins address 70 ing en1ens =
s usos adv;s;ng bi. suspension and trial before
M;i;,.rv Commission, when your despatch
anannc;ne that the Governor had gwen such
..mr.nces rs to render your order, IN THIS
-. unnecessary, Was received NJ views
A mn District Commanders Are responsl.
HE for the faithful execution OF the recon.
struetion act of Congress, and that IN c'sil
matters cannot give them an order. can
a;.a .ha.n M yiay., hnueyer, for that they
are worth. it is very plain that the povs. OF
District Commanders to try offenders % NM
;,.ry Commissions exist. ! would ad.'se
mai CON d issiuas be resorted 70 rather Than
I. !. ~ bs borne in mind that many feat
ures Of what is popularity called the Congres
sional plan Of reconstruction we're not emood-
la - the lsw tiiIthe act of July -. The so>
pervisory power Of The Genersl-in Chief Is
not given id the acts Of March, or ~, nor
il the authority to remove State omcisls-
though this power may be implied rom GER
tain words used 10 theas eariy laws NOV
solicitous General Grant VS. 70 carry ous the
acts, not merely I'd their letter, but, also. 10
their spirit, appears from bis endorsement oI
e22d Of April on Pope's letter, which was
% felipNs
Respectfully forwarded t. the Secretary
Of War. FOR his information. The telegraphic
dispatch herein enclosed shows that Governor
jenkins, OF Georgia, has given sach pledges
Il The commander Of the Third District - 70
induce him to withhold. for the present, his
order suspending the Governor The cons
duct uf the Governor tJenkins) demonstrates,
however, how possible it is for discontented
civil officer Of the unrecoustrncted South to
defeat the Laws of Cor gress if the power does
not exist with District Commanders TO sus-
mend their functions for cause in some way.
II seems clear to me that the power is given,
in the bill for the more efficient government
of the rebel Siaies,' TO use or not, ut the plea-
sure Of District Commsnders, the provisional
machinery Get up without the authority Of
Congress In the b,ates to which the Recon-
struc,ion act applies. There being doubt,
however. on this point, / would respectfully
ask an early opinion on the subject. If the
power OF removal does not exist with Dis.
trict Commanders, then it will becpme neces-
sary for them to take refuge under that Sec
ton Of the bill which authorizes military com.
Missions II
Recalling what hullabaloo was made last
summer about the Attorney Genefal opn-
| ion on the Reconstruction acts, it ia amusing
~ we'll as refreshing to see how easily II was
disposed OF BY Generl Grant. We learn
from ibis correspondence "hut - NV ~
fore known, that the document was sent by
the President direct order to all the District
Commanders General Pope didn't under
stand Just what il meant ,snd SO he telegrsphed
to headquarters for information. Gen. Grant
buried the labored and elaborate opinion 10
shor. order. on - .2a,h Of June, a aePears ]:
Your despatch Of yesterday received.
Enforce yoar own construction Of the Militia
| ~ hill, until ordered to do otherwise. The
orinion Of the Attorney General has not been
distributed to District Commandess ia Ian
! euase or ner emitting 1t to the fbrce OF an
| order nor can suppose that the Presiden,
intended it to have such force
! We are not left in doubt as to General
! Grant purpose, for undsr date OF August 8,
| 1857, he expressly says TO Pope IN 1 long let
ter about various matters: IN is clearly the
duty Of District CoRSanders to study plaui
the Trainers OF The Reeon.ttucfion ta.rs icantefl
n cypress. as mxch az chat they do express,
ID to erseute the lac according 70 that ia'
| terpfetdtion think your views are sound
| both in the construction which you give TO the
| laws OF Congress and the duties Of the sup
porters Of good govern meut, to seethat, when
reconstruction is affected, no loop hole is
left open to give trouble and embarrassment
hereae err"
Early las. Angus. General Griffin, COM
manding in Texas, issued an order requiring
Jurors to take the test oath. This pleased
General Grant very much, and he had copies
of il distributed to other Commanders, saying.
August II, 1T will secure jury system
which will give protection to all classes. "
The General also heartily approved Pope 3
order Of a few days later in which another
forward step was taken, and it was required
| tha. jurors be drawn from the list of register
ed voters = That pot the coiored man into
| the jury box,