Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-01-24
THE NEW RECONsTRCTTON BILL.

THE NEW RECONsTRCTION BILL.
The last bantling of the Reconstruct
ton Committee passed the House of Rep
resentatives on the 2lst inst by vote Of
1913 to As. Messrs. Arnell, Maynard,
Mullins and Num-, of this State, voted
for the bill Stokes was on his way here
with an order in his pocket for the action
which the Radical Convention of the 22d
took, and Hawkins and Trimble we're
absent or did not vote The following is
the text of the bill as il passed:
Be it enacted, etc., That in Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas,
Florida and Arkansas, there are no civil
State 90 vernments, republican in form, and
that the so-ealled civil governments in said
States respectively shall not be recognized
as valid or legal State governments either
by the executive or judicial power or au>
thority of the United States.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That
for the speedy enforcement of the act en-
titled an act to provide for the more eff
cient government of the Rebel States,
passed March "a, 1867, and the several acts
supplementary thereto, the General of the
army of the United States is hereby author-
lied and required to enioin by special Or
ders upon all officers In command within
the several military departments, within
said several States, the performance of ali
acts authorized by said several laws above
recited is authorized to remove at his dis
cretion, by his order, from command, any
or all of said commanders, and detail the
officers of the United States army, not be-
low the rank of Colonel, to perform all the
duties and exercise all the power author
lied by said several acts, to the end that
the people OF said several States may speed
lily organize civil governments, republican
in form, in said several States, and be re-
stored TO political power in the Union.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That
the General of the army may remove any or
all civil officers now acting under theseyeral
provisional governments within the said
several disorganized States, and appoint
Others to discharge the duties pertaining to
their respective offices, and may do any
and all acts which by said several laws
above mentioned are authorized to be done
departments within said States; and so
much of said acts or Of any act as author
izes the President to detail the military
commanders to said military departments,
or to remove any officer who may be de-
tailed as herein provided, is hereby re-
pealed.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That
it shall be unlawful for the President of the
United States 10 order any part of the
army or navy of the United States to assist,
by force of arms, the authority of either of
said provisional governments in said dis
organized States, to oppose or obstrnct the
authority of the United States, as provi-
ded in the act or acts to which this is sup.
Elementary.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That
any interference by any person with the
intent to prevent by force the execution of
the orders of the General of the army,
made in pursuance of this act and the acts
aforesaid, or any refusal or willfnl neglect
of any person to issue any order, or do any
act required by this act, or other of the
acts TO which this act is additional and sup
Elementary, with the intent to defeat or
delay the due execution of this act or of
either Of the acts to which this is supple
mentary, shall he held to be high INSIDE
meanor, and the party guilty thereof shall,
upon conviction be fined not to exceed FIVE
thousand dollars and imprisoned not ex-
ceeding two years.
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That
40 much of all acts and parts of acts as
conflict, or are inconsistent with the pro.
visions of this act, are hereby repealed
The bill now goes to the Senate, and
there is no doubt that it will pass that
body under the pressure that has forced
it through the House by strict party
vote. 1t is given out that leading Radi-
cal Senators do not believe the bill can
pass the Senate in its present shape, and |
think no action will be had on it at |
present This may be the case if the |
party managers do not will otherwise. |
When the reconstruction bill, known as
the Sherman-Shellabarger bill, was be-
fore the Senate, Mr. Sherman, of Ohio,
pledged his word and personal honor and |
hat Of bis party, that that bin should
stand as fnality 20 Southern recon-
'tructiOn, that nothing further would be
demanded Now here is a new chapter
n the work of subjugating the South to
Radical and negro rule, with every pr oba-
1ility that it will become law This is
/ specimen of the faith the Radicals have
zept with the Southern people Mr..
3hermans party friends in the House of
Representatives have paid but little heed
o his pledge, and there is too much
eason to believe they viii do no better
n the Senate.