The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-01-15

- u xr
HEADQUARTERS, when such orders viii DC
made as may he deemed necessary.
= While the General thus indicates his pur-
pose to respect the Liberties of the people,
lie wishes all to understand that armed M
surrections or fprcible resistance to the law
will be instantly suppressed by arms. 81,
BY command Of Maj Gen. w. s. HANCOCK.
> 5''s i'7tl-, w. G. MITCHELL,
Bvt. Lieut., Col, Act'g Asst Ad't Gen.
s. Official. NATHANIEL BURBANK,
I'd Lieut.. 37th Inf7y. Bvt. LIST Lieut., U. 5.
This order is like the apples of the Dead
Sea, which are fair to the eye. but turn to
ashes upon the lip" The first thing notice
allie in tits that it makes no reference to
the work of reconstruction or the business,
TO, which he was, placed in command OF the
district. The positions to which he was APP
pointed was created by an act OF Congress,
to enable him to manage the machinery OF
reconstruction for the States OF louisiana
and Texas, and his duties are prescribed by
law; but in lis Introductory order he makes
no mention of this business, and seems to
contemplate purposes hostile to it. He was
not ignorant of his business, nor did he for
get it. and his omission to refer to it is sig
nifcant Of his purpose to defeat it.
The BODY of the order is devoted to the
emphatic recognition of the legality and
binding authority of the existing State gov
ernments in defiance and contempt of the
declarations of Congress, as set forth in the
several acts of reconstruction. These acts
of Congress are predicated upon the idea
that the existing State governments are llle-
cal, unauthorized, and have no rightful au-
thority whatever to control the people; and
to show how strongly and frequently this is
put / will quote as follows: ~
The preamble of the first act, passed
March 9, 1867, reads thus:
IAN Act to provide for the more efncient
government of the rebel States
Whereas no legal State governments or
adequate protection for life or property now
exists in the rebel States of Virginia, North
Carolina. South Carolina, Georgia. Missis-
sippi. Alabama, Louisiana. Florida, Texas,
and Arkansas; and whereas, 1t is necessary
that peace and good order should he enforced
in said States until loyal and republican State
governments can be legally established.
The sixth and last section of the same act
| is in these words:
That until the people of the said rebel
States shall he by law admitted to represen-
tation in the Congress of the United States,
any civil governments, which may exist
therein shall he deemed provisional only.
and in all respects subject to the paramount
authority of the United States at any time
to abolish, modify, control, or superscde tie
same; and in all elections to any office I'M
der such provisional governments.all persons
shall be entitled to vote, and none Others,
who are entitled to vote under the provis
ions of the fifth section of this act; and no
person shall he eligible to any office under
any such provisional governments, who
would be disqualified from holding office
under the provisions of the third article OF
said constitutional amendment"
Then again, the first section ofthe supple
mcntary act passed July 9, 1867, is In these
words: a. ...,l,.. .
That it is hereby declared to have been the
true intent and meaning of the act of til.
second day of March, one thousand eight
hundred and sixty seven, entitled AN ac
| to provide for the more efficient government
of the rebel States. and of the act supple
mentary thereto. passed on the twenty-thirt
day of March, in the year one Thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven, that the gov
ernments then existing in the rebel States o
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina
Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama. Louisiana
Florida, Texas, and Arkansas were not legal
State governments, and that thereafter sait
governments, if continued. were to be con
tinued subject in all respects to the militar.
commanders of the respective districts, ant
to the paramount authority of Congress.
These different sections declare in the
most positive terms that, the existing State
Governments are illegal and unauthorized
that they do not furnish protection for liti
or property, and that the, are made entirel!
subordinate to the military authority. an(
whatever powers they continue to exercis
will be by the consent of the military com
mander. But General Hancock, in opeI
contempt of these declarations, asserts that
the civil authorities do furnish ADEQUATE
protection to lite and property that to pre-
serve peace and quiet is the object of hi
mission, and that as means to this grea
end he regards the maintenance of the s:ivi
authorities in the execution of the laws a
the most efficient means under existing cir
cum stances He says the war is over, tn
civil authorities are ready and willing t,
perform their duties; the military powe
should cease to lead. and the civil admins
tration resume its natural and rightful dc
minion. Again he says, pompously: Sol
mnly impressed with these views, the Genel
al announces that. the great principles 0
American liberty still are lawful inheri:anc
| of tins people, and ever should" This is
very startling proposition, and quite as as
t0nishing as the news that, the "Dutch hay
taken Holland.n Again he says: 'Crime
and offences committed in this district mus
be referred to the consideration and judy
ment of the regular civil tribunals, and thos
tribunals will be supported in their lawfl
jurisdiction" Here he abjures the miitar
power conferred upon him by Congress, re
cognizes the supremacy of the bogus civ
authorities, and declares that he will supper
their tribunals in the exercise of their lawt'
jurisdiction And this he says, standin
upon ground in New Orleans yet moist wit
the blood of nearly two hundred me-
slaughtered in the presence and by the col
trivance of these civil authorities, while til
tribunals which he pledges himself to SUI
port have never brought one of the murde
ers to Justice. If peace prevailed when
went there, it was because of the bold an
determined measures of Generals Shelida
Griffin, and Mower. and not from any mer
of these civil authorities, which he deligh
to honor, for it is notorious fact that, unit
General Sheridan took command there WI
no security for the life or property of Uni'
men in Texas or Louisiana.
Again, says General Hancock, the rig
of trial by jury, the habeas corpus, thc.ii'er
of the press, the freedom of speech, and Il
natural rights Of persons and the rights
property must be preserved" This is
very pretty saying, but what does it met
in this connecticut 1t means that the 10y