PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 





branches of tbo Government would unite upon its 

 H ,ui.| in- I. Mm, I hroad enough ami 



;-taill ill time lit' pc. ice ill-' 

 re safely thr.niu'h tin- "r.lcal 



r. A 11; tip- most nacrcd 



..I ilia) instrnment an- thi.M- \\ !, 



<tate shall have at least one Kcp- 



" anil that "no Slat.-, without it-* ftni- 



.'i\ed of its equal sullVai."' in tho 



1 1, HIM- is made the "judge of the 



t urns, and qualifications of its own mem- 



ainl mav, "with tho concurrence of two- 



thinls, c\;>cl a member." Thus, as heretofore urged 



In t -Liters und Hi'iir.-sciitiitlvcs from 



i !n- Slates there can IK- unjust :-riiiinil ol':'.;i|in-- 



iiersons who arc uisloyiil will l.c cluihed with 



iiion, for this could not happen \vhcn the 



mil laws arc enforced by a vigilant and falih- 



* * When a Senator or Representative pre- 



of election, lie may at once lie admitted 



r, should there be any question as to 1. 



his credentials may he referred for investigation to 



tlu- a|c nnnlttee. If admitted to a seat, U most 



i e\idencc Mitisl'aetory to the H.mse of which ho 

 tlni> lie.- "ines a member, that he possesses the requisite, 



iiional and lepil qualifications. If retnsed admis- 

 :ii of duo iillci'lance to tho Gov- 



: and returned to his constituents, they are admon- 



i it none but persons loyal to tho United States 



voice In the WlBlatlve councils of tho 



. :ind the political power and mora Influence of Con- 



elt'-etively exerted in the interest;* of loyalty 



iiuent and fidelity to the Union. 



And is it not far better that the work of res- 



M should be accomplished by simple com- 

 pliance \\itli the plain requirements of the Con- 

 stitution than by a recourse to measures which 

 in effect destroy the States, and threaten the 

 subversion of the General Government? All that 

 is necessary to settle this simple but important 

 qiu -stion, without further agitation or delay, is -a 

 willingness on the part of all to sustain the Consti- 

 t;ri.i]f and to carry the provisions into practical 

 operation. If to-morrow either branch of Congress 

 would declare Hint, upon the presentation .of their 

 ials, members constitutionally elected and 

 loyal to the General Government would be admitted 

 to seats in Congress, while all others would be ex- 

 cluded, and their places remain vacant until the 

 selection by the people of loyal and qualified per- 

 sons ; and if, at the same time, assurance wore 

 i:iven that this policy would be continued until all 

 the States were represented in Congress, it would 



i thrill of joy throughout the entire land, us 

 indicating the inauguration of a system which must 

 speedily- bring tranquillity to the public mind. 



While we are legislating upon subjects which are 

 of great importance to the whole people, and which 

 must affect all parts of the country not only during the 

 life of the present generation, but for ages to emne, 

 we should remember that all men are entitled at 

 n> a hearing in the councils which decide upon 

 the destiny of themselves and their children. At 

 present u-ii States are denied representation, and, 

 when the Fortieth Congress assembles on the 4th 

 day of the present month, sixteen States will be with- 

 out a voice in the House of Representatives. This 



fact, with the important questions before us, 

 should induce us to pause in a course of legislation 

 which, looking solely to the attainment of political 



' ills to consider the rights it transgresses, the 

 law which it violates, or the institutions which it im- 

 perils. ANDREW JOHNSON. 

 WASHINGTON, March 2, 1867. 



AN ACT TO PROV1DK FOR THE MORE EFFICIENT GOVERN- 

 MENT OF THE REBEL STATES. 



Whereat no legal State governments or adequate 

 protection for life or property now exists in the rebel 

 Stat.-s d Virginia. North Carolina, South Carolina, 

 Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, 

 Texas, and Arkansas ; and whereas it is necessary 

 VOL. vii. 42 



that peace and good order should be enforced in 



Mates until loyal and republican State govern* 

 incuts can be legally wtabHsbed : 'I IHM 



the Senate and Houtt of lUprtttnt- 

 ativetofthe United State* of America in Cotuirtu at- 



', That said i.-lid Si.it.'> shall b.- di\i.|. 

 military districts ami made --iiliject to the military 

 authority of the I'nited Stales us hereinati 



I, 'and for that purpo-e Virginia shall 

 tnte tho lirst district; North Carolina and South 

 Carolina the second district ; Georgia, Alabama, and 

 l-'lm-ida, the third district; Mississippi and Arkansas 

 the fourth district ; and l/.ui-.iana and Texas the 

 fifth district. 



_'. Ami. )>< it furl lur rnnctnl, That it shall be 

 tin- duty of tin- lYc.-iilent to assign to the command 

 of each of said districts an officer of the army, not 

 below the rank of brigadier-general, and to detail a 

 sufh'cient military force to enable such officer t., per- 

 form his duties and enforce his authority within the 

 district to which he is assigned. 



SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That it shall be 

 the duty of each officer assigned as aforesaid to pro- 

 tect all persons in their rights of person and proper- 

 ty, to suppress insurrection, disorder, and violence, 

 and to punish, or cause to be punished, all disturbers 

 of the public peace and criminals, and to this end he 

 may allow local civil tribunals to take jurisdiction of 

 ana to try offenders, or, when in his judgment it 

 may be necessary for the trial of offenders, he shall 

 have power to organize military commissions or tri- 

 bunals for that purpose, and all interference, under 

 color of State authority, with the exercise of military 

 authority under this act shall be null and void. 



SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That all persons 

 put under military arrest by virtue of this act shall 

 be tried without unnecessary delay, and no cruel or 

 unusual punishment shall be inflicted, and no sen- 

 tence of any military commission or tribunal hereby 

 authorized, affecting the life or liberty of any person, 

 shall be executed until it is approved by the officer 

 in command of the 'district, and the laws and regu- 

 lations for the government of the army shall not be 

 affected by this act, except in so far as they conflict 

 with its provisions : Provided, That no sentence of 

 death under the provisions of this act shall be car- 

 ried into effect without the approval of the Presi- 

 dent. 



SEC. 5. And be it further enacted. That when the 

 people of any one of said rebel States shall have 

 formed a constitution of government in conformity 

 with the Constitution of the I'nited States in all re- 

 spects, framed by a convention of delegates elected 

 bv the male citizens of said State twenty-one years 

 old and upward, of whatever race, color, or previous 

 condition, who have been resident in said State for 

 one year previous to the day of such election, except 

 such as may be disfranchised for participation in the 

 rebellion or for felony at common law, and when 

 such constitution shall provide that the elective 

 franchise shall be enjoyed by all such persons as 

 have the qualifications herein stated for electors of 

 delegates, and when such constitution shall be rati- 

 fied by a majority of the persons voting on the ques- 

 tion of ratification who are qualified as electors for 

 delegates, and when such constitution shall have 

 been submitted to Congress for examination and ap- 

 proval, and Congress shall have approved the same, 

 and when said State, by a vote of its Legislature 

 elected under said constitution, shall have adopted 

 the amendment to the Constitution of the United 

 States, proposed by the Thirty-ninth Congress, and 

 known as article fourteen, and when said article 

 shall have become a part of the Constitution of the 

 United States, said State shall be declared entitled 

 to representation in Congress, and Senators and 

 Representatives shall be admitted therefrom on their 

 taking the oath prescribed by law, and then and 

 thereafter the preceding sections of this act shall be 

 inoperative in said State : Provided, That no person, 



