y the indifference of the civil
authorities and by the population, who made themselves accomplices
in the crimes, that other measures became necessary."

In Mississippi, General Thomas calls attention to the legislation
in regard to colored people. "It is oppressive, unjust, and
unconstitutional." The laws as to buying real estate, bearing arms,
making contracts, and the like, are of such a character "that the
constitutional gift of freedom is not much more than a name."

General Sheridan, speaking of Louisiana, says: "Homicides are
frequent in some localities. Sometimes they are investigated by a
coroner's jury, which justifies the act and releases the
perpetrator; in other cases, ... the parties are held to bail in a
nominal sum; but the trial of a white man for the killing of a
freedman can, in the existing state of society in this State, be
nothing more or less than a farce."

General Thomas, in February last, in relation to the display of the
rebel flag in Rome, Georgia, said: "The sole cause of this and
similar offenses lies in the fact that certain citizens of Rome,
and a portion of the people of the States lately in rebellion, do
not and have not accepted the situation, and that is that the late
civil war was a rebellion, and history will so record it....
Everywhere in the States lately in rebellion treason is respectable
and loyalty odious. This the people of the United States who ended
the rebellion and saved the country will not permit; and all
attempts to maintain this unnatural order of things will be met by
decided disapproval."

Upon these official reports, showing not merely that atrocious
crimes were everywhere committed against loyal people, but that
the civil authorities did not even attempt to prevent them by the
punishment of the perpetrators, it became the plain duty of
Congress to adopt measures "to enforce peace and good order in the
rebel States, until loyal and Republican State governments could be
legally established." How well this duty was performed will appear
from a brief examination of the reconstruction acts which were
passed by Congress in March last, and by the auspicious results
which followed their adoption and execution.

By these acts, the ten rebel States were divided into five military
distric