petition is preferred in good faith and in furtherance of
justice, and not to hinder or delay the punishment of crime.
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.

"SEC. 5. _And be it further enacted_, That no sentence 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 regulations for the
government of the army shall not be affected by this act,
except in so far as they conflict with its provisions."

Mr. Stevens, having been remonstrated with by a Democratic member for
expressing a wish to bring the question to vote without a prolonged
debate, replied: "I am very willing that the debate which has been
going on here for three weeks shall all be read over by the gentleman
whenever he can take time to read it." "On behalf of the American
people," said the same member, "I ask more time for debate." "I will
see what the American people think of it in the morning. If they are
generally for a prolongation of the debate, of course I will go with
them. But I will wait until then, in order to ascertain what the
people want."

On the following day, February 7th, Mr. Stevens introduced the
discussion with a brief speech. "This bill provides," said he, that
"the ten disorganized States shall be divided into five military
districts, and that the commander of the army shall take charge of
them through his lieutenants as governors, or you may call them
commandants if you choose, not below the grade of brigadiers, who
shall have the general supervision of the peace, quiet, and the
protection of the people, loyal and disloyal, who reside within those
precincts; and that to do so he may use, as the law of nations would
authorize him to do, the legal tribunals where-ever he may deem them
competent; but they are to be considered of no validity _per se_, of
no intrinsic force, no force in consequence of their origin, the
question being wholly within the power of the conqueror, and to remain
until that conqueror shall permanently supply their place with
something else. I will say, in brief, that is the whole bill. It does
not need much examination. One night's rest after its reading is
enough to digest it."

"Of all the