Sixth: That "an act to fix upon the person the offence of engaging in rebellion under this law must be an overt and voluntary act, done with the intent of aiding or furthering the common unlawful purpose," and that "a person forced into the rebel service by conscription or under a paramount authority which he could not safely disobey, and who would not have entered such service if left to the free exercise of his own will," was not disfranchised or disqualified from voting. And lastly: That disloyal sentiments, opinions or sympathies, or anything said or written which fell short {138} of an incitement to others to engage in rebellion, did not disfranchise or disqualify from voting. Some other instructions were given which were concurred in by the entire Cabinet, Mr. Stanton included, but the recital of them is not essential to this narrative. It must be added, however, that the President's view of the relation of the military commanders to the "State" governments created under his direction and with his aid was one which gave these governments a more independent and permanent character than the language of the Reconstruction Acts seemed to warrant. [Sidenote: The Congressional interpretation of the Reconstruction Acts.] When, then, the instructions of June 20th to the generals became known, another bill was introduced into Congress and passed which put the Congressional interpretation upon the Reconstruction Acts. It declared that the true intent and meaning of these Acts was that the civil governments then existing in the "rebel States" of Virginia, North Carolina, etc., were not legal "State governments," and that, if thereafter they should be allowed to continue to exist at all, they must be subject in all respects to the will of the military commanders of the respective districts, and to the paramount authority of Congress; and it provided that the generals in command of the respective districts might suspend or remove any person from any office under these illegal and pretended governments, and detail or appoint some other person to discharge the duties and exercise the powers said to pertain to such office. The acts of the district commanders in regard to these things were made subject to the disapproval of the General of the army, but not to that of the President, and stood until so disapproved. The same powers in regard to these matters were vested, by this bill, in the General of the army as in the district commanders, {139} but were not accorded by it to the President; and it was made the duty of the General of the army and the district commanders to remove from such pretended offices "all persons who were disloyal to the United States, or who used their official influence in any manner to hinder, delay, prevent, or obstruct the due and proper administration of the Reconstruction Acts."