Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-09-25
Proclamation by the President

Washington, Sept. %.
/, Abraham Lincoln, President of The
United States of America, and commander
in-cbief of the Army and Navy, do hereby
proclaim and declare that hereafter as here
tofore, the war will be prosecuted for the
object of practically restoring the constitu-
tional relations between the United States
and the people thereof, in which States that
relation is or may be suspended or disturbed,
that it is my purpose upon the next meeting
of Congress to again recommend the adoption
| of practical measure rendering pecuniary
aid to the free acceptance or rejection of
all the slave states, so called, the people
whereof may not then be in rebellion against
the United States, and which States may
then have voluntarily adopted or thereafater
may voluntarily adopt the immediate or
gradual adjustment of slavery within their
respective limits, and that the efforts 10 COL
onze persons of African descent with their
consent upon the continent or elsewhere with
the previously obtained consent of the gov
ernments existing there will be continued.
That on the first day of January. in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within
| any State or any designated part of State,
the people whereof shall then be in rebellion
against the United States, shall be thencefor-
ward and forever free, and the executive
government of the United States, including
the military and naval authority thereof, will
recognize and maintain the freedom of such
persons, and will do no act or acts to repress
such persons or any OF them in any efforts
they may make for their actual freedom.
That the executive will, on the first day of
January aforesaid, by proclamation designate
the States and parts of States, if any, in
which the people thereof respectively, shall
then be in rebellion against the Uaited
States, and the fact that any State, or the
people thereof, shall on that day be in good
faith represented in the Congress of the
United States by members chosen thereto at
election, wherein majority of the qualified
voters of such States shall have participated,
shall, in the absence OF strong countervailing
testimony be deemed conclusive evidence
that such States, and the people thereof, have
not been in rebellion against the United.
States.
That attention is hereby called to an act of
Congress entitled An Act to make an add.
houal article of war, approved March IS,
1862, and which act is in the words and
figure following
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives OF the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That here
after the following shall be promulgated as
an additional article of war for the govern
ment q the army OF the United States, and
shall be obeyed and observed as SUCH
All officers or persons in the military or
naval service of the United States are pro-
hiblted from employing any of the force un.
der their respective commands for th pur-
pose OF returning fugitives from service or
labor who may have escaped from any per-
son to whom such service or labor is claimed
to be due, and any officer who shall be found
guilty by court martial of violating this
article shall be dismissed from the service.
Sec. 2, And be it further enacted, That
this act shall take effect from and after its
passage.
Also to the ninth and tenth sections of an
act entitled "An act to suppress insure ct;on
to punish treason and rebellion, to Sc 90 ami
confiscate property of rebels, and for othar
purposes" approved July IS, 1869. and
which sections are in the wor' 10 and f;oure
following
Sec. 3. And be it furt GER enacted That
all slaves of persons WI o shall hereafter be
engaged IN rebellion against the government
OF the United State IS, or who shall in any
way give AID or comfort thereto, escaping
from such per sons and taking refuge within
the ines Oh che army, and all slaves captured
from suc'- persons, or deserted by them and
comlnts under the control of the Govern
merit of the United States and all slaves of
s,dch persons found on or being within any
place occupied by rebel forces and afterward
occupied by the forces of the United States,
shall be deemed captives of war and shall be
forever free OF their servitude and not held
as slaves.
Sec. 10. Aud be it fuI Their enacted, That
no slave escaping into any State, Territory