The Portland daily press., 1862-09-23
A Proclamation by the President.
WASHINGTON, Sept. %.
By the President of the United States of

WASHINGTON, Sept 22.
By the President of the United States of
America, Proclamation:
l, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United
States of America, and Commander-in-C Chief of
the Army and Navy thereof, do hereby pro-
claim and declare that hereafter, as heretofore,
the war will be prosecuted for the object of
practically restoring the constitutional relation
between the United States and the people
thereof in which States that relation is or may
be suspended or disturbed; that it is my pur-
pose, upon the next meeting of Congress, to
again recommend the adoption of practical
measure rendering primary aid to the Tree ac-
ceptance or rejection of all the slaves States
so called, the people whereof may not then be
in rebellion against the United States, which
States may then have voluntarily adopted, or
thereafter may voluntarily adopt, immediate
or gradual abolishment of slavery within their
respective limits, and that the efforts TO colon
ize persons of African descent with their con-
sent upon the continent or elsewhere, with the
previously obtained consent of the gov
ernment existing there, will be continued;
that on the first day of January, in the year
of our Lord one thous, nd eight hundred and
sxty-three, all persons held as slaves within
any State or any designated part of a State,
the people whereof shall there be in rebellion
against the United States, shall be then,
thenceforward and forever free, and that the
including the military and naval authority
thereof will recognize and maintain the free
dom 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, if any, in which the peo-
pie thereof respectively shall then be in rebel
lion against the United States, and the fact
that any State or people thereof shall on that
day be in good faith represented in the Con-
gress of the United States by members chos-
en- thereto at elections wherein y majority of
the qualified voters of such State shall have
participated, shall, in the absence of Strong
countervailing testimony, be deemed conclu-
sive evidence that such State 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 additional article of war, approved March
13, 1862, and which act is in the words and
figures following
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represen-
tatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled, that hereafter the following shall be pro-
mulgated as additional Article of War for the
government of the army of the United States, and
shall be obeyed and observed such Article. All
officers persons in the Military Naval service of
the United States prohibited from employing any
OF the forces under their respective commands for the
purpose of returning fugitycs escaped from any per-
sons to whom such service labor is claimed to be
due; and any officer who shall be found guilty by
missed from the service.
SIC 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 10 suppress insurrection,
to punish treason and rebellion, to sieze and
confiscate property of rebels, and for other
purposes, approved July II, 1862, and which
sections are in the words and figures follow
ing:
SECT 9. And be II further enacted that all slaves
persons who shall hereafter be gagged in rebellion
against the government of the United States, shall
in any give aid comfort thereto escaping from
such persons and taking refuge within lines of the
army and all slaves captured from such persons
deserted and coming under the control of the Gov
ernment of the United States and all slaves of such
persons found on, or being within any place occupied
by rebel forces and afterwards occupied by the forces
Of the United States, shall be deemed captures of
War and shall be forever free of their seryi,udo and
SECT. 10. And be it further enacted that no slave
escaping into any State territory the District of
Columbia from of the Ssaies shall be delivered
up, in any way impeded hindered of his liberty
except for crime, or some offence against the law
less the person claiming said fugitive shall first make
oath that the person to whom the labor service of
such fugitive Is alleged to be due TO his lawful owner
and has not been n arms against the United States
in the present rebellion in any way give aid and
comfort thereto and no person engaged IN the mill
itary naval force of the United States sha under
any pre- cncc whatever assume TO decide the valid
hy OF the claim of person TO the service labor
of any other person, surrender up any such
TO the claimant on pain of being dismissed from the
service.
And | do hereby enjoin upon and order all
persons engaged in the military and naval SER
vice of the United States, to observe, obey
and enforce within their respective spheres of
service above rected, and the Executive will
in due time recommend that all citizens of the
United States who shall have remained loyal
thereto throughout the rebellion, shall upon
the restoration of the constitutional relation
between the United States and their respective
States and people, if the relations shall hive
been suspended or disturbed, be compensated
for all losses by acts of the United States, in
cluding the loss of slaves.
In witness whereof / have hereunto set my
hand and caused the seal of the United
States TO be affixed. Done at the city of
Washington, this twenty-second day of Sep
tember, in the year of our Lord one thous-
and eight hundred aud sixty-two, and of the
independence of the United States the
eighty-seventh.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
By the President,
WIN. III. SEWARD, Secretary of State.