The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-10-03
EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVES
OF REBELS.

VI
By the President Of the United States. a
Proclamation.
|, Abraham Lincoln, President of the In
tied States, and Commander-in-chief of the
Army and Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim
and declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the
war will be prosecuted for the object of prac-
tically restoring the constitutional relation
between the United States and the people
thereof, in which States that relation is or
NAV be suspended or disturbed that it is my
purpose at the next meeting of Congress to
again recommend the adoption Of practical
measure rendering pecuniary aid to the &C
ceptance or rejection of all the slave States,
so-called, the people whereof may not be in
rebellion against the United States, and
which State may then have voluntarily adopt
ed, or thereafter may voluntarily adopt, jimmie
diate or gradual abolshmert of slavery with
in their respective limits, and that the effort
to colonize persons of African descent with
their consent upon this continent, or else
where, with the previously obtained consent
of the government existing there, will be con-
tinued that upon the lst day of January in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hum
dred and sixty-three, all persons held as
slaves within any State, or any designated
part Of State, the people whereof shall be
in rebellion against the United States, shall
be then then:eforward and f>reyer free, and
the Executive Government Of the United
Safes including the military and naval au-
,horty 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
freedom that the Executive will, On the LIST
day January aforesaid, by proclamation de-
signate the States or parts of States, if any,
in which the people thereof respectively shall
then be in rebellion against the United States,
and the fact that any State or people thereof
shall on that day be in good faith represented
in the Congress Of the United States by men,
bers chosen thereto at elections wherein a
majority of the qualified voters of such State
shall have participated, shall, in the absence
@: strong counterv ailing testimony, be deem
ea conclusive 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
san act to make an additional article Of war;"
approved March Is, 1862, and which act is
in the words and figures following
abe it enacted by the Senate and House of
of the United States of Am
erica, in Congress assembled, That hereafter
the following shall be promulgate as an ad.
Ilitional article of war for the government of
the army of the United States, and shall be
obeyed and observed as such:
Article. All officers or persons in the mil
tary or naval service of the United States
are prohibited from employing any Of the
forces under their respective commands for
the purpose of returning fusitives from serv-
ice or labor who may have escaped from any
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.
Section 2. And be It further enacted, that
this act shall take effect from and after its
passage
Also to the 9th and 10Th sections of an
act entitled An act to suppress insurrection,
to punish treason and rebellion, to sieze and
contiscate property of rebels, and for other
purposes, approved July II, 1862, and which
sections are in the words and figure follow
ing:
"Sec,ion 8. And be it further enacted, that
all slaves of persons who shall hereafter be
engaged in rebellion against the government
of the United States, or who shall in any
way give aid or comfort thereto, escaping
from such person and taking refuge within
the lines of the army, and all slaves captured
from such persons, or deserted by them and
coming under the control of the government
of the United States, and all slaves of such
persons found on or being within any place
occupied by rebel forces and afterwari oceu-
pied by the forces Of the United States, shall
be deemed captures of war, and shall be for
ever free of their servitude, and not again
held as slaves.
Sec 10. And be it further enacted, that
no slave escaping into any State, territory, or
the District of Columbia, from any of the
States. shall be delivered up. or in any way
impeded or hindered Of his liberty. except for
crime or some offence against the laws unless
the person claiming said fugitive shall first
make oath that the person to whom the labor
Or service of such fugitive is alleged to be due
is his lawful owner. and has not been in arms
against the United States in the present re-
bel!ion, nor in any way given aid or comfort
thereto, and no person engaged in the mill
tarv or naval service of the United States
shall under any pretence whatever assume to
decide on the validity of the claim of any per-
son to the service or labor of any other per-
son, or surrender up any such person 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
service of the United States to observe, obey
and enforce, within their respective sphere OF
service, the acts and sections above recited
and the Executive will in due time recon-
mend that all citizens of the United States
WHO snail have re NAMED loyal thereto through
out tAe rebellion, shall, upon the restoration
OF the Constitutional relati N between the L.
nited States and their respective States and
people, II the relation shall have been suspen.
ded or disturbed be compensated for all loss
es by acts OF the | n:ted States, including the
loss of slaves. '">
In witness whereof have hereunto set nv
hand and caused the seal of the United States
to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington this TWEEN
ty-second day Of September. in the year Of
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two, and of the independence of the L.
ni.ed States eighty-seven.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
BY the President.
WIN. H. SEWARD.
Secretary of State.
p The latest grief which has come ovel
Al. N