The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-12-10

with reference to slavery, as long and as far as
not modified or declared void BY decision of the
Supreme Court So help me God.
The persons excepted from the benefits OF the
foregoing provisions are all who are or shall
have been civil or diplomatic officers or agents
of the so-caled confederate government, all who
have lett Judicial STATIONS under the United
States 70 aid the rebellion, all who are OF shall
have been military or naval officers OF the So
called confederate government above the rank
OF Colonel IN the army, OF OF Lieutenant IN the
n IVY, all who LETT seats in Congress 10 aid the
rebellion, all who resgnel commissions 10 the
army or navy OF 5ha United States, and after
warKs AIDED the rebellion ana all who have
engaged IN any way IN treating cOlOred persons
or white persons utherWise than lawfully as
prisoners OF war, and which persons may nave
been found IN ohe UnlteI States service as sol
dlers seamen, or IL any other capacity,
And DO further proclaim, declare and make
known, thaJ whenever ia any OF the State OF
Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, len
nessee AlabaAla Georgia, tlorida, South Caro-
Ina aud North Carolina, a number Of persons
not less thaL Jns-teLt4 m humber OF ru3 votes
cast in such State al the Presidential. election Of
tie year OF our Lord loGO, each having taken
the OATH atoi esaid and not having since violated
IJ, and being a qualified voter during the cleo
ZION IdW OF the S,4te tNielng immediately be-
fore the soc Leo d., u seCessIln, and excluding
all others, small rees.abliaa STATE government
which shall be republican, ana N no wise con
traVening sald oath, such shall De recognized as
the true government Of the State. ana the State
shall receive the eunder the benefit OF the con-
stitutonal provision which declares thai " the
United States shall guarantee to every State IN
this Union republican form Of government.
and shall protect each OF them against invasion
on application Of the legislature, the executive
when the Legislature cannot be convened against
domestic violence
And do further proclaim, declare, and make
known, that any provision which may be adopted
by such State government, IN relation 10 the
freed ., ople of such State which shall recognize
and declare their permanent freedom, provide
for their education, and which may ye; be con-
sistent, as temporary arrangement, with their
resent condition as ii laboring, landess and
homeless class, will not be objected to by the
national executive.
And it is suggested Is not improper, that IN
constructing "a loyal State government IN any
State, the name o! the State, the boundary, the
subdivisions, the constitution and the general
code of laws as before the rebellion, be main
tained subject only to the notifications made
necessary by the conditions hereinbefore stated
and such others il any not contravenlng said
conditions, and which may be deemed expedlent
by those forming the new State government
To avoid misunderstanding it may be proper
TO say that this proclamation, 50 far as 1t relates
to State governments, has no reference to States
wherein loyal State governments have all the
while been maintained.
And for the same reason 1t may be proper
! further to say, that whether members sent tC
Congress from any State shall be admitted tC
seats constitutionanY rests exclusively with thu
respective Houses, and not to any extent witt
the executive.
And still further, that this proclamation /
intended to present The people of the State
wherein the national authorly has been suspeu
died. and loyal State governments have been sub
verted, mode IN and by which the national au
thority and loyal State governments may be re
established within said States, or in any OF them
And while the mode presented is the best III
executive can suggest, with his present impres
sions, 1t must not be understood that no othe
possible mode would be acceptaI lie.
Given under my hand at the city of Wash
ngton, the Sth day of December, A. D. 1868
and of the independence of the United States c
America the elghty-eighth.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
BY the President,
n " at