East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1863-12-16


confederate government above the
rank of Colonel in the army or Lieu
tenant in the navy; all who left seats
in the United States Congress TO aid |
the rebellion; all who resigned COM
missions in the army or navy Of tho
United States, and afterwards aided
the rebellion and all who havo en-
gagged III any way in treating colored
persons in charge of such, other than
as prisoners Of war, and which per-
sons may have been found in the Uni
ted States service as soldiers, seamen,
or in any other capacity. And L do
further proclaim, declare and make
known that wheneyersin any Of the
States of Arkansas, Texas, Mississip-
pi louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama,
Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and
North Carolina, a nnmber of persons
not less than one-tenth the number of
votes cast in the Presidential election
in the year Of our Lord 1860, each
having taken tho oath Aforesaid and
not having since violated it, and be-
ing a qualified voter by the election
laws Of the state, existing Immediately
before the so-called act of secession,
and excluding all others, shall re-estab-
lish state government, which shall
be republican and in no wise contra
voning said oath, shall be recognized
as the true government Of the state,
and the state shall receive hereunder
the benefit of the constitutional pro-
vision, which declares that the United
States shall guarantee to every State
in this Union a republican form of
government and shall protect each of
them against invasion on application
of the Legislature or of the Executive,
when the Legislature cannot be con-
vened, against domestic violence, and
l do further proclaim, declare and
make known that any provision which
may be adopted by such State govern
ment in relai IN to the freed people Of
such State which shall recogize and
declare their permanent freedom and
provide for their education, and which
may yet be consistent as q temporary
arrangement with their present con-
dition as q laboring, landless and
houseless class, will not be objected to
by the national executive, and it is en-
gagged as not improper, that in con-
structing loyal State government in
any State the name Of the state, the
boundary, the subdivision, the con-
stitution and the general code of laws,
as before the rebellion, be maintained,
subject only to the mod fcations made
NECESSARY by the conditions hereinbe-
fore stated, and such others, if any,
not contravening such conditions which
may be deemed expedient by those
framing the new State Of government.
To avoid misunderstanding it may be
proper to say that this proclamation,
so far as it relates to State govern
ments, has no reference to States where
in loyal State governments have all
the while been maintained, and flor
the same reason it may be proper to
say that whether members sent to
Congress from any State shall be adj
mitted to seats constitutionally, rests
exclusively with the respective houses,
and not to any extent with the Exc
cutive; and still further, that this
proclamation is intended to present to
the people Of the States wherein the
national authority has been suspend
ed and loyal States governments have
been subverted, a mode in and by
which the national authority and 10y
al State governments, may be re-es-
tablished within said States, or in any
of them, and while the mode present.
ed is the best the executive can sug-
gest with his present impressions, it
must not be understood that no other
possible mode would not be accepta-
able.
Given under my hand at the city of
Washington, the eighth day of De-
cember, A. ID. ono thousand, eight
hundred and sixty-three, and Of
the independence of the United
States Of America the eighty eighth.
(SgnedD ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
By the President,
WIN II. SEWARD, Secretary Of State.