The Shasta courier., 1863-12-19
The presiaent,. Proclamation.
The following proclamation was appended
to the Presidents message:


the United States, it is provided that the
| President shall have power to grant reprieves
and pardon for ottenses against the United
States, except in cases Of impeachment; and
whereas. a rebellion exists whereby the loval
States, and governments OF. several States
| have for Il long time been subverted. and
many persons committing and are now gull
/ " OF treason against the United States: and
whereas, In reference to said rebellion aud
treason, laws have been enacted by Congress.
calling for the forfeiture and cnnfiscation Of
/ property. and liberation of slaves, all Upon
terms and conditions therein stated and de-
claring that the President was thereby as-
/ thorized Mt any time thereafter. by procla-
nation to extend to persons who may have
partipieated in the existing rebellion. in any
| State or part thereof. pardon and amnes-
! ty with such exceptions. and such stated
1 terms, and on such conditions as he may
deem expedient for the public welfare and.
whereas, the Congressional declaration for
| limited and conditional pardon accOrds with
well established judicial expostions of the
pardoning power; and, whereas, with ref
erence to said rebellion, the President of the
! Uuited States has issued several proclama.
tions, with provisions in regard to the liberia
tion of slaves and whereas. it is now de.
!
said rebellion, to RESUME their allegiance t,
the United States, and re inaugurate loys)
State Governments within and for their ra-
| spective States.
Therefore, !, Abraham Lincoln. President
of the United States. do proclaim, declars
and make known to all persons who have dl'
rectly or by implication participated in the
existing rebellion, except as hereinafter eAt
cepted- that full pardon is granted to themh
and each OF them with the restoration of all
| rights, II third parties shall have intervenefy
and upon the condition that such persons
shall take and subscribe an oath inviolate.
ana, which oath shall be registered for perm
ament preservation, and shall be of the tenor
and effect following. to wit:
- do solemnly swear in the presence Of
| Almighty God, that | Will henceforth faith
fully support. protect and defend the Con
| sitution OF the United States. and the Union
of States hereunder. and | will in like man.
ner abide by and faithfully support all the
Acts of Congress passed during the existing
rebellion with reference to slaves SO long and
so far as not repealed modified or held void
bv Congress or by the decision of the Sur
preme Court, and that | will in like MANN
abide by and faithfully support all procN
nations of the President made during the
existing rebellion, having reference TO slaves,
so long and SO far as not modified or de-
clared 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 have been the civil or diplomatic
agents of the so-called Confederate Govern
ment; all who have left judicial stations ur>
der the United States to all the rebellion !.
all who have or shall haze been military
or naval officers of the rank of Colonel in
the army or lieutenant in the navy; all who
left seats in the United States Congress to
aid in the rebellion; all who res gned their
commissions III the army or in the navy Of
the United States, and afterwards aided the
rebellion and all who have engaged in any
way in treating colored persons. and white
persons in charge of SUCH otherwise than
lawfully, rs prisoners of war, and which,
persons may be found in the United States
service as soldiers, seamen, or Ia any other
capacity.
And do further proclaim, declare anI
make known, that whenever IN any of the
/ States Of Arkansas, Texas. |. uisiana. Mis-
sissippi, Tennessee, Alabama. Georgia, tlor
ida. South Carolina and North Car lima. a
number OF persons, not less than one tenth
Of the number OF votes cast in such State ut
the Presidentia! election of the ye,r OF cur
Lord 1860, each having taken the oath afore-
said, and not having since violated it, be-
ing qualified voter by the election laws Of
the State, existing Immediately before the
so called Act OF secession, and excluding all
others; there shall be established Il State
Government which shall be republican, and
in no wise contravening such oatn such shall
be recognized as the true government of the
State: and the State shall receive Hereunder
the benefits of the Constitutional provision
, which declares that the United States shall
guarantee to every State IL this Union . rel
publican form OF government, and shall pro
tect each of them against invasion. and on
application of the Legislature-or the Execu-
tive, when the Legislature cannot be cot.
, vened-agaipst domestic violence.
Second, do further proclaim, declare and
make known, that any provision which may
he adopted by such State Government. in
relation to the freed people Of such State,
which shall recognize and declare their
permanent freedom and provide for their
education and which may yet be cons sistent
as Il cotempoary arrangement with their
present condition. as laboring landless and
homeless C ass. and will not beobe ected to by
the National Executive.
1t is suggested as not improper that in
constructing loyal State Government in any
State that the name of the same the bound
aries, the subdivisions, the Constitution and
the Federal code of laws as before the rebel
lion, may be maintained, subject only to
notifications made necessary for the condi-
tions hereinbetore stated, and such others. il
any, not tcontravening such conditions. which
may be deemed expedieut by those framing
the new State Government
To avoid misunderstanding, it NAV be bro.
per to say that this proclamation, so far as
1t relates to State governments. has no refer
ence to any States wherein loval State GOV
ernmentS have all the while been maintained.
and for the same reason it may be proper 70
further say, that whether members sent IN
Congress from any State shall be admitted 10
seats eonventual.y, rests exclusively with
the respective houses, and not to any extent
with the Executive
And still further, that this Proclamation is
intended to present to the people of the
States wherein the rational authority has
been subverted, a mode by which the nafional
authority over eva-v loval Sto.a C..-o,.y.