Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-12-23

will in like manner aDloe Oy ana Hltnfuty eupPVi
all acts Of Congress passed during the existing -
as not repealed, modified or held void 6y Congress
.or by decisiono Of the Supreme Court md thas viii
in like manner abide by and, faithfully support all
procainatioDs Of the President made during the ex-
listing rebellion having reference to slaves 80 long
and 90 "a. as not modified Or declared void By de-
cisiou 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 dir lomatie officers or agents Of the So
called Confederate government; all who have LEFT
judicial stations under the United States to aid the
rebellion; al who are or shall have been military
or naval officers of said so.called Confederate gov
eminent above the rank Of colonel in the army, or
lieutenant in the navy all WHO have left seats in
the United States Congress to aid in the rebellion !;
all who resigned commissions in the army or navy
Of the United States and afterwards aided the rebel
lion; and all who have engaged in any way in treat
ing coiofed persons or white persons in charge Of
such, Otherwise than lawfully as prisoners Of war,
aad which persons msyhAvs been found in the Uni-'
ted States service soldiers seamen or IN sny other
capacity. And do further proclaim, declare and
make known that wherever, in any of the States
Of Arkansas, Texas Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennes'
see, Alabama, Georgia Florida, South Carolins and
North Carolina = number of persons not less than
onetenth in number of the votes cast in such States
at the Presidential election Of the year Of our Lord
1S60-eseh having taken the oath aforesaid, and nof
having since violated it. and being qualified voter
by the election law Of the State existing immediate
ly before the called act of secession and exclu
ding all others-shaH re.establlsh, State govern
mentI which shalt be republican, and in no wise
con:ravenng said oath, such shall be recognized as
the true government Of the State and the State shall
receive Hereunder the benefit of the constitutional
provision which declares, that the United States
shall guarantee to every State in this Union re-
publican form of government, and shall protect each
OF them against invasion, on application of the Leg
islature, or Of the Executive when the Legislature
cannot be convened, and against domestic violence"
And | do further proclaim, declare aud make
known, that any provision which may be adopted
by such State government in relation to the freed
people of such State, which shall recognize and de-
clare their permanent freedom, provide for their ed
ucatlon, and which may yet be consistent as TEN.
porary arrangement with their present condition as
laboring, andless and houseless class, will not be
objected to by the national Executive. And it is
engas ed as not improper, that in constructing 10y
al State government in any State the name of the
State the boundary the subdivisions the constitu.
ton and the general code of laws, as before rebel
lion, be maintained, subject only to the mod.fica-
tons made necessary by the conditions hereinbefore
stated, and such Others, if any, not eontravenng
said conditions, and which may be deemed expe-
dient by those framing the new State government.
To avoid misunderstanding, it may be proper to
say that this proclamation, far it. relates to
State governments has no reference to States where
IN loyal State governments have all the while been
maintained. And for the same reason it may be
proper to further say that whether members sent to
Congress from any State shall be admitted to
seats constutionaiy rests exclusively with the re.
spectlve 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 national authority has been suspended
and loyal State governments have been subyerted,
mode in and by which the national authority and
loyal State governments may be reestablished with
in said States or in any of them; and, while the
mode presented is the best the Executive can suggest
with his present impressions, it must not be under
stood that no other possible mode would be accep-
table :.
| Given under my hand, at the city of Washington,
the eighth day of December, A. D., one thousand
eight hundred and sixty three, and of the indepen-
dence of the United States Of America the eighty
! eighth. = ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
By the President:
WILLIAM 81. SEWARD, Secretary Of State