American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1863-12-16

of war, and which persons may have been
found in the United States service as sol
diers, seamen, or in any other capacity
And / do further proclaim, declare and
make known, that whenever in any of the
States of Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mis-
sissippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia,
Florida, South Carolina and North Caro-
lima, number of persons, not less than
one-tenth of the number of the votes cast
in such State at the Presidential election
of the year Of our Lord 1860, each hav-
ing taken the oath aforesaid, and not hav-
ing since violated it, and being qualified
voter by the election laws of the State ex-
isting Immediately before the so-called act
of secession, and excluding all others, shall
re-establish State Government, which
shall be Republican, and in nowise contra
vening said oath--such shallbe recognized
as the true government of the State, and
the State shall receive Hereunder the ben
efits of the constitutional provision which
declares that the United States shall guar
antee to every State in the Union a repub-
lican form of government, and shall pro-
tect each of them against invasion, and on
application of the Legislature, or the Ex-
ecutive when the Legislature cannot be
convened, against domestic violence.
And / do further proclaim, declare and
make known, that any provisions which
may be adopted by such State Govern
ment in ralation 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 con-
sistent, as temporary arrangement, with
their present condition as laboring, land
less and homeless class, will not be object
ed to by the National Executive,
And it is suggested as not improper
that in reconstructing loyal State gov
enment in any State, the name, the bound
airy, the subdivision, the Constitution,
and the Federal code of laws, as before
the rebellion, be maintained, subject only
to notifications made necessary by the
conditions hereinbefore stated, and such
others, if any, not contravening said con-
ditions, which may be deemed convenient
by those framing the new State govern
ment.
To avoid misunderstanding it may be
necessary to say that this proclamation, so
far as it relates to State governments, has
no reference to States wherein loyal State
governments have all the while been main
tanned And for the same reasGn it may
be proper to further say that whether mem
bers sent to Congress from any State shall
be admitted to seats, constitutionally 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 national authority has
been suspended and loyal State govern
ments have been subyerted, a mode by
which the national authority over every
loyal State government may be re-estab-
lished within said States or any Of them
And while the mode presented is the best
the Executive can suggest with his pres
ent impressions, tmust not be understood
that another possible mode would not be
acceptable.
Given under my hand, at the city Of
Washington, the eighth day of December
4. D. one thousand eight hundred and
sixty three, and of the Independence Of
the United States of America the eighty
eighth. ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
By the President:
| VIM. HI. SEWARD, Sec'y of State