American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-04-14

W. s;a. -,
tho nronar constrnct;on ~ tho t;rs
mart of the "a section of the Civ
/ RIGHTS hill enacted bv onr last Les
islsture nronose to Give NV view
of n 90 rs 70 aid in the settlement
/ and this yiew. allow me tn saw
4 sanctioned NV very high authority'
The part of the statute referred +
is in these words:
/ spc . ~ = s,rtho. onoo+o,
That an freedmen f;aa NEGROES an,
! n,nl,tt"es who do NOR and 5ors berl
toSars l;Vea and cnbah;ted togetbe
aS husband aud wife shall he tale
and baId in law as LEGALLY married
and tbe ;ssne shall he taken and he'll,
ms le~itimate for all Durno,es
m, ,,.o,+;on 90 tho s..t,to ~ +,,;,
sentence is to leoal;xe cancellations
md ie0timate the offspring. Acts OF
'65. $50. The subjects of its operation
are. all freedmen, free negroes and
maiattoes: and these general terms
imply both OF either parents-both
or Gather cohabitors.
There arc two Jeoo,,;,o c,ausos !,
this sentence. Those Who do no,o and
hare beretoforp lived togatber aS
husband and wife Tbese two ,.Iausns
give rise to two classes of cohabita-
tions; and these classes are indicated
and distinguished from each other
by the term noe, in the first clause,
and the term heretofore, in the
second clause. The class indicated
by the term noe, may be termed CO.
temporaaeoas combinations, as being
cotemporaneous with the passage OF
the act; and the class indicated by
the term heretofore, may be called
a1tecedent combinations, as being an
tecedent to the passage OF the act.
Acts of 1860, So. .--s ..
The statute leoalizes both cotem-
poraneous and aptecedent cobabita-
tions. and confers upop the cobabit
ors in both classes all tbe nrivileces
and responsibilities of martial and
narentaI relations Acts 1851. $50
The class of cotemporaneons GO.
b,,bitotions inclnde an those who
were LIVING and cohahitinU as bns-
hand and wife. aft the time of the
massage of the act.
Nh ,l,ss % on+ooodo,. ooh,h;.,
+;ons ;noImaaS thnsa uho sa .ahahitaJ
mt.',n,iant ~ tio 'I.,a, 49, .'o ~ 4ha ~
""us 'o' ~ 'ns passes VI 'no "e''
nu' iillS latter CLASS uoes not IN
ciuue u" VINO 50 conaplted antecedeiit
suaa.;,,l onan.t;nn ~ ~. 81 = 10y" 10
'irrG,n;tod IT, 49, ~ naioto ha,,,.
;nJnen;taI,- Thosa aIansoa ~ thn
st.tuta no an,l;",bIa =" na,sa,S
oah, pnt ~. 800. ~ pb nono
u",S' No. j., ax;stannn Tho+ i.
i,nnnsS;hio Thon tho,. .on onI, on
,i,i t 80 and onono.o MY ."n $500 t,,a o.
anh ab;,n,;anl wha, dna ~ o.ta,.
ot Snnh nnbah;tors n ono I " Wy ~ - 4ha
t;,na of tbn nasSano of tb;S aor If
ha4S W 49, ,ne I.sss ~ .ais oeL,,i,
;tot;onS wora deaa 81 thot en- thnn
tha law -, 49, "v nc, ~ r. 49,
iaa;t;moto tho;n ott.,,,r;n d., -
a;1har nf S,ch anhoh;tnr1, sroro i;"inn
at sncb time then the law docs an
nix, and iao,l;zos tbo antooodont cp
hhah;tat;on and I.o;t;",atos thn aty
Snr;n% s, that fha nnora+;on Of
tbano c,onso., 80 a,,tooodont aoh.h
;tat;on is Tm;toJ 70 those caSoS in
which ana nf nj .oboh;+orS vros
sur,,;,. ;nn ~ tha 80 of tI,o nassa"n
oftha Is hs 81 nv 'i' ~ NV pe
me construction Oh tiieSc leSailI-
ing ciauses' that tney ie9allZeu Only
eotemporaheous eohaoitatiohs' Wo'ild
ieau 10 onese Consequences opera
tlon anu eilect would oiliy DC given
70 tne nrSt clause lor tne Hrst
ciause Soes l'lliy 10 the eAlen! Vi llllS
co .,ii't . 'nu 10 operation anu ~
'.io,,S,, h,,t - s',Ia t'' .un 10y 90
nnII;tv AmantaooJnnt oohal";tat;ons
~ th0 60 nf tLo I'll ~ TEL.
nart,, wn,,S -. 80" ,IonaI;aaJ
an H. otssnr;,,. 49," "e "ntanadon 80 ,o
hnb;tnt;ono T. n.1so 81 ~ daatb 81
o;tber noron+ ol,bnnnb tho sur1,iy;nn
,,oron+ Taiorht 80 ,snann.," "a ~
MI 70 Srn,,ort ~ 49,, H.,
would .o,,,d;., ',n, ",a ond w.
s,h;oat 20 ho n, S.,r,t h, .bo
fnr,nor ownor. III e no a,oi;nnI
than Inv any otbar ,nrson and ba
I;.hi. tIarai'v to La l"nttoroJ INTO os