The tri-weekly standard., 1866-06-14
The Civil Rights Bill.
We publish below the Civil Rights
Bill as it recently passed the Congress
over the Presidents Veto:, st

States and not subject to any foreign Power, ex-
cluding Indians, not taxed, arc hereby declared
to be citizens of the United States and such citi-
zens of every and color, without regard to
any previous condition of slavery or involuntary
servtude except as pahsnmdsh15 a d1y copvctt ,op
shall have the same right in every State and Ter
ritory in the United States to make and enforce
contracts to sue, be parties, and give evidence,
to inherit, purchase lease, sell, hold, and convey
real and personal property, and to full and equal
benefit ofall laws and proceedings Ior Iiie secuIi
! ty of person and property as is enjoyed by white
citizens, and shall be subject to like punishment,
pains AM. penalties and to none oenef any 4%, 4%
contrary notwithstanding.
SEC. ;. And be it further enacted That any per-
son who, under color of any law, statute, ordl
nance, regulation, or custom, shall subject, or
cause to be subjected, any inhabitant of any State
or Territory to the deprivation of any right Sc
cured or protected by this act, or to different
punishment, pains, penalties on account OF
such person having at any time been held III n
condition of slavery involuntary servitude, eX-
cept as u punishment for crime whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted, or by reason OF
his color race, than is prescribed for the pun
ishment of white persons, shall be deemed guiity
| of q msdemeanor, and, on conviction, shall De
punished by fine not exceeding one thousand dol
| lars or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or
| both in the discretion of the court.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted That the dis
trct courts of the United States, within their re-
spective districts, shall have, exclusively OF the
| courts of the several States cognizance of all
crimes and offences committed against the provi-
sions of this act, and also, concurrently with the
circuit courts of the United States, OF all causes,
civil and criminal, affecting persons who are de
MED cannot enforce in the courts or judicial
| tribunals of the State locality where they may
be, any of the rights secured to them by the nrst
section of this act; and if any suit prosecution
| civil criminal, has been or shall be commenced
| in any State court against any such person, Tor
any whatsoever, or against any ofhcer, civil
or military, or other person, for arrest or lmpr-
sonment, trespasses, or wrongs done or commit
ted by virtue or under color OF authority derived
from this act or the act establishing bureau for
the relief of freedmen and refugees, and all acts
amendatory thereof; or for refusing to do any ac-
upon the ground that it would be inconsistent
with this act such defendant shall have the right
to remove such cause for trial to the proper dist
trict or circuit court the manner prescribed by
| the Act relating to hdbedS corpus and regulating
judicial proceedings in certain cases. approved
March three, eighteen hundred and sixty-three,
| and all acts amendatory thereof The jurisdic-
ton in civil and criminal matters hereby confer
red on the district and circuit courts of the Unit
ed States shall be exercised and enforced in con-
formty with the laws OF the United States, so far
| as such laws suitable to carry the same into
effect; but in all cases where such laws not
adapted to the object, deficient in the pro-
visions necessary to furnish suitable remedies and
punish offences against law, the common law, as
modified and changed by the constitution and
statutes OF the State wherein the court having
Jurisdiction of the cause, civil criminal, is
held, so far as the same is not inconsistent with
the Constitution and laws of the United States,
shall be extended to and govern said courts in
the trial and disposition OF such cause, and, if of
q criminal nature, in the infiction of punishment
on the party found guilty.
trict attorneys, marsnas, and deputy marshals of
the United States, the commissioners appointed
by the circuit and territorial courts of the United
States, with powers of arresting, imprsoning, or
baling offenders against the laws OF the United
States, the officers and agents of the Freedmens
Bureau, and every other officer who may be spe-
claly empowered by the President of the United
States, shall be, and they are hereby, specially
authorized and required, at the expense Of the
United States, to institute proceedings against all
and every person who shall violate the provisions
of this act, and cause him them to be arrested
and imprisoned, or bailed as the case may be,
for trial before such court of the United States or
territorial court by the act has cognzance of
the offence. And with the view to affording
sonable protection to all persons in their cOnsti
tutonal rights of equality before the law, without
distinction of race or color, or previous condi-
ton of slavery or involuntary servitudc, except
punishment for crime, whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted, and to the prompt
discharge of the duties of this act it shall be the
duty of the circuit courts of the United States
and the superior courts of the Territories of the
United States, from time to time, to increase the
number of commissioners so as to afford speedy
| and convenient means for the arrest and eXamina-
| tion of persons charged with a violation of this
act. And such commissioners are hereby author
lied and required to exercise and discharge all
| the powers and duties conferred ON them by this
act, and the same duties with regard to offences
created by this act, as they are authorized by law
to exercise with regard to other offences against
the laws of the United States.
SEC. 3. And be tantter enacted, That it shall
be the duty of all Inarshals and deputy marshals
to obey and execute all warrants and precepts is
sued under the provisions of this act when to
them directed; ; and should any marshal or dep
uty marshal refuse to receive such warrant or
other process when rendered. or to use all proper
means diligently to execute the same, he SHALL on
conviction thereof, be fined in the of one
thousand dollars, to the use of the person upon
whom the accused is alleged to have committed
the offence. And the better to enable the said
commissioners to execute their duties faithfully
and efficiently, in conformity with the Constitu-
tion of the United States and the requirements of
this act, they are hereby authorized and empow-
cred, within their counties respectively, to ap-
point, in writing, under their hands, any one or
more suitable persons, from time to time, to exc
cute all such warrants and other process may
be issued by them in the lawful performance of
! their respective duties; and the persons so ap-
pointed to execute any warrant process as
aforesaid shall have authority to summon and
call to their aid the bystanders the posse
itdtats of the proper county, such portion of
the land and naval forces of the United States, or
! the militia, as may De necessary to the perfor-
nance of the duty with which they charged,
and to insure faithful observance of the clause
of the Constitution which prohibits slavery, in
conformity with the provisions of this act; and
said warrants shall run and be executed by said
officers anywhere in the State or Territory within
which they arc issued. ...0..
SEC. 6. And be it further enacted That any per-
son who shall knowingly and willfully obstruct,
hinder, or prevent ant officer, or other person
charged with the execution of any warrant or
process issued under the provisions of this act,
or any person or persons lawfully assisting him
or them, from arresting any person for whose ap
prehension such warrant process may have
been issued, or shall rescue or attempt to rescue
such person from t lie custody of the officer, 9th
persons or persons, or those lawfully assisting
as aforesaid, when SO arrested pursuant to the
authority herein given and declared, shall aid,
abet or assist any person arrested aforesaid,
directly or indirectly, to escape from the custody
of the officer or other person legally authorized
as aforesaid or shall harbor conceal any person
for whose arrest a warrant or process shall have
been issued rs aforesaid, to prevent his dis
covery and arrest after notice or knowledge of the
fact that warrant has been issued for the appre-
hension of such person, shall, for either of said
offences, be subject to a fine not exceeding one
thoussnd dollars and Imprisonment not exceed
ing six months, by Indictment and conviction be-
fore the district court the United States for the
district in which said offence may have been
committed, or before the proper court of Grim
| inal Jurisdiction if committed within any one of
the organized Territories of the United States
SEC. T. Amd be it further enacted, That the dis
tlict attorneys, the marshals, their deputies and
| the clerks Of the said district and Territorial
courts shall be paid for their services the like
fees may be allowed to them for similar servi-
ces in other cases; and in all where the pro-
ceedings are before commissioner, he shall be
entitled to fee ften dollars in full for his servi
in each case, inclusive of all services incident
to such arrest and examination. The person or
persons authorized to execute the process to be
issued by such commissioners for the arrest of