Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1867-03-22
Congress has very nearly agreed upon


bill supplementary to the military Recon
struction BILL The Senate concurred in two
amendments passed by the House, one ma
king an addition to the oath required and an
other making false swearing punishable, but
struck out the House amendment requiring
a majority of the registered voters to ratify
the constitution. A committee of conference
will settle this slight difference and the bill
will doubtless pass, 1t differs in some re-
spects from the abstract of the Wilson bill,
which We published last week. The oath re-
quired Of voters is as follows:
II do solcmnly swear, or affirm, in the
presence of Almighty God that I am a citi-
zen of the State of -, that have resided
in said State for months next preceding
this day, and now reside in the county Of
- or the parish of - in said State, Gas
the case may be;) that I am twenty. one
years old that have not been DISTINGUISHED
for participation in any rebellion or civil war
against the United States, nor for felony COM
mitted against the laws Of any State or of the
United States; that have never taken an
oath as member Of Congress of the United
States, or as member Of any State Legisla-
ture. or as an executive or judicial officer of
any State to support the Constitution of the
United States, and afterwards engaged in in-
surrection or rebellion against the United
States, or given aid or comfort to the enc
mics thereof; that will faithfully support
the Constitution and obey the laws of the
United States, and will, to the best of my
ability, encourage others to do so. So help
me God"
It requires the registered voters to vote on
the question Of g Convention" or q No Con-
vention" and the Convention only to be called
if majority of votes given on the question
be in favor of a Convention, a majority of
the voters registered having voted on the
subject.
It provides further that the officers of reg
istration and officers conducting said elections
shall, in addition to the oath to faithfully per-
form the duties of their said office, take and
subscribe the "oath of office" prescribed BY
act of Congress July End, 1862, which is as
follows:
u, 49, , do solemnly swear that I
have never voluntarily borne arms against
the United States since have been citizen
thereof; that have voluntarily given no aid,
countenance, council or encouragement to
persons engaged in armed hostility thereto;
that | have never sought nor accepted, nor
attempted to exercise the functions of any Of
fee whatever, under any authority or pre-
tended authority in hostility to the United
States; that | have not yielded voluntary
support to any pretended government, au-
thority, power or constitution within the
United States, hostile or inimical thereto
And do further swear that, to the best Of
my knowledge and ability I will suppot and
defend the Constitution Of the United States
against all enemies foreign and domestic; that
| will bear true faith and allegiance to the
same; that [ take this obligation freely, with
out any mental reservation or purpose of eva
sion; and that will well and faithfully dis
charge the duties of the Office on which am
about to enter, so help me God"
The above summary but bears us out IN
the assertion we made last week, that the
radicals were not yet done with US, and we
therefore advise our readers to be patient till
Congress has progressed further with its
reconstruction programme, before they be-
gin to determine what to d. or how best to
do it.
When the supplementary bill is passed we
will publish it entire.