The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-18
The Reconstruction Act,
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE MORE EFF
GENT GOVERNMENT OF THE REBEL STATES.

|
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE MORE EFF EFF
CLIENT GOVERNMENT OF THE REBEL STATES
WHEREAS, no legal State governments o ex aaH
in'the rebel States of Virginia, NortnrO
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana,
Florida, Texas, Mississippi and ArRansas, ahu
whereas, tits necessary that Pc ace ana g1Oa 1fuei
should be enforced in said States until loyal ana
republican State governments can De legally es
tablisllcd; therefore,
Be it enacted 6y the Senate and House 81 lsepre-
seeatives OF the United States Of 4ner1ca IN Con-
g,eSS assembled That said rebel States snail
be divided into military districts, ana mace SUD-
ject to the military authority ofthe United States
as hereinafter prescribed, and for that purpose
Virginia shall constitute the first district; North
Carolina and South Carolina the second distr!ct
Georgia, Alabama and Florida the third district !;
Mississippi and Arkansas the lourln ulstflct, anu
Louisiana and Texas the fifth district.
| SEC. g. And6e it further enacted, That 1t shall
be the duty of the President to assign TO the com
mand of each of said districts an oillcer OF the
| army not below the rank OF brigadier general,
| and to detail sufficient military force 10 enable
| such officer to perform his duties and enforce
his authority within the district to which he is
| assigned.
| SEC 3. And be 1t fstrthe, enacted, That it
shall be the duty of each officer assigned as afore-
said to protect all persons in their rights of per-
son and property, to suppress instruction, dis
ORDER and violence, and to punish or cause to be
punished all disturbers of the public peace and
criminals and to this end he may allow local
civil tribunals to take jurisdiction of and try
| offenders, or when in his JUDGMENT 1t may be
necessary for the trial of offenders, he shall have
power to organize military commissions or tri-
bunals for that purpose; and all interference
under color of State authority with the eXer-
else of military authority under this act shall be
null and void
SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That all
persons put under military arrest by virtue OF
this act shall be tried without unnecessary delay
and no cruel or unusual punishment shall be in
tlicted; and no sentence of any military com
mission or tribunal hereby authonze affecting
the life liberty of any person, shall be execu-
ted until it is approved by the officer in command
of the district and the laws and regulations for
the government of the army shall not be affected
by this act except in so far as they may conflict
with its provisions R0Vided, That no sentence
OF death under the provisions OF this act shall be
carried into effect without the approval OF the
President
Sec. 5. And be it. further enacted, That when
the people of any of the aforesaid rebel States
shall have formed Il constitution of government
United States in all respects, framed by
convention of delegates elected by the male
citizens of said State twenty-one years old and
upward, of whatever race, color, or previous
condition, who have been resident in said State
for one year previous to the day of such election,
except such as may be DISTINGUISHED for partici-
patton in the rebellion or for felony at common
law; and when such constitution shall provide
that the elective franchise shall be enjoyed by all
such persons as have the qualifications herein
stated for election Of delegates; and when such
constitution shall be ratified by majority of the
persons voting on the question of ratification who
are qualified as electors for delegates, and when
such constitution shall have been submitted to
Congress for examination and approval, and
Congress shall have approved the same; and
when said State, by vote of its Legislature elect
ed under said constitution shall have adopted the
amendment to the Constitution of the United
States proposed by the Thirty Ninth Congress,
and hnOwn as article ID, and when said article
shall have become part of the Constitution of
the United States, said State shall be declared en-
titled to representation in Congress, and Senators
on their taking the oath prescribed by law, and
then and thereafter the preceding sections OF
this act shall be imperative in said State Provi
ded, That no person excluded from the privilege
of holding office by said proposed amendment to
the Constitution of the United States shall be
eligible to election as member of the convention
to frame constitution for any of said rebel
States, nor shall any such person vote for MEM
bers of said convention.
SEC. 6. A1,d belt further enacted, That until
the people of said rebel States shall be- by law ad
mitted to representation in the Congress of the
United States, any civil governments which may
exist therein shall be deemed provisional only,
and i'll all respects subject to the paramount au-
thority of the United States at any time to abo-
ish modify, control OF supersede the same and
in all elections to any office under such provis
ional governments all persons shall be entitled to
vote, and none other, who are entitled to vote
under the provisions of the fifth section of this
act and person shall be eligible to any Office
under any such provisional governments who !
would be disqualified from holding office under |
the provisions of the third article of said consti
tutional amendment