The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-11
The Reconstruction Act.

~
AN ACT To PROVIDE FOR THE MORE EFF
/ cIENr GOVERNMENT of THE REBEL STATES.
WHEREAS. no legal State governments or ade-
innate Se sSs stos tor Of virginia.
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana,
Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas, and
whereas, it is necessary that peace ana gooa orueI
should be enforced in said States unlii loyai anu
| republican State governments can oe ieSoiiJ %
tablished; therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House Of Rspre-
Seatatives of the United States Of Anel7ca M CO'.,
gress assembled That said rebel States shall
be divided into military districts, and made SUB
| us hereinafter prescribed and for that purpose
Virginia shall constitute the first districts North
Carolina and South Carolina the second district !;
Georgia. Alabama and Florida Inc 1hira ristr,ea
Mississippi and Arkansas the lourtn district, anu
Louisiana and Texas the fifth dlstrlct
SEC. 2. Audbe it further enacted, That it shall
be the duty of the President to assign to the COM
mand of each of said districts an omcer OF Inc
army not below the rank OF brigadier general,
and to detail sufficient military iorce 10 eaule
his authority within the district to which he is
| assigned.
Sec. g. And be it further 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, ne shall have
power to organize military commissions or tri-
bunals for that purpose; and all interference
under color of State authority with inc eIer-
else of military authority under this act shall be
null and void.
| Sec 4. Aaad 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
| ficted and no sentence OF any military COM
mission or tribunal hereby authorized, affecting
the life liberty of any person, shall be eXecu-
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 Ifo0ided, That no sentence
of death under the provisions of this act shall be
carried into effect without the approval OF the
President.
SEC s. And be it fiut7te, enacted That when
the people of any one of the aforesaid rebel States
shall have formed constitution OF government
in conformity with the Constitution of the
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 year previous to the day of such election,
except such as may be disfranchiscd for partici-
patton in the rebellion or Tor felony at common
law; and when such constitution shall provide
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 Ofits 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 ,.nown as article IA, and when said article
shall have become part of the Constitution of
the United States, said State shall be declared
titled to representation in Congress, and Senators
and Representatives shall be admitted therefrom
on their taking the oath prescribed by law, and
then and thereafter the proceeding sections OF
Il is 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 a constitution for any OF said rebel
States nor shall any such person vote for mem
beers of said convention.
SEC. g. Ind be it ttyther enacted, That until
the people of said rebel States shall be- by law ad
mittcd TO representation in the Congress of the
United States, any civil governments which may
exist therein shall be deemed provisional only,
and in all respects subject to the paramount au
thOrty of the United States at any time to abol-
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 entitled to vote
under the provisions of the fifth section of this
under any such provisional governments who
would be disqualified from holding office under
the provisions of the third article of said consti
tutional amendment.