The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1867-07-25
MISCELLANEOUS.


WASHINGTON, July 19.-The fol-
lowing is the text of the Bill as ii
passed both Houses:
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the Uni
ted States of America, in Congress
assembled, That it is hereby declar.
ed to have been the intent and mean
ing of the act of I'd day of March,
1867, entitled an act to provide for
the more efficient government of the
rebel States, and of the act supple
mentary thereto. passed on the 23d
day of March, 1867, that the 60 7ern-
ments then existing in the rebel States
of Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina. Georgia, Mississippi, Lou
isiana, Florida, Texas and Arkansas,
were not loyal State governments,
and that, therefore, said governments,
ifcontinued, were continued subject
in all respects to the military COM
manders Of the respective districts,
and to the paramount authority of
Congress.
Sec. 2. That the commander of
any district named in said act shall
a,ave power, subject to the disappro-
val of the general of the army of the
United States, to have effect till dis
approved, whenever in the opinion of
such commander, the proper admin
istration of said act shall require it
to suspend or remove from office or
from the performance of official du-
flies and the exercise of official pow
.ers, any officer or person holding or
exercising or protesting to hold or
exercise any military office or duty
in such district, under any power,
election, appointment or authority
derived from or granted by or claimed
mnder any so-called State or the gov
ernment thereof, or any municipal or
other division thereof; and upon such
suspension or removal such command
er, subject to the disapproval Of the
general as aforesaid, shall have pow
er to provide from time to time for
the performance of the said duties of
such officer or person so suspended or
removed by the detail of some CON-
petent officer or soldier of the army,
or by the appointment of some other
persons to perform the same, and to
fill vacancies occasioned by death, re-
signation or otherwise.
Sec. 3. That the General of the
army of the United States shall be
revested with all the powers of sus-
pension, removal, appointment and
detail granted in the preceding Sec
tion to district commanders.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted,
That the acts of the officers of the
army already done in removing in
districts persons exercising the func-
.tions of civil officers and appointing
Others in their stead are hereby
confirmed; provided, that any person
heretofore or hereafter appointed by
any district commander to exercise
the functions, any civil officer may
be removed either by the military Of
icers in command of the district or
by the general of the army, and it
shall be the duty of such command
ers to remove from office, as afore-
said, all persons who are disloyal to
the Government of the United States,
or who use their official influence in
any manner to hinder, delay, prevent
or abstruct the use and proper admin
istration of this Act and Acts to
which tits supplemental.
Sec. 5. That the boards of regis
tration provided for in the act enti-
tied an act supplementary to an act
entitled an act to provide for the
more efficient government Of the Re-
bel States, passed March 25d, 1867,
shall have power and it shall be their
duty before allowing the registration
of any person, to ascertain upon such
facts or information as they can OBJ
tain, whether such person is entitled
to be registered under said act, and
the oath required by said act not be
conclusive on such question, and no
person shall be registered until such
board shall decide that he is entitled
thereto, and such board shall have