The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-30
RECONsTRUCTION.

The following is the text of the Senate
Simultaneously reconstruction bill, as it pass
ed both Houses:
Snc Be 1t enacted 6Y the Senate ana
House of Representatives Of the Unlted otateS
of 4paerita IN Congress Assembled, mat IL Is
hereby declared to have been the true lntenC
and meaning of the act OF March "a n ~.
1867. entitled an act to provide 1or tue mort
efficient government OF the reoel States,
and of the act supplementary thereto, P's Se1
on the 23d day of March, III the year Io 49,
that the Governments, then existing IN tue
rehel States of Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina. Georgia, Mississippi, Ala
hama Louisiana, Florida, Texas and Arkah-
sas were illegal and void, and thereafter the
came Governments, if continued, were to he
continued subject i'll all respects to the MIL
tary Commanders of the respective Dlstrlcts
and to the authority of Congress.
SEc 9. Ind be it further enacted, mat the
commander of any district named In SAID ACT
shall have power, subject to the approval Oh
the General of the armies OF the uhlteu
States. to have effect till disapproFed,
whenever in the opinion OF such com,
mander the proper administration OF salo
act shall require it, to suspend OF re-
move from oiice, or from the performance
of official duties and the exercise OF olhcial
powers, any officer or person holiinS or tx
ercising, or protesting to hoio or eAeloiI Is
any civil or military office, or duty IN SUCH
district under any power, election, appoint
ment or authority derived from or granted
by. or claimed under any so-called state OF
the government thereof, or any municipal or
other division thereof, and upon SUCH suS-
pension or removal such commander, subject
to the approval of the General aforesaid,
shall have power to provide from time 10
time fol the performance Of the said duties
of such officer or person, so suspended or re-
moved, by the detail OF some competent OF
ticer or soldier of the army or by the ap-
pointncnt Of some other person to perform
the same, and to fill vacancies occasloned by
death, resignation or otherwise.
SEC 3. Ind be it further enacted, That
the General of the armies of the United
States shall he invested with all the power OF
suspension, removal, appointment and detail
granted in the preceding section to district
commanders
SEC T. Ind be it Further enTcted, That
the acts of the officers of the army already
done in removing in said districts persons
exercising the functions of civil officers and
appointing others in their stead, are hereby
confirmed; provided that any person hereto
fore or hereafter appointed by any district
commander to exercise the functions OF any
civil office may he removed, either by the
military officer in command OF the district or
by the General of the army and it shall he
the duty of commanders to remove from Of
flee, as aforesaid, all person who are disloyal
to the government of the United States, or
who use their official influence in any manner
to hinder, delay, prevent or ohstruct the due
and proper administration of this act, and |
the acts to which this is supplementary.
SEC. s. And be it further enacted, That !
the boards OF registration provided for in
the act entitled An act supplementary to
an act entitled An act to provide for the
more efficient government Of the rebel
States passed March 2. 1867, and to facili-
tate restoration,' passed March %, 1857,
shall have power, and it shall he their duty
before the allowing tile registration of any
person. to- ascertain, upon such facts or in
formation us they can obtain, whether such
person is entitled to be registered under
said act, and the oath required by said act
shall not be conclusive on such question,
and no person shall be registered unless such
board shall decide that he is entitled there
to; and such board shall also have power to
examine under oath Ito be administered by
any member OF such board) any one touch
ing the qualification of any person claiming
registration. But in every case of a refusal
by the board to register an applicant, made
in every case hereinafter provided, the board
shall make note or memorandum, which
shall be returned with the registration list to
the commanding Generals of the Districts,
setting forth the ground of such REFUSAL or
such striking from the list: Provided, that
no person shall be disqualified, as a member
of any board of registration, by reason of
race or color
q 1nI he !
the true intent and meaning of the oath pre-
scribed in said supplementary act is, (among
other thlngs) that no person who has been
a member of the Legislature of any State,
or who has held any executive or judicial
office in any State, whether he has taken an
oath to support the Constitution of the Uni
ted States or not, and whether he was hold
ing such office at the commencement of the
rebellion or had held it before, and who has
afterwards engaged in instruction or rebel
lion againstthe United States, or given aid or
comfort to the enemies thereof, is entitled to
be registered or to vote; and the words Eek
ecutive or judicial office in any State' in
said oath mentioned shall be construed to
include all civil offices created by law for the
of the general law of the
State, or for the administration of Justice.
Sec. 7. And be it further epnctetZ, That the
time for completing the original registration
provided for in said act may, in the discre-
ton of the commander of any district, be
extended to the 1st day of October, 1867;
and the boards of registration shall have
power, and 1t shall be their duty, commence
ing fourteen days prior to any election under
said act, and upon reasonable public notice
of the time and place thereof, to revise for
period of three days the registration lists !:
and upon being satisfied that any person not
entitled thereto has been registered, to strike
the name of such person from the list. And
such board shall also, during the same peri
cd. add to such registry the names of all
persons who at that time possess the qualifi-
Cations required by said act who have not
been already registered, and no person shall
at any time be entitled to be registered or to
vote by reason of any executive pardon or
amnesty, for any act or thing which, with
put such pardon or amnesty, would disoual-
Ify him from registration or voting.
SEC. 8. Ind be 1T further enacted. That
sec. OF the said last-named act shall be con.
'trued to authorize the commanding general
named therein, whenever he shall deem it
needful, to remove any member of board