The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-07-10

an ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE MORE EFF
GENT GOVERNMENT OF THE REBED1TATEs.

OU8L6 DTOCecblOu lOI lllc VI PAoE-- "
n the rebel States of Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Loulsiana,
Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas, and
whereas 1t is necessary that peace ana go0o order
should be enforcedi in said States until loyal ana
republican State governments can be Legally es-
tablished; therefore,
: Re q enacted bv he Senate and HouH Of Repre-
seatatives Of tie United States Of Ansrsca IN cor.
0ress assembled, That said rebel States shall
Be- diyided-into military districts, and made sub
iect 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 district |;
Georgia, Alabama and Florida the third district !
Mississippi and Arkansas the fourth district, and
Louisiana and Texas the fifth district. :,
SEC. Q. Aaad6e Il further enacted, That 1t shall
be the duty of the President to assign to the COM
mand of each of said districts an officer OF the
army not below the rank OF brigadier general,
and to detail sufficient military force to enable
such officer to perform his duties and enforce
his authority within the district to which he is
assigned.
SEC. 8. 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
D.
necessary for the trial of offenders, he shall have
power to organize military commissions or TIL
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 1t further enacted, That all
persons put under military arrest by virtue oil
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 or 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 Provided, 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 i. further enacted, That when
the people of any of the aforesaid rebel States
shall have formed q constitution of government
in conformity with the Constitution of the
United States in all respects, framed BY a
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 disfranchised for partici-
patton in the rebellion or Tor 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 Gifts 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 AnOwn as article IA, and when said article
shall have becomea 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 q constitution for any of said rebel
States, nor shall any such person vote for MEM
bers of said convention.
SEC. 6. And be 1t 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 in all respects subject to the paramount au-
thority of the United States at any time to abol-
ish modify, control or 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 no 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 c0nst
tutional amendment.
Constitutional Amendment.
The following is the Constitutional Amend
ment, commonly called the Howard Amendment:
ARTICLE XIV.
Section l. All persons born or naturalized in
the United States and subject to the Jurisdiction
thereof are citizens of the United States and of
the State wherein they reside. No State shall
make or enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunties of citizens of the United
States nor shall any State deprive any person of
life, liberty or property without due process OF
law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdic-
ton the eqaal protection of tile laws.
Sec. q Representatives shall be apportioned
among the several States according to their re-
spectiye numbers. counting the whole number OF
persons in each State excluding Indians not tax
ed. But when the right to vote at any election
for the choice of electors for President and Vice
President Of the United States, representatives in
Congress- executive and judicial officers ola State,
or the members of the Legislature thereof, is de-
MED to any of the male inhabitants of such State
being twenty-one years of age and citizens of the
United States, or in any way abridged except for
participation in rebellion or other crime the basis
of representation therein shall be reduced in the
proportion which the number of such male citi-
zens shall bear to the whole number OF male citi-
gems twenty one years of age in such State.
Sec. 8. No person shall be Senator or Repre-
sentative In Congress- or eleetos Of President and
Viye-President, or hold any Office, civil or mill
tary, under the United States or under any State,
who, having previously taken an oath as mem
Der Of Congress, or as an officer of the United
States, or as member of any State Legislature,
or as an executive or judicial officer of any State
shall have engaged in Instruction or rebellion
against the same, or given aid and comfort to the
enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of
two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Sec. 4. The validity of the public debt of the
United States authorized by law, including debts
incRried for payment of pensions and bounties
for services in suppressing insurrection or rebel
lion. shall not be questioned But neither the
United States nor any State shall assume or pay
any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insur-
rection or rebellion against the United States, or
any claim for the loss or emancipation of any
slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims,
shall be held illegal and void.
See. s The Congress shall have power to en-
force by appropriate legislation the provisions Of
this article.
An Act to Prescribe an Oath Of Office
and for Other Purposes.
The following is the oath (s' iron-cla " of of
fee referred to in the Reconstruction and Sup
Elemental Acts:
Be II enacted, That hereafter any person elected
or appointed to any office of honor or profit un-
der the government OF the United States, either
in the civil, military or naval department of the
public service, except the President of the Unit
of such Office, and before being entitled to any OF
the salary OF other emOluments thereof take and