The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-16
The Reconstruction Act.
Raleigh, June Is, 1868.

We publish below the act recently passed
by Congress for the restoration of certain
revolted States to their lost Constitutional
relations. 1t is not known what the Presi-
dent will clo-s with tl,e-biIi. Shoufd he veto
it, however, it will he easy to pass it over
his veto by two-thrds vote.
1t is provided by this act that as soon as
the Legislatures assemble and ratify the
Howard amendment, their members of Con-
grefs will be admitted to their seats and
thereupon the new State governments will
at once be inaugurated. We do not antici-
pate any trouble from what IS called the
Iron clad" test-oath, which it is supposed
NAV be applied to members of the Legisa-
ture Whatever is necessary to he done, or
omitted, will be done omitted as far as
practicable, to enable the Legislatures to
meet and ratify the amendment. AS soon as
that is done the States will cease to be, in
any sense, in provisional condition. We
think it more than probable the Legislature
will meet early in July.
WHEREAS, the people of North Carolina,
South Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia, Ala
bama, and Florida have, in pursuance of the
provisions of an act entitled An act for
the more efficient government OF the rebel
States" passed March second, eighteen hun
dred and sixty-seven, and the acts supple
mentary thereto, framed constitutions OF
State government which arc republican, and
have adopted such constitutions by large
lnaiorities of the votes cast at the elections
held for the ratification or rejection OF the
same therefore,
BE 1T enacted de-, That each of the States
of North Carolina, South Carolina, Louis
lana, Georgia, Alabama. and Florida shall
he entitled and admitted to representation
in Congress as a State of the Union when
the Legislature of such State shall have du-
" ratified the amendment to the Constltu-
ton of the United States proposed by the
Thirty Ninth Congress, and known as article
fourteen, upon the following fundamental
conditions That the constitutions OF mel
Their of said States shall ever be so amended
or changed as TO deprive any citizen
or citizens of the United States of the right
to vote in said State who are entitled to vote
by the constitution thereof herein recognlz-
ed, except as a punishment for such crimes
as are now felonies at common law, whereof
they shall have been duly convicted under
laws eqally applicable to all the inhabitants
of said State; Prooiae1, That any aitcra-
ton of said constitutions, prospective in its
effect, may be made with regard to the time
and place of residence of voters; and the
State of Georgia shall only be entitled and
admitted to representation upon this further
fundamental condition; that the first and
third subdivisions of section seventeen of
the fifth article of the constitution of said
State, except the proviso to the first sub
division, shall be null and void, and that the
General Assembly of said State by solemn
public act shall declare the assent OF the
State to the foregoing fundamental condl-
ton.
Sec. 2. That if the day fixed for the first
meeting of the Legislature of either OF said
States. BIZ the constitution or ordinance
thereof shall have passed, or have SO nearly
arrived before the passage of this act, that
there shall not be time for the Legislature to
assemble at the period fixed, such Leglsia-
ture shall convene at the end of twenty days
from the time this act takes effect, unless the
Governor elect shall sooner convene the same.
SEC. 3. That the first section or TINS act
shall take effect as to each State, except
Georgia, when such State shall, by It's Legs
lature, duly ratify article fourteen OF tne
amendments to the Constitution OF the Uni
ted States proposed by the 39th Congress
and as to the State of Georgia, when 1t SNAIL
in addition, give the assent as said State TO
tue fundamental condition herelnbetore I'M
posed upon the same; and thereupon the
officers of each State, duly elected and quail
flied under the constitution Thereon, siltii NC