The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-05-10
A Joint High Commission Explains
Away Exaggerated Reports.

Away Exaggerated Reports.
WAsurNaroN, May 4, 1871.
The President to-day promulgated
the annexed proclamation
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNI
TED STATES OF AMERICA. 4
PROCLAMATION.
The act of Congress entitled can
act to enforce the provisions of the
fourteenth amendment to the Consti
tuition of the United States, and for
other purposes" approved April 20,
A. D. 1871, being a law of extraordi-
nary public importance, l consider it
my duty to issue this my proclama-
tiop, calling the attention of the peo-
pie Of the I'm ted States thereto, en-
joining upon all good citizens, aud es-
pecially upon public officers, to be
Jealous to the enforcement thereof,
and warning all persons to abstain
from committing any act thereby pro.
hibited.
The law of Congress applies to all
parts CT the United States and will be
enforced everywhere to the extent OF
the powers vested in the Executive i;
but inasmuch as the necessity. there
for is we'll known to have been caused
chiefly by the persistent violations oil
the rights of citizens of the United
States by combinations Of lawless and
disatfected persons in certain localities,
lately the theater Of instruction and
military conflict, l do particularly ex-
hort the people of those parts of the
country to suppress all such combina-
tions, by their own voluntary efforts,
through the agency of local laws, and
to maintain the rights of all citizens
of the United States, and to secure to
all such citizens the equal protection
of the laws.
Fully sensible of the responsibility
imposed upon the Executive by the
act of. Congress to which public opin-
ion is now called, and reluctant to call
into exercise any extraordinary pow
ers thereby conferred upon me, ex.
cept in cases OF imperative necessity,
1 do, nevertheless deem it a duty to
make known that l will not hesitate
to exhaI st the powers thus vested in
the Executive, whenever and wherever
it shall become necessary to do so for
the purpose of securing to all citizens
of the United States the enjoyment of
the rights guaranteed to them by the
Constitution and laws. 1t is my earn
est wish that peace and cheerful obe-
dience to law may prevail throughout
the land, and that all traces or our
late unhappy civil strife may speedily
be removed. These ends can he east
ly reached by acquiescence in the re
suits of the conflict now written in
our Constitution, and by the due and
proper enforcement of the equal, just
and impartial laws in every part of
our country. The failure of local
communities to furnish such means
for the attainment of results so earn
estly desired imposes upon the Nation
al Government the duty of putting
forth all its energies for the protection
of its citizens of every race aud color,
and for the restoration of peace and
order throughout the entire country.
In testimony whereof, 1 have here
unto set my hand and caused the seal
of the United States to be afi xed.
Done at the City of Washington, this
third day of May, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred
and seventy-one, and of the indie
pendence of the United States the
ninety fourth.
GSigned] U. S. GRANT, Pres't-
By the President:
HAMILTON FISH, Sec'y of State.
THE JOINT HIGH COMMISSION RISES TO
Many efforts have been made, it is
alleged by the Joint High Commits:
sioners, to prejudice the treaty before
hand in the minds Of the people, and
to create a false impression as to its
contents. The most notable is that
which seems to convey the belief that
the American Commissioners have al
lowed The claims of British subjects
to be put down as a set off to the Ala
bama claims, and allowed them to en-
ter into-the basis of settlement to the
amount of $50, 000, 900. 1t is also
stated in the public prints that the
English Commissioners have presented
claims to be considered for slaves own
ed by English subjects and freed by
the United States Government during
the war. AS the British laws make
the holding Of slaves by British sub
jects a felony. the absurdity of this
report is apparent. There is also au
thority for the statement that all re-
ports regarding counter claims of En-
gland are false and malicious.