Year: 1866

Together with the 2lst section of an act
passed by Congress we publish a bill dis
franchising deserters in the State of Penn
sylvania. This law was passed by the last
Legislature and a short time since signed by
Gov. Curtin, and is now a law.


SEC. 81. And be It further enacted, That,
in addition to the other lawful penalties of
the crime of desertion from the military or
naval service, all persons who have deserted
the military or naval service of the United
States, who shall not return to said service,
| or report themselves to a provost marshal
within sixty days after the proclamation
hereinafter mentioned, shall bc deemed and
taken to have voluntarily relinquished and
| forfeited their rights to become citizens and
such deserters shall be forever incapable of
holding any Office of trust or profit under the
| United States, or of exercising any rights of
citizens thereof; aud all persons who shall
hereafter desert the military or naval SER
vice, and all persons who being duly enroll
ed, shall depart the jurisdiction Of the dis
trict in which he is enrolled. or go beyond
the limits of the United States, with intent
to avoid any draft into the military or naval
service, duly ordered, shall be liable to the
penalties of this section And the President
is hereby authorized and required forthwith
on the passage of this act, to issue his proc
lamation setting forth the provisions OF this
section, in which proclamation the President
is requested to notify all deserters returning
within sixty days as aforesaid that they shall
be Iardoned on condition OF returning to
their regiments and companies or to such
other organizations as they may be assigned
to, until they shall have served for a period
of time equal TO their original term of en-
listment


The act signed by the Governor reads as
follows:


SECTION |, BE IL enacted, etc. That in all
elections hereafter to be held in this Com
monwealth, it shall be unlawful for the judge
or inspectors of any such election to receive
any ballot or ballots, from any person or
persons embraced in the provisions and sub
iect to the disability imposed by said act of
Congress, approved March third, one thou
sand eight hundred and sixty-fye, and it
shall be unlawful for any such person to
offer to vote any ballot or ballots


SEC. 2 That if any such judge and in
spectors of election, or any one of them,
shall receive, or consent to receive, any such
unlawful ballot or ballots from any such dis
qualified person, he or they so offending
shall be guilty of misdemeanor, and upon
conviction thereof in any court of quarter
sessions of this Commonwealth, he shall,
for each 0ffense, be sentenced to pay fine
Of not less than one hundred dollars, and to
undergo an imprisonment in the jail Of the
proper county for not less than sixty days.


SIC. 8. That if any person deprived of
citizenship, and disqualified as aforesaid,
shall, at any election hereafter to be held in
this Commonwealth, vote or tender to the
officers thereof, and effer to vote, ballot or
ballots, any person so offending shall be
deemed guilty of misdemeanor and on con-
viction thereof, in any court of quarter ses-
sions of this Commonwealth, shall, for each
offense, be punished in like manner as is
provided in the preceding section of this
act in the case of officers ofelection receiving
such unlawful ballot or ballots.


SEC A. That if any person shall hereafter
persuade or advise any person or persons,
deprived of citizenship and disqualified as
aforesaid, to offer any ballot or ballots to the
officers of any election hereafter to 0e held
in this Commonwealth, or shall persuade or
advise any such officer to receive any ballot
or ballots from any person deprived of citi-
zenship, such person SO offending shall be
guilty Of a misdemeanor, and upon convlc-
ton thereof in any court of quarter sessions
of this Commonwealth, shall be punished in
like manner as is provided in the second
! section Of this act in the case of officers OF