FLORIDA. 



361 



protection of the United States against invasion, in- 

 surrection, and domestic violence : 



Now, therefore, I, William Marvin, Provisional 

 Governor of the State of Florida, as aforesaid, do, by 

 virtue of the power in me vested, as aforesaid, pro- 

 claim and declare : 



1. That an election for delegates to a convention 

 will be held on Tuesday, the 10th day of October, 

 A. D. 1865, at the different precincts at which elections 

 are directed and authorized by law to be held for 

 members of the Legislature. 



2. That the thirty-nine counties in this State shall 

 be authorized and entitled to elect delegates to the 

 said convention severally as follows, to wit: Escam- 

 bia two, Santa Rosa two, Walton two, Holmes one, 

 Washington one, Jackson three, Calhoun one, Frank- 

 lin one, Liberty one, Gadsden three, Wakulla one, 

 Leon four, Jefferson three, Madison two, Taylor one, 

 Lafayette one, Hamilton two, Suwanee one, Columbia 

 two, Baker one, Bradford one, Nassau one, St. John's 

 one, Duval one, Clay one, Putnam one, Alachua two, 

 Marion two, Levy one, Hernando one, Hillsborough 

 one, Manatee one, Polk one, Orange one, Volusia 

 one, Brevard one, Sumter one, Monroe one, and Bade 

 one. 



3. Every free white male person of the age of 

 twenty-one years and upwards, and who shall be, at 

 the time of offering to vote, a citizen of the United 

 States, and who shall have resided and had his home 

 in this State for one year next preceding the elec- 

 tion, and for six months in the county in which he 

 may offer to vote, and who shall have taken and sub- 

 scribed the oath of amnesty, as set forth in the Presi- 

 dent's proclamation of amnesty, of the 29th day of 

 May, 1865, and if he comes within the exceptions 

 contained in said proclamation, shall have taken said 

 oath, and have been specially pardoned by the Presi- 

 dent, shall be entitled to vote in the county where he 

 resides, and shall be eligible as a member of said con- 

 vention, and none others. Where the person offer- 

 ing to vote comes within the exceptions contained in 

 the amnesty proclamation, and shall have taken the 

 amnesty oath, and shall have made application to the 

 President for a special pardon, through the Provi- 

 sional Governor, and shall have been recommended 

 by him for such pardon, the inspectors or judges of 

 the election may, in most instances, properly pre- 

 sume that such pardon has been granted, though 

 owing to the want of mail facilities it may not have 

 been received by the party at the time of the election. 



Free white soldiers, seamen, and marines, in the 

 army or navy of the United States, who were quali- 

 fied, by their residence, to vote in said State, at the 

 time of their respective enlistments, and who shall 

 have taken and subscribed the amnesty oath, shall 

 be entitled to vote in the county where they respec- 

 tively reside ; but no soldier, seaman, or marine, not 

 a resident in the State at the time of his enlistment, 

 shall be allowed to vote. 



4. The amnesty oath may be taken and subscribed 

 before any commissioned officer civil, military, or 

 naval in the service of the United States, or any civil 

 or military officer of a loyal State or. Territory, who, 

 by the laws thereof, is qualified to administer oaths. 

 The officer administering the oath is authorized and 

 required, on request, to give to the person taking it 

 certified copies thereof. It is administered to all 

 persons applying at the different military posts in 

 this State, without fee. The taking of the oath does 

 not, of itself, operate as a pwdon in cases where the 

 party is excepted from the general amnesty and needs 

 a special pardon. 



5. That the Judges of Probate in the several coun- 

 ties, provided they shall have respectively taken the 

 amnesty oath, or in case of the inability or absence 

 of any judge in any county, or his neglect or refusal 

 to act, then the Clerk of the Circuit Court, provided 

 he shall have taken the amnesty oath, shall distribute 

 the poll books and appoint, for the different election 

 precincts in their several counties, three inspectors 



or judges of the election, who shall have taken the 

 amnesty oath, to hold said election, who shall con- 

 duct the same, as near as may be, in conformity with 

 the laws of this State as they existed prior to Janu- 

 ary 10, 1861. The inspectors of the different pre- 

 cincts shall, as soon as possible after the election, 

 count the votes and make and sign a certificate of the 

 result of the election at said precinct, and one of 

 them, to be determined by lot, if not othenvise agreed 

 upon, shall convey and deliver, without unnecessary 

 delay, the said certificate, the. poll book and ballots, 

 to the Judge of Probate of the county or to the Clerk 

 of the Circuit Court, whichever of them may have 

 appointed said inspectors. The judge or clerk re- 

 ceiving said certificates, poll books, and ballots shall, 

 thereupon, without unnecessary delay, call to his 

 assistance two respectable inhabitants, having the 

 qualification of voters, and shall publicly count the 

 votes and compare with the poll books. They shall 

 make and sign certificates of the result of the elec- 

 tion in their county, and furnish to each person elect- 

 ed one of said certificates. The judge or clerk shall 

 also transmit by mail, prepaying the postage, proper- 

 ly enveloped and addressed to the Provisional Gov- 

 ernor, at Tallahassee, one of said certificates, together 

 with the ballots and poll books of the several pre- 

 cincts, or he shall convey the said certificate, poll 

 books, and ballots, properly enveloped and addressed 

 as aforesaid, to the nearest military post, and deliver 

 the same to the commander to be forwarded to this 

 office. 



The counties in which there is neither a qualified 

 Judge of Probate nor a qualified Clerk of the Circuit 

 Court, or in which they may neglect or refuse to act, 

 the qualified voters are hereby authorized to assem- 

 ble at the county site, and in Dade County, at Indian 

 Key, and elect the judges of election, who shall have 

 taken the amnesty oath, and who shall hold the elec- 

 tion, count the votes, and give to the person elected 

 a certificate of his election. One of them, to be 

 agreed on or determined by lot, shall also send by 

 mail, or convey to the nearest military post as afore- 

 said, a duplicate certificate of the election and the 

 poll books and ballots, to be forwarded to this office 

 as aforesaid. 



No person shall act as an inspector or judge of the 

 election who shall not have previously taken the am- 

 nestj oath, and no other oath shall be exacted of said 

 judges or inspectors, but their personal honor will 

 be coLsidered as pledged for the faithful and honest 

 performance of their duties. 



6. The commander of the Military Department of 

 the State has, in the absence of mail facilities, gener- 

 ously ordered the officers and soldiers under his com- 

 mand to aid and assist in the distribution of the poll 

 books and this proclamation, and in receiving the re- 

 turns of the election and forwarding them to this 

 office. 



7. That the delegates who shall be elected as afore- 

 said shall assemble in convention, at the city of Tal- 

 lahassee, at twelve o'clock, on Wednesday, the 25th 

 day of October, A. D. 1865, and elect a President and 

 other necessary officers, and proceed to the discharge 

 of their duties. The convention will be the judge of 

 the election of their respective members. 



The commandant of the Military Department of the 

 State has issued a general order directing that a 

 United States transport steamer shall leave Key 

 West on Wednesday, the 18th of October, and touch 

 at Tampa, Manatee, and Cedar Keys, on her wav to 

 St. Mark's ; and that another steamer shall leave Pen- 

 sacola on Saturdav, the 21st, bound for the same 

 port, touching at Appalachicola ; and another shall 

 leave Enterprise, on trie St. John's River, on Friday, 

 the 20th, bound to Jacksonville, touching at the 

 various points on the river; and another shall leave 

 Fernandina on Friday, the 20th, and St. Augustine 

 on Saturday, the 21st, bound to Jacksonville. These 

 steamers will convey the delegates elected free of 

 charge, except for their lodging and meals. 



