394 



GEOKGIA. 



the current of popular feeling turned strongly 

 in favor of resuming, at the earliest practicable 

 moment, the most friendly relations with the 

 people of the Northern States, and with the 

 National Government. 



On July 13th the Provisional Governor issued 

 the following proclamation, prescribing the rules 

 and regulations necessary and proper for the 

 assembling of a Convention, etc. 

 To the People of Georgia : 



Whereas, By the proclamation of Andrew Johnson, 

 President of the United States, dated 17th of June, 

 A. D. 1865, I have been appointed Provisional Gov- 

 ernor of the State of Georgia, with instructions to 

 prescribe, at the earliest practicable period, such 

 rules and regulations as may be necessary and proper 

 for convening a Convention of the people, composed 

 of delegates to be chosen by that portion of the people 

 who are loyal to the United States, and no others, 

 and also with all the power necessary and.proper to 

 enable such loyal people of said State to restore it to 

 its constitutional relation to the Federal Government, 

 and to present such a republican form of government 

 as will entitle the State to the guarantee of the United 

 States therefor, and its people to the protection of 

 the United States against invasion, insurrection, and 

 domestic violence. 



Now, therefore, I, James Johnson, Provisional 

 Governor of the State of Georgia, 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 the first Wednesday \ n October, A. D. 

 1865, at the different precincts at which elections are 

 directed and authorized by law to be held for mem- 

 bers of the Legislature. 



2. That the thirty-seven counties in the State which, 

 by law in force prior to the first of January, 1861, 

 were entitled to two members of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives, shall be authorized and entitled to elect 

 each three delegates, and that the remaining counties 

 shall each be authorized and entitled to elect two 

 delegates to said Convention. 



3. That no person, at such election, shall be quali- 

 fied as an elector, or shall be eligible as a member of 

 such Convention, unless he shall have previously 

 thereto taken and subscribed to the oath of amnesty, 

 as set forth in the President's proclamation of May 

 29th, A. D. 1865, and is a voter qualified, as prescrib- 

 ed by the Constitution and laws of the State of 

 Georgia, in force immediately before the 19th of Jan- 

 uary, A. D. 1861, the date of the so-called Ordinance 

 of Secession. 



4. That any two freeholders, qualified to vote at 

 such election as aforesaid, may act as managers of 

 the election at each of the precincts as aforesaid ; and 

 that in managing and superintending such election, 

 they shall be governed by, and proceed under the 

 laws of the State regulating and prescribing the elec- 

 tion of members ofthe Legislature, prior to the 1st 

 of January, ^1861 : Provided, That each of said man- 

 agers, before entering on the duties prescribed, shall 

 swear truly and faithfully to superintend and make 

 return of said election, according to law as aforesaid, 

 and the requirements of this proclamation. 



6. That the delegates who snail be elected as afore- 

 said, shall assemble in Convention at the citv of Mil- 

 ledgeville, at 12 o'clock, M., on the fourth Wednes- 

 day of October, A. D. 1865. 



And whereof, The rebellion which has been waged 

 by a portion of the people against the Government 

 of the United States has, in its revolutionary prog- 

 ress, deprived the people of the State of all civil gov- 

 ernment ; 



And whereas, They must remain, wjthout civil offi- 

 cers, and the administration of civil law, until a State 

 Government shall have been organized by the Con- 

 vention called as aforesaid ; 



And whereof, It is necessary, in the mean time, that 

 domestic tranquillity be insured, and that the loyal 

 people be protected in all their rights of person and 

 property, I dp further proclaim and declare : 



1. That no individual, by virtue of his own authori- 

 ty, shall inflict corporal punishment on any person, 

 for any real or supposed injury, whether such injury 

 relate to person or property, and that in all such 

 cases redress must be sought from, and given by, 

 such military authority as may be invested with the 

 jurisdiction over the cases. 



2. That slavery is extinct, and involuntary servi- 

 tude no longer exists. Hence no person shall have 

 control of the labor of another, other than such con- 

 trol as may lawfully result from indenture, the rela- 

 tion of parent and child, guardian and ward, and the 

 contract of hiring, freely and fairly made; and that 

 for a breach of duty, on the part of any one standing 

 in these relations, the military authority will admin- 

 ister, in a summary manner, adequate and proper re- 

 lief under the laws of the land. 



3. That all riotous or tumultuous assemblages of 

 people, and also all assemblages for unlawful pur- 

 poses and unlawful objects, will be dispersed ; and 

 to this end, if necessary, the military power of the 

 United States will be invoked. 



4. That the idea, if any such is entertained, that 

 private property will be distributed or parcelled out, 

 is not only'delusive, but dangerous and mischievous ; 

 and if any attempt should be made by any person or 

 persons to effect such an object by violence or un- 

 lawful means, it will only secure to him or them 

 speedy and merited punishment. 



5. To the end that the people may qualify them- 

 selves as voters, it will, doubtless, be the pleasure of 

 the commissioned officers in the service of the United 

 States, to have the oath of amnesty administered 

 under the rules and regulations prescribed by the 

 Secretary of State of the United States ; and, in this 

 work, I most earnestly desire and solicit the cheerful 

 cooperation ofthe people, so that Georgia may speedi- 

 ly be delivered of military rule ; that she may once 

 again regulate her own domestic affairs ; again enjoy 

 the blessings of civil government, and be heard and 

 felt by her Senators and Representatives in the coun- 

 cils ofthe nation. 



Done at Milledgeville, the capital of the State, on 

 this, the 13th day of July, in the year of our Lord 

 1865, and the eighty-ninth, year of American Inde- 

 pendence. JAMES JOHNSON, 



Provisional Governor of Georgia. 

 By the Governor : 



L. H. BBISCOK, Secretary. 



To enable the people more easily to prepare 

 themselves for the exercise of the rights of citi- 

 zens, the Provisional Governor, on August 7th, 

 issued a second proclamation. This authorized 

 the ordinaries or clerks of the several counties 

 to administer the oath of amnesty required by 

 the President's proclamation to such persons as 

 were entitled to take and receive the same: All 

 the civil officers of the State who had taken 

 the oath above mentioned, and who were not^ 

 embraced in any of its exceptions, or if em- 

 braced, had received special amnesty, were also 

 authorized to proceed in the discharge of the 

 duties of their several offices according to tho 

 laws in existence prior to January 1, 1861, so 

 far as they were not inconsistent with the ex- 

 isting condition of the State. 



In the unsettled state of affairs at this time, 



tke freedmen at a distance from the stations 



. of the Bureau were placed under the local 



provost marshals by the following military 



order : 



