AI.AUAMA. 



17 



political equality on this l.a>:s. A StatO Con- 



vention was also recommended. The sp. 



imported tin- measures of ColluT 



\|.ril 1st Major Ceaeral I 'ope. issued the 

 .in:,' order <>n usMiining command of the 

 Tliinl Military Division : 



Orders No. 1. 



HEADQUARTERS TlIIRD MILITARY DIVISION, ) 



M..\ KIOHF.KY, ALA., AprU 1, 1867. j 

 In eoinplianee \viili (Jcneral Orders No. 18, dated 

 Kirters of tin- Army, March 15, 1867, the un- 

 dersigned asMimes command of the Third Military 

 i, \vliirli comprises the States of Alabama, 

 -1:1, and Florida. 



Districts of Georgia and Alabama will remain 



a-* ut present constituted, and with their present 



eniiumindiTS, except that the headquarters of the 



i of (iL'orgiu will be forthwith removed to 



Milledgi 



The District of Key West is hereby merged into 

 i In- District of Florida, which will be commanded 

 by Colonel John T. Sprague, 7th U. S. Infantry. The 

 headquarters of the District of Florida are removed 

 to Tallahassee, to which place the district com- 

 iiKindiT will transfer his headquarters without delay. 



I. The civil officers at present in office in Georgia, 

 Florida, and Alabama, will retain their offices until 

 tin' expiration of their terms of service, unless other- 

 wise directed in special cases, so long as justice is 

 impartially and faithfully administered. It is hoped 

 that no necessity may arise for the interposition of 

 the military authorities in the civil administration, 

 and such necessity can only arise from the failure of 

 the civil tribunals to protect the people, without dis- 

 tinction, in their rights of person and property. 



II. It is to be clearly understood, however, that 

 the civil officers thus retained in office shall confine 

 themselves strictly to the performance of their offi- 

 cial duties, and whilst holding their offices they shall 

 not use any influence whatever to deter or dissuade 

 tin' people from taking an active part in reconstruct- 

 in!; their State governments, under the act of Con- 



i ) provide for the more efficient government of 

 the rebel States, and the act supplementary thereto. 

 IV. .Vo elections will be held m any of the States 

 comprised in this military district, except such as 

 lu-iividi-d for in the act of Congress, and in the man- 

 ner therein established; but all vacancies in civil 

 offices which now exist, or which may occur by ex- 



Eiration of the terms of office of the present incum- 

 nits, before the prescribed registration of voters is 

 completed, will be filled by appointment of the Gen- 

 oral commanding the district. 



JOHN I'OPE, Major-General commanding. 



On the next day, Major - General Wager 

 Sway ne-, \vlio had been placed in charge of the 

 district consisting of the State of Alabama, 

 i-sued tho following order: 



General Orders, No. 1. 



HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OP ALABAMA, ) 

 MONTOOMBRY, ALA., April 2, 1607. ( 

 By direction of General Pope, the undersigned is 

 charged with the administration of the Military Rc- 

 e< HIM ruction Bill in this State. 



The principles which will control its execution 

 huve already been announced. 



A literal compliance with the requirements of the 

 Civil Rights Hill will be exacted. 



All payments on account of services rendered dur- 

 iau the war to the pretended State organization, or 

 any of its branches, are peremptorily forbidden. 



WAGER SWAYNE, Major-Gcneral. 

 Official : 



J. T. COXYNGHA.M, 



1st Lieut. ->ith U. S. Infantry, Ass't Adj't-Gen'l. 

 VOL. vu. 2 



A ronvsponeenco took plan- at, tliis tin,,- ].. 

 t \vcen (;,-neral I'opc, as command, -r of the. 

 Thinl Military l>\\ ision, and (icin-ral (iraut, r,-l- 

 ative to the obligations of the parole taken In- 

 late Confederate officers, in which it was mu- 

 tually held that tho provisions requiring them 

 to return to their honiis and obey tho laws, and 

 also refrain from inciting others to reject or re- 

 sist tho laws of the United States, were in 

 force, and any attempt on their part to keep up 

 difficulty and prevent tho settlement of the 

 Southern question, in accordance with the ac- 

 tion of Congress, was a violation of the parole. 



The next step in the execution of the Recon- 

 struction Law was tho registration of all persons 

 entitled to vote. For this purpose Major-Gen- 

 eral Pope issued the following order: 



General Orders, No. 5. 



HEADQUARTERS THIRD MILITARY DISTRICT, t 

 MONTGOMERY, ALA., Aprils, 1807. J 



I. The following extract from the recent acts of 

 Congress, in relation to Reconstruction in the South- 

 ern States, is published for the information of all 

 concerned: 



[Here follows the text of the act of Congress ap- 

 proved March 2, 1867. See PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.] 



IT. In order to execute this provision of the act 

 referred to with as little delay as possible, the com- 

 manding officers of the districts of Alabama, Georgia, 

 and Florida, will proceed immediately to divide those 

 States into convenient districts for registration, 

 aided by such information as they may have or can 

 obtain. It is suggested that the election districts in 

 each State which, in I860, sent a member to the most 

 numerous branch of the State Legislature, will be 

 found a convenient division for registration. 



It is desirable that in all cases the registers shall 

 be civilians, where it is possible to obtain such as 

 come within the provisions of the act, and are other- 

 wise suitable persons; and that military officers shall 

 not be used for this purpose except in case of actual 

 necessity. The compensation for registers will be 

 fixed hereafter, but the general rule will be observed 

 of graduating the compensation by the number of 

 recorded voters. To each list of voters shall be ap- 

 pended the oath of the register or registers that the 

 names have been faithfully recorded, and represent 

 actual legal voters, and that the same man does not 

 appear under different names. The registers are 

 specifically instructed to see that all information con- 

 cerning their political rights is given to all persons 

 entitled to vote under the act of Congress; and they 

 are made responsible that every such legal voter has 

 the opportunity to record his name. 



III. As speedily as possible, the names of persons 

 chosen for registers shall be communicated to these 

 headquarters for the approval of the commanding 

 General. 



IV. The district commanders in each of the States 

 comprised in this military district are authorized to 

 appoint one or more general supervisors of registra- 

 tion, whose business it shall be to visit the various 

 points where registration is being carried on ; to in- 

 spect the operations of the registers; and to assure 

 themselves that every man entitled to vote has the 

 necessary information concerning his political rights, 

 and the opportunity to record his name. 



V. A general inspector, either an officer of the 

 Army or a civilian, will be appointed at these head- 

 quarters, to see that the provisions of this order are 

 fully and carefully executed. 



VI. District commanders may, at their discretion, 

 appoint civil officers of the United States as regis- 

 ters, with such additional compensation as may seem 

 reasonable and sufficient. 



