The Constitutional Convention of the State of Mississippi convened at the Capitol, in the City of Jackson, on Monday, the fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, and of the independence of the United States of America, the ninetieth. in pursuance of a proclamation of His Excellency, WILLIAM L. SHARKEY, Provisional Governor of the State of Mississippi, bearing date the 1st day of July, 1865, which Proclamation is as follows: PROCLAMATION: Fellow Citizens of the State of Mississippi: مرد The President of the United States, by virtue of the power vested in him by the Constitution of the United States, has been pleased to appoint the undersigned Provisional Governor of the State of Mississippi, "for the purpose of enabling the loyal people of said State to organize a State Government, whereby justice may be established, domestic tranquility insured, and loyal citizens protected in all their rights of life, liberty and property." And, to accomplish that object, has directed me, "at the earliest practicable period, to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary and proper for convening a Convention of Delegates, to be chosen by that portion of the people of said State who are loyal to the United States, and no others, for the purpose of altering or amending the Constitution thereof," so that the State may be able to resume its place in the Union. And being anxious to carry out the wishes of the President. and to restore the dominion of civil government as speedily as possible, I do hereby ordain and declare as follows, to"wit: First. To avoid the delay which would necessarily occur from the separate organization of each county by special appointments of the several county officers, the persons who sexercised the functions pertaining to the following named FCB officers, on the day when the archives and other public property were taken posssession of by the United States, to-wit. the 22d day of May, 1865, are hereby appointed to fill those offices in each county, to wit: the office of judge of probate and clerk of the probate court, the office of sheriff and coroner, the office of justice of the peace and constable, the office of board of county police, the office of county treasurer and collector, and assesor and county surveyor, and the several municipal offices of every incorporated city or town, whose organizations have been regularly kept up. This general appointment of officers is not intended to revoke any special appointment made by me prior to the date of the proclamation. And inasmuch as it is necessary that these several offices should be filled by incumbents who are loyal to the United States Government, I reserve the power to remove any one who may be exceptional in this respect, and I earnestly invoke the loyal citizens of each county to give me timely and the most authentic information that can be procured, in regard to any officer who is obnoxious to this serious objection. ૧ Second. These several officers, before they enter upon the discharge of the duties of their respective offices, shall take and subscribe the amnesty oath prescribed in the President's proclamation of the 29th May, 185, and must immediately transmit the oath so taken to this office. At the end of the amnesty oath, after the word "slaves," must be added the words "and will faithfully discharge the duties of my office to the best of my ability." And any one who may undertake to act in his official capacity without compliance with this requisition, will subject himself to punishment. This oath may be taken before any commissioned officer, civil, military or naval, in the service of the United States, or be fore the Judges of Probate hereby appointed, or heretofore appointed by me, after they shall have taken the oath themselves. or before the Judge of the Criminal Court of Warren county. But no one can hold any of these offices who is exempted in the President's proclamation from the benefits of the amnesty unless first specially pardoned by the Presi dent. Third. In counties which have been disorganized, or where there are no persons who can fill the several county offices, either in consequence of death or otherwise, special appointments will be immediately made, when the necessity for such appointments shall be made known to me. Fourth. The sheriffs hereby appointed, or in case there be |
